San Jose Earthquakes head coach Bruce Arena helped save Lionel Messi from receiving a red card following the final whistle of Wednesday night’s game against Inter Miami, intervening as the Herons captain argued with the referee.

Late in the match, Messi expressed frustration after being tackled late just outside the box but failing to receive a call for the incident. Once the final whistle blew, the forward went directly to the referee to complain about the decision and subsequently earned a yellow card.

Messi continued to dispute the situation, with the referee responding “walk away now” before Arena stepped in to avoid further escalation.

“He was obviously not happy, and I wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to get a red card,” Arena said in his postgame news conference. “I just tried to move him out of the way, because for him to get a red card at the end of the game would have been ridiculous.

“I just wanted to make sure we get him out of there and he’s ready to play the next game for Miami.”

Inter Miami drew 3-3 against the Earthquakes as goals Maximiliano Falcón and Tadeo Allende earned the Herons one point on the road.

Miami hit a rough patch after being eliminated from the Concacaf Champions Cup by the Vancouver Whitecaps in the semifinals, earning one victory, one loss and one tie since the knockout match on April 30.

Miami most notably fell 4-1 against Minnesota United 4-1 on Saturday, adding to Messi’s frustration on the field.

Inter Miami will look to return with a renewed focus when hosting state rivals Orlando City on May 18 at Chase Stadium.