Lionel Messi has proven he can handle himself, according to Tata Martino, after receiving some harsh remarks during Inter Miami’s victory over Orlando City.

In a 3-1 victory over Orlando City in the Leagues Cup round of 32, Messi scored twice. However, the Argentine also encountered a number of severe challenges from the opposition throughout the Florida Derby. He once shoved Cesar Araujo after getting caught by one full-throttle challenge, and he was later involved in a verbal altercation with Felipe Martins.

Coach Martino acknowledged that things became heated and blamed the “friction” on the abundance of South American athletes on the field.”It’s true that the recent game [against Orlando] was really different from the others. There was more rubbing.

Messi has been scoring prolifically for Inter Miami, tallying five goals in three games, but all of those accomplishments have taken place at the DRV PNK Stadium. Messi’s first test will come against FC Dallas in the Leagues Cup round of 16 matchup on Sunday. Martino is nonetheless convinced that his squad will win since Messi and Busquets have made them a more “complete team.”

We anticipate the standard challenges of a contest like this because you can either win or lose. But a larger team will be accompanying us on this trip. Dallas boasts guys from midfield to forward who have a lot of potential. We’ll have our hands full,” he remarked.