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Inter Miami’s dramatic 2-1 victory vs. Atlas in the Leagues Cup on Wednesday reached a boiling point after the final whistle when Lionel Messi was seen on camera celebrating in the face of Atlas’ Matías Cóccaro.
The Atlas striker cleared the air in an interview after the game saying there’s no bad blood between him and the Argentina icon.
Timeline of events
1. Messi was reportedly unhappy with Cóccaro’s celebrations after Atlas equalized in the 80th minute. Cóccaro was seen yelling at the Inter Miami fans in the stands at Chase Stadium.
Messi le celebró el gol en la cara al uruguayo Cóccaro por esto y además por que más adelante el jugador del Atlas también se burlo del gol anulado del Miami pic.twitter.com/90234ZtSIe
— Sebas Crackbol (@Crackbol10) July 31, 2025
2. Messi then supplied the game-winning assist in the final minute of stoppage time to secure three points for the Herons. He celebrated in the face of Cóccaro after the game concluded.
WOW! MARCELO WEIGANDT CALLS GAME!
Messi to Suarez to Messi to Weigandt for the @InterMiamiCF game winner against Atlas! #LeaguesCup2025 pic.twitter.com/GlfRMiTTyM— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 31, 2025
¡Como pibe! ⚽️ Messi's celebration after the last-minute goal!#LeaguesCup pic.twitter.com/oP9hjBhm43
— Leagues Cup (@LeaguesCup) July 31, 2025
3. What many fans didn’t see is that Messi and Cóccaro quickly made up. The two exchanged a hug on the field and the Miami star reportedly apologized for his actions after the final whistle.
How it should be ! What happens on the field stays on the field !
Leo Messi & Matías Cóccaro ⭐️
pic.twitter.com/SkFTwNLSYm— Claudio (@ClaudioFutbol) July 31, 2025
4. Cóccaro had a Messi jersey when speaking to the media.
Pero después Cóccaro dijo que se la quedó él https://t.co/FJkwDrEZmj pic.twitter.com/Zpjxrt3KpG
— Ariel Leguizamón X (@tvarieldep) July 31, 2025
“Inter Miami scored again and Messi came to celebrate right in my face, full of emotion. And what can I say? I had to stay quiet. I mean, he’s the greatest of all time. You can't say anything back,” Cóccaro told reporters.
“After the game, he came to me, hugged me, and apologized. He was really sorry.
“That says a lot about who he is as a player. When someone like Messi speaks to you, you just have to listen. I have nothing but respect for the best in history."
That might be the shortest player beef in the history of the sport. Sportsmanship triumphs at the end of the day.
Inter Miami secured a big three points as only the top four MLS teams will advance to face the top four Liga MX clubs following the group stage games.
Messi and friends’ next opponent will be Necaxa on Saturday.
