Argentina assistant coach Roberto Ayala was caught on footage throwing a punch at Spain's Dani Olmo as the World Cup final ended in chaotic scenes at MetLife Stadium. The defending champions had just lost 1-0 in extra time after Ferran Torres struck in the 106th minute, but the result was overshadowed by a series of violent incidents.
Enzo Fernandez had been sent off just before extra time for a second yellow card, and after the final whistle Leandro Paredes was shown a red card for kicking Eric Garcia to the floor before pushing him back with a hand around his neck. Paredes was also spotted in an exchange with Gavi. Nahuel Molina appeared to throw a punch at Rodri. Ayala swung his right arm towards Olmo, who did not react as teammate Eric Garcia stepped in as peacemaker.
“Argentina assistant coach threw a punch as manager Scaloni broke down in tears after World Cup final defeat.”
Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart labelled Argentina’s behaviour “disgusting”, saying: “There was one man on the pitch who did have class and that was Lionel Messi, who shook hands with every one of those Spanish players.” Wayne Rooney said: “Does it surprise you? It doesn’t surprise me. We’ve seen this with Argentina before. It’s just not the reaction you want.” Craig Burley fumed: “Argentina were a complete and utter disgrace today, both with their performance and their antics.”
Amid the turmoil, Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni left his post-match press conference in tears when talking about his future. “If they give everything the way they did today, it sets a great example for the people and for our country,” he said. “You have to pick yourself up again. When you leave everything like that, it’s very hard to find fault with anything.” Former Argentina international Marcelo Gallardo said on ESPN that Scaloni had spoken “with great dignity, with great pride and with a presence that is also deeply emotional and human – which is what comes across in these words when everything is crashing down on you and when you’re losing everything”.
Despite the defeat, in what is likely to be Lionel Messi’s last World Cup, Argentinian media praised the team. The cover of Clarín showed a photo of Messi crying under the headline: “They gave it their all: [there is] nothing to blame them for.” La Nación ran: “Argentina gave their all, and they are the pride of the nation.” Página|12’s front page read “From here to eternity”, while sports newspaper Olé struck a similar note with “May they be eternal”. Gallardo said the semi-final against England had been an “emotional drain”, adding: “Argentina hadn’t faced a team like Spain before – a team that steals the ball from you and you can’t get it back.” Alejandro Wall wrote in Tiempo Argentino that Spain proved “too much for this great journey”. The question now is whether Scaloni will remain, after his tearful uncertainty.