Leandro Paredes became the center of ugly scenes after Spain defeated Argentina (Image: BBC)
“Disgusting” scenes erupted just seconds after Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup final. As Spain celebrated their World Cup victory, two sets of players exchanged punches and clashed on the pitch. Ferran Torres’ 106th-minute winning goal ended a tense game in New Jersey that went into overtime. Chelsea’s midfielder Enzo Fernandes was sent off in the third minute of stoppage time, making Argentina’s job even more difficult. Alan Shearer, commentating for the BBC, noticed that just after the full-time whistle, Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes was front and center in the melee, throwing punches on the pitch.
Paredes was sent off after playing full-time after grabbing his throat after a scuffle with unused substitute Gabi and Eric Garcia. Meanwhile, Argentina defender Nahuel Molina also appeared to be throwing a jab at Rodri. And Shearer said, “I think I saw him wave at least a couple of haysticks in someone’s face. He was actually aiming. Honestly, there’s no place or space for that. We don’t know how much it meant to them.” “We know how painful it is to lose, but there are ways to lose, and I’ve seen their reactions many times, trying to win free kicks, trying to earn money. The reaction after the final whistle is terrible.”
“Without a doubt, the best team won. They deserved it. They were the team that dominated the ball, played their football, created chances and tried to run in behind. The way Spain played was a result for football and they deserved it.”
England legend Wayne Rooney said: “Are you surprised? It doesn’t surprise me. We saw this against Argentina too. That’s not the reaction you want. We saw it again after we beat England in the last round.”
“Enzo Fernandes got what he deserved too. It’s a shame. It’s just sad. When you lose a football match, you want to walk away gracefully. The way they reacted is really pathetic. It’s a reaction to being outwitted, outmaneuvered and outmaneuvered on the pitch. In the end they fall back on it. It’s sad and pathetic.”
Former teammate Joe Hart reacted: “It’s disgusting. There was one man with class on the pitch and that was Lionel Messi who shook hands with all the Spanish players. The game is over. They can’t complain at all about what happened today.”
“It’s a disgusting act. I don’t think Rodri needed to get in their faces, but when you’re wound up for 120 minutes and you feel like you’ve been treated unfairly and the referee has his back turned… But the referee blew the whistle, so leave him alone. Argentina, do you think he was surprised that they crossed the line again?”
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Leandro Paredes grabs Eric Garcia by the throat (Image: BBC)
Leandro Paredes was shown a red card after the final whistle (Image: BBC)
Leandro Paredes also clashes with Gabi (Image: BBC)
Micah Richards added: “Joe hit the nail on the head. It’s really embarrassing because I praised them for the way they approached the game, but what could they do off the ball to confuse Spain? They came out on top every time.”
“When you see something like that after the game is over, it’s not good enough. It’s embarrassing to be honest. Paredes there, he doesn’t need to do that.”
“He’s better than that, he doesn’t stop there, he keeps moving forward. We all know what it’s like to lose a game, but that’s not enough. It’s not a good look at all.”
Speaking on ITV, Gary Neville said of the ugly scenes: “I love Argentina’s competitiveness, but Paredes has been disgraceful in the last few games.”
Spain defeated England 2-1 in the final in Berlin to win Euro 2024 two years ago, and are now European and world champions at the same time. La Roja was helped by Enzo Fernandes’ red card for a late challenge on Pau Kvarsi before the end of regular time.
Argentina were aiming for back-to-back titles, but Lionel Messi was in tears after winning the second World Cup runners-up medal of his career, while Spain lifted the iconic trophy for the first time since 2010 and for the second time in history.
