Lionel Messi & Joao Felix were separated after HEATED face-off during Spanish Super Cup

Atletico Madrid came from behind in Saudi Arabia to score a huge victory over Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final. Alvaro Morata and Angel Correa scored in the final 10 minutes of the game to knock the cup holders out of the tournament. The intensity of the clash, however, saw Lionel Messi and Atletico youngster Joao Felix enter into a heated face-off.

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Joao Felix entered the contest on Thursday night (Friday IST) with a string of poor performances under his belt. The 20-year-old not only struggled once again but also got into several arguments during the game. The Portuguese forward first got into a clash with Jordi Alba in the first half. Footage from the incident shows, the Spanish left-back poking Felix before slapping his hand away. While Felix did not react then, he let the frustration boil over in the dying minutes of the first half.

Joao Felix enters into an argument with Lionel Messi

In a separate incident, the footage shows Joao Felix and Lionel Messi exchange some heated words. The duo clearly appeared agitated and had to be separated by their teammates. Luis Suarez, Gerard Pique and Alvaro Morata had to intervene to separate the duo. The clash subsequently escalated when Suarez further engaged with Felix. Joao Felix and his teammate Stefan Savic were booked for the incident.

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Watch: Lionel Messi and Joao Felix in an epic face-off

Coming back to the game, Barcelona produced another poor defensive display against Atletico Madrid. Despite falling behind early in the second half, Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann scored in what appeared to be a hard-fought victory for the Catalan side. However, Diego Simeone's side fought back to win the game and knock Barcelona out. 

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The win for Atletico Madrid sets up a clash against their city rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final. The final will be held on Sunday, January 12 (11:30 PM IST) at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium.

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Image Source: Atletico Madrid Twitter