"Messi off TV off", "Never do that again" - Fans react as Lionel Messi gets substituted after an incredible performance for Inter Miami

Lionel Messi fans were not happy with Gerardo Martino after the Inter Miami manager took him off in the win over Atlanta United. The Argentine was on a hattrick, but was substituted in the 78th minute.

Messi opened the scoring on his first start for Inter Miami in the 8th minute of the match and doubled the lead in the 22nd minute to pile on the pressure on Atlanta.

La Familia were looking forward to going into halftime with a comfortable 2-0 lead, but things even got better just before the break. Robert Taylor got on the scoresheet for the second game in a row and made it 3-0 for the home side.

The second half started just like the first as Inter Miami got their 4th goal just 8 minutes into the second half. Taylor was once again on the scoresheet with Messi setting him up for the first time. The duo had combined earlier on the field for the Argentine's second goal of the match.

However, Tata Martino did not want to risk playing the 7-time Ballon d'Or winner for the full game and decided to take him off with 12 minutes left on the clock. This move was not appreciated by the fans on Twitter as they wanted to see him complete his hattrick.

Here are some of the tweets when the substitution took place:

78’ | SUB

IN: R. Robinson
OUT: L. Messi

#MIAvATL pic.twitter.com/JXnu7o1qH0

@InterMiamiCF Messi off TV off…👍

@InterMiamiCF Never do that again

@InterMiamiCF Ok I’m done watching

@InterMiamiCF won't be watching anymore 👋

@InterMiamiCF THE GOAT IS OUT.
TIME TO SLEEP

What's next for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami?

Inter Miami won their first match of the League Cup group stage, with Lionel Messi scoring the winner in injury time. The Argentine was making his debut and capped it of with a stunning goal, directly from a free kick, in the 94th minute of the game.

The MLS side backed it up with a 4-0 win over Atlanta United on Tuesday night to seal their spot in the Round of 32. They will finish as the group stage winners and are waiting to see who they will face in the next round.

Cruz Azul will take on Atlanta United on Saturday with a winner goes into the next round situation. Both sides were beaten by Lionel messi's team and will be keen on bouncing back.