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CF Monterrey manager Fernando ‘Tano’ Ortiz was reported to have been involved in a postgame confrontation with Lionel Messi and Inter Miami players.
According to the reports, Messi confronted Ortiz over his statements suggesting that Concacaf could favor the Miami team simply because the Argentine is part of the club.
Upon arriving in Mexico, Ortiz approached reporters who approached him, and although questioned about the controversy with Messi, he chose not to say much about it.
“What happened will remain there,” Ortiz told reporters (h/t Telediario). “It’s all just talk. I’m not going to make any statements about it… I won’t discuss the matter further. It’s something that arose, my intentions were always good, but let’s leave it at that.”
Inter Miami, with a promising 1-0 lead in the first half, seemed to have the game under control. However, in the final 45 minutes, the squad experienced a meltdown filled with errors, turning the tide of the game.
The game took an unexpected turn for the MLS club when David Ruiz was sent off with two yellow cards in a short span. Monterrey took advantage of Tata Martino and his team playing with 10 men for over 20 minutes. Rayados scored two goals for a 2-1 win heading into the second leg next week.