Argentina enlisted the help of the dark arts in the World Cup final, but as Spain lifted the trophy they brought on their own destruction.
Argentina lost to Spain 1-0 in extra time in the World Cup final. However, Lionel Scaloni’s side once again relied on the dark arts, with two players turning red.
Spain are world champions again and Luis de la Fuente’s side will be proud after their one-goal victory in New Jersey. But the same cannot be said about their opponents.
As was the case when Argentina clashed with England in the semi-finals, skirmishes, bad tackles and often embarrassing behavior abounded during what was supposed to be a display of football excellence.
Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandes was sent off at the end of the 90th minute of regulation time, and villainous Leandro Paredes was given a red after the game for throwing a punch. See all 27 dirty tricks Argentina tried against Spain to no avail.
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4 minutes
Gonzalo Montiel grabbed the ball over Alex Baena’s head on the halfway line and insisted on a foul. The referee makes the opposite decision.
6 minutes
Alexis Mac Allister pulls back Pedro Polo as he attempts a one-two on the edge of the Argentina area. No foul was given.
8 minutes
Nicolas Tagliafico threw himself to the ground with a slight touch from Lamine Yamal.
14 minutes
Mac Allister dives in and catches Dani Olmo with a nasty tackle. He was lucky not to get a yellow.
Mac Allister slipped in early (Image: Getty)
19 minutes
Cristian Romero led Baena out of the play and stared at him as he stepped over Baena in an intimidating manner. Shortly after this, Fernandes claimed to have been caught on a throw-in and fell to the ground.
29 minutes
Tagliafico pulls Yamal down again and basically hangs on his back. No card.
41 minutes
Spain tried to win the ball back and break, but Lisandro Martinez was shown a yellow card for hacking Mikel Oyarzabal. He was substituted two minutes later.
51 minutes
Paredes unconsciously shoulder-charged Rodri in the middle of the pitch, where the ball was nowhere to be seen. He then violently shoves Olmo down and is shown his cards as a scuffle ensues.
Paredes shown his jab card (Image: Getty)
56 minutes
Julian Alvarez challenges Aymeric Laporte and hits an elbow. The Spanish star collapsed holding his face.
76 minutes
Paredes committed another foul just outside the penalty area before the hydration break, diving into Spain substitute Mikel Merino.
77 minutes
Pedri took a dangerous shot from just outside the Argentine area, but Alvarez pushed it in twice and stopped it. There were no fouls, but the tactics worked.
81 minutes
Giuliano Simeone chased the ball behind Marc Cucurella and elbowed the Spanish defender in the back.
Simeone flew to Cucurella (Image: Getty)
82 minutes
Fernandes called for a foul but didn’t get one and took his frustration out on the referee, throwing up his hands in anger. He expressed his dissent.
84 minutes
Minutes after being booked, Fernandes dragged Merino down as Spain tried to break through. The Chelsea man then got in front of the ball and blocked a quick free-kick.
90+1 minutes
Lionel Messi ran straight into Laporte, knew exactly what he was going to do, and took a late free kick in a dangerous area.
90+3 minutes
Regulation 90 flash point. When the ball is cleared, Fernandes in yellow dives for Pau Kvarsi. He cartwheeled a Spanish defender in the air and incredibly tried to protest his innocence despite being shown a second yellow card and sent off.
Fernandes was sent off (Image: Getty)
90+4 minutes
Adding insult to injury to Fernandes’ shameful behavior, captain Messi enlists the help of his fellow players to get Cucurella sent off for covering his mouth while speaking. The Real Madrid defender put his finger to his lips for a moment at most.
90+5 minutes
Argentina had Paredes bring down Ferran Torres just outside the penalty area. Yamal came close to scoring from the resulting free kick, but La Albiceleste were still unable to get a shot on target and the match went into overtime.
Extra time – 92 minutes
Tagliafico lunges at Polo with his elbow extended. He punched a Spurs player in the jaw.
96 minutes
A ball went into Argentina’s box but was not dealt with, and substitute Nico Williams pushed the ball in. However, Nicolas Otamendi threw himself out and screamed as the cross went in, and the goal was chalked off as Merino stepped on his foot slightly. Goalkeeper Emi Martinez remained firmly in the background after that.
Spain’s goal was canceled due to a foul on Otamendi (Image: Getty)
104 minutes
Simeone fell screaming as the ball looped through into Spain’s half, waiting for Cucurella to reach him. The referee was unconvinced, as replays showed Simeone was already jumping like a salmon before Cucurella made contact.
105 minutes
Tagliafico and Yamal collide again and this time all the Argentine players rush to the altercation on the touchline. Director Scaloni was caught up in an ordinary incident.
105+2 minutes
At Spain’s throw-in, Tagliafico barely touches Torres, who falls to the ground again.
105+3 minutes
Paredes again. As the Spaniard pounced on the ball, the midfielder dove into Merino’s legs and the result could have been worse than it actually was.
Losing his credibility, Paredes made a nasty challenge in the match and was sent off after the match (Image: Getty)
111 minutes
Merino is brought out by Mac Allister, who appears in the book probably over 100 minutes after he appears. Argentina conceded a goal, and their dirty tactics stopped to some extent as the match progressed.
full time
Spain won the World Cup and Argentina was humiliated in the celebrations that followed. Paredes was sent off for throwing punches and grappling with Spanish substitute Gabi.
celebration
Other players, including Otamendi and Nahuel Molina, also made a pop impression as what was supposed to be an exhibition of the world’s best footballers ended in humiliation for La Albiceleste.
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