Tempers flared in the closing minutes of the FIFA World Cup quarterfinal in which Argentina beat The Netherlands 4-3 on penalties to qualify for the semifinals.
Argentina's players brutally celebrated in front of the Dutch dugout and the usually calm and unprovocative Lionel Messi making the headlines for his comments on not only Coach Louis van Gaal but also his gesture towards Wout Weghorst.
The Argentine talisman took exception to what van Gaal had to say about him before the match, and conveyed his feeling through a hand gesture after the win.
Van Gaal had said that Messi doesn't have a role to play when the ball isn't in Argentina's possession and Messi ensured he celebrated his goal in front of the Dutch coach and later confronted him after the match.
In a video that has gone viral, Messi could be seen mouthing a few words towards van Gaal after the match, accompanied by a hand gesture that indicates 'excessive chirping'.
'I don't like people talking before matches. That's not part of football. I always respect everyone, but I like to be respected too. And they were not respectful to us before the game,' Messi said.
'I feel disrespected by van Gaal after his pre-game comments and some Dutch players spoke too much during the game. Van Gaal sells that he plays good football and then he puts forwards in the box and starts throwing long balls. We deserved to go through and that's what happened,' Messi said after the match.
Messi went on to criticise The Netherlands's tactics under van Gaal, adding, 'Van Gaal tells people that he plays football, but all they do is strike long balls.'
In another video, Messi, who usually cuts a calm and composed figure, while being interviewed after the match, asked Dutch striker Wout Weghorst to move away from the presentation area.
'What are you looking at, dumby? Go back there, dumby. Get back there, yes!'
'(Weghorst) came and started to provoke us, bump into us, tell us things... Their coach was not respectful to us either,' he added.
Van Gaal and Weghorst were not the only subjects of Messi's anger as the Argentine also criticised Referee Mateu Lahoz. 'FIFA can't put these referees in a match like this. He's not up to par.'
