Just hours ago, Inter Miami suffered the wrath of Atlanta United during their MLS fixture. Playing without their star player Lionel Messi, the Herons were thrashed 5-2 by the home side. While the Herons were struggling against Atlanta, many of the fans were busy brutally trolling the World Cup winner. They seemed to take a lot of joy in Messi’s absence and taunted the visiting crowd.

Notably, the Argentine superstar was left at Fort Lauderdale and missed the crucial game, which eventually saw Miami suffer their first defeat in two months.

Lionel Messi gets trolled by rival fans while Inter Miami suffers a thumping

It wasn’t the result Miami was expecting, as they lost 5-2 against Atlanta United. Leonardo Campana’s brace wasn’t enough, as the hosts were stronger with their attack. The loss has brought Miami back into the negative limelight. However, the focus somehow diverted to their star player, Lionel Messi. During the match, the skipper, who was absent from the squad, became the target of taunts from the Atlanta fanbase.

Interestingly, a clip shared by a netizen went viral where thousands of fans were chanting, “Where is Messi?” The whole home crowd in the stands was fully in sync and did not miss the opportunity. To add to the drama, they were also clapping in sync. Prime soccer banter at its best, without a doubt! Certainly, Inter Miami fans weren’t the happiest to witness such antics.

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The continuous banter by the Atlanta fans rubbed salt on the Herons’ wounds, who were already struggling on the pitch. The loss has kept Miami in 14th place in the Eastern Conference. Perhaps the presence of Messi could have benefited Inter Miami. Earlier, La Pulga even inspired his side to a 4-0 victory against the very same opponents, getting a brace and an assist during the Leagues Cup fixture.

Unfortunately, today, David Beckham‘s soccer franchise didn’t have their star player darting through balls across the pitch. This brings up the question of why Messi missed the clash against Atlanta. Was it because of the artificial turf? Find out below.

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Why did Inter Miami’s captain miss the game against Atlanta United?

Earlier, there were reports indicating that Messi might skip the match against the Georgian side due to concerns about the artificial turf. However, Miami’s manager, Tata Martino, promptly clarified the situation. Following the match, he was questioned about the absence of both Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba, with a specific inquiry about whether Messi’s non-participation was turf-related. In response, Martino stated, “They both have muscular fatigue. It has absolutely nothing to do with the field. We have a (final) on Sept. 27.”

Martino’s comments strongly imply that both former Barcelona stars were absent due to physical exhaustion. Furthermore, Inter Miami is on track to compete in the US Open Cup final against the Houston Dynamo in a few days. In all likelihood, Martino considered it wise to rest the duo in preparation for the upcoming important matches. Quite possibly, they will make a comeback in the next game contributing to Miami’s recovery. Any thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.

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