Sergio Busquets was calm and subtle as Jordi Alba blew his top over a red card.
Barcelona legend earned himself two quick yellow cards as Inter Miami were thrashed in the Concacaf Champions Cup by Monterrey, losing 5-2 on aggregate.
The Spaniard was initially booked for a late challenge in the 74th minute but four minutes later he was heading for the tunnel for stepping on a player’s foot.
He was furious at the referee’s decision and screamed in his face, which saw teammate Busquets usher his compatriot away from any further trouble.
Alba is one of four Barcelona legends, including Messi and Busquets to have made the switch to Miami, alongside Luis Suarez, but not even their star-studded power could make a difference against Monterrey.
Together, they won the treble with Barcelona in 2015 in one of football’s best-ever sides that also included Neymar, Xavi and Andres Iniesta.
But now deep into their 30s, their star power could not get them over the line in what is north America’s equivalent of the Champions League.
Having been beaten 2-1 in the first leg at the DRV PNK Stadium, Inter Miami needed a miracle in Mexico to progress in the prestigious competition.
However, they capitulated further by going 3-0 down before Alba lost his cool, with Diego Gomez netting a late consolation for the visitors to end the game 3-1 on the night.
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It saw them crash out of the competition at the quarter-finals with Monterrey now set to face MLS side Columbus Crew in the next round.
And there are further implications for club president David Beckham‘s side, who will now not feature in next year’s Club World Cup in the USA in an embarrassing turn of events.
Inter Miami were thought to be assured of a spot in the competition, which has been expanded by FIFA, and Messi’s absence will be a huge miss for MLS.
The World Cup winner was largely anonymous against Monterrey, though he had been out for nearly a month with a hamstring injury and had only returned at the weekend with a goalscoring appearance from the bench against Colorado Rapids in the MLS.
On the domestic front, Messi and co. will play Sporting Kansas City at the Arrowhead, which is home to Super Bowl winners Kansas City Chiefs.
