Argentina lost the World Cup final 1-0 to Spain at MetLife Stadium. After the game ended, the field turned into a battlefield. Frustrated Argentine players attacked the winning Spanish players.
People all over the world are upset with Argentina. Fans did not like their overly defensive style of play or their violent behavior.
Sadly, this ugly scene ruined the final international game of Lionel Messi’s great career.
Red Cards and Big Fights
Spain controlled the game for all 120 minutes. Early in extra time, Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez got a red card. When the final whistle blew to confirm Spain’s win, the anger boiled over.
Leandro Paredes: He got a straight red card for starting a huge fight. Because of this, Argentina tied their own 1990 record for having two players sent off in a World Cup final.
Nahuel Molina: The substitute player caused a lot of the trouble. When the Spanish players ran onto the field to celebrate, Molina tried to punch Spain’s captain, Rodri. Rodri walked away, but Molina tried to hit him again.
The fight got much worse when Paredes kicked Spanish defender Eric Garcia and grabbed his throat. Paredes also pushed midfielder Gavi to the ground. Argentina’s coach, Lionel Scaloni, had to physically jump in and pull Garcia away to stop the fighting.
The bad behavior continued after the fighting stopped. When Spain lifted the World Cup trophy, the entire Argentine team turned their backs on the winners and faced the crowd instead.
The game numbers clearly show that Spain was the better team:
Shots: Spain had 20 shots. Argentina only had two, and neither of them were on target.
Possession: Argentina controlled the ball for only 35 percent of the match.
Football Experts Speak Out
Soccer experts and former players strongly criticized the team on television.
Alan Shearer: The former England captain said the event was terrible. He stated that throwing punches is never okay, and that players need to know how to accept a loss.
Wayne Rooney: The English star said he was not surprised. He felt that Argentina acts this way when they are beaten by a smarter and stronger team.
Gary Neville: He called Paredes a disgrace and wondered why referees let him get away with so much bad behavior.
Micah Richards: He said the actions were highly embarrassing, adding that a good player like Paredes shouldn’t act so wildly.
Lee Dixon: He accused Argentina of playing ugly “anti-football.” He said it was a good thing that Spain won and was shocked Paredes wasn’t sent off much earlier in the game.
Joe Hart: He pointed out that Lionel Messi was the only player who showed class. He said the rest of the team’s behavior was truly disgusting.
Tears and Good Sportsmanship
While his teammates fought, Messi was praised for acting politely. After the fighting calmed down, Spanish players came over to comfort a crying Messi. The coaches from both teams, Scaloni and Luis de la Fuente, also hugged each other on the field.
Messi continued to cry as he received his second-place medal. Later, Coach Scaloni spoke to reporters about how his team acted. He told them, “Just as we should be humble in victory, we must also show good manners when we lose.”
