During an interview after the 2022 World Cup quarter-final match in Qatar, captain of Argentina's team Lionel Messi slammed Dutch striker Wout Weghorst:
“What you looking at, idiot? Go on, get out of there!” he was filmed saying.
Messi explained his behavior by saying that "Weghorst came up to us, started pushing, provoking us even before the match, saying all sorts of things."
Previously, right after the match, Messi approached the Netherlands team's coach Louis van Gaal and mocked him, asking "So, did you stop me?"
The Argentine footballer was referring to comments that Van Gaal had made in a pre-match conference about Messi, and how the Netherlands just needed to block him and win.
The Argentina vs the Netherlands match was intense. In the 35th minute, Lionel Messi broke through the center and delivered a pass into the penalty area to Nahuel Molina, who skillfully opened the score. In the 71st minute, Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries fouled inside the penalty area. Messi successfully scored the second goal. In the remaining part of the match, Weghorst entered the game as a substitute and scored a double in the 83rd and 11th added minutes of the second half. Argentina won on penalties.
Argentina will now face Croatia in the semi-finals.
The second semi-final will be decided on Saturday, with a Morocco vs Portugal clash, just before France and England have a face-off.