NEED TO KNOW
- There were ugly scenes after the 2026 World Cup final on Sunday, July 19, as punches were thrown and Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes was sent off
- Paredes appeared to shove Eric Garcia by the throat and wrestle Gavi to the ground, while his teammate Nahuel Molina tried to punch Spain captain Rodri in the stomach
- Spain won the final 1-0 in added extra time thanks to a goal from Barcelona’s Ferran Torres
Tempers flared after the final whistle at the 2026 World Cup final as punches were thrown and Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes was sent off.
Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in added extra time thanks to a goal from Barcelona’s Ferran Torres on Sunday, July 19, meaning Argentina was unable to defend their 2022 World Cup title.
The game was ill-tempered throughout, with Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez sent off towards the end of normal time after receiving a second yellow card for a foul on Spain’s Pau Cubarsi, but emotions truly spilled over after the final whistle, with footage being widely shared on X.
After the Spanish substitutes ran onto the pitch to celebrate, Argentina defender Nahuel Molina appeared to try to punch Spain captain Rodri in the stomach before the pair squared up to each other.
Molina then bumped Rodri in the chest, at which point Eric Garcia got involved. This prompted Paredes to come toward the Spain defender and shove him by the throat, The Independent reported.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni intervened and tried to break things up, separating Garcia, at which point Paredes wrestled Gavi — who was already in a disagreement with Argentina’s Thiago Almada — to the ground. Gavi’s teammates then leapt to the defense of the 21-year-old, per the outlet.
Paredes, who had already received a yellow card in the game, was booked again for his part in the melee and was shown a red card.
More video footage, meanwhile, appeared to show Argentina’s assistant coach, Daniel Ayala, hitting Spain’s Dani Olmo, The Independent reported.
The Argentine players then refused to watch Spain lift the World Cup trophy, turning their backs despite the winners forming a guard of honor as they picked up their silver medals for coming in second place, per The Athletic.
The post-game scenes at the New York New Jersey Stadium were criticized by fans, commentators and analysts. Former Germany and Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos wrote on X that “football won,” while former England defender Gary Neville described Argentina as a “disgrace,” and ex-England goalkeeper Joe Hart slammed the team’s “disgusting behavior,” per The Independent.
Hart praised Argentina legend Lionel Messi for showing “class” and shaking hands with his opponents, however. The 39-year-old was in tears after what may have been his final World Cup game — the Inter Miami star will turn 43 during the next tournament, which will be held in 2030 and is being co-hosted by Spain, Morocco and Portugal.
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Messi became just the third player to appear in three men’s World Cup finals after Argentina lost to Germany in 2014 and beat France in 2022.
Scaloni, meanwhile, left a news conference after the game in tears amid speculation over his future at the helm of the team, per the BBC. “It’s really painful, I am very sorry,” he told reporters before leaving the room.
Read the original article on People
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