Wout Weghorst insists he only 'wanted to show respect' on clash with Messi

Netherlands World Cup star Wout Weghorst has opened up on his clash with Lionel Messi after their quarter-final defeat to Argentina.

The two nations faced off in a highly fractious World Cup quarter-final in Qatar, which saw the South American side triumph 4-3 on penalties after the match finished 2-2 after normal time and extra time.

Argentina had been cruising to victory with 10 minutes left - before two goals from Weghorst, including an 101st-minute equaliser which was arguably one of the goals of the tournament after a well worked free kick - levelled the tie.

There were several flashpoints during the clash as it heated up, with Argentina's players celebrating in the faces of the Dutch after the game, leading to an altercation which had Holland wing-back Denzel Dumfries sent off following full-time.

Messi continued the bad blood after the match as he ran over to the Holland bench, jumped up and then copied the 'Topo Gigio' celebration, standing up with his open hands cupped behind his ears, the typical celebration of compatriot Juan Roman Riquelme, who used it in homage to the titular character of an Italian TV show from the 1960s involving puppets.

After the match, the forward said: 'I feel disrespected by Van Gaal after his pre-game comments and some Dutch players spoke too much during the game.'

He also had a coming together with Weghorst in the tunnel, with Messi reportedly shouting at Weghorst: 'Anda Palla, Bobo' - translating to 'Keep moving, idiot!'

Burnley loanee Weghorst returned to action with his club side Besiktas on Wednesday, scoring in their 4-2 win over Sanliurfaspor in the Turkish Cup.

And, following the game, the target man opened up on his skirmish with Messi during the fiery last eight encounter in Qatar.

'I always give everything and I did the same in the quarter-final,' he told Dutch outlet De Telegraaf. 'I fought against Messi and there were a few moments between us.'

'I think he didn't like it and that it surprised him. But I have a lot of respect for him. He is among the greatest of all time.'

Weghorst seemed to insist their clash was a misunderstanding, and saw the funny side of the altercation with the now-World Cup winner.

He continued: 'I wanted to show my respect for Messi after the game, but he didn't want it.

'I think he was still angry with me. Oh well, I see it as a great compliment that he knows my name now. Then at least I did something right.'