Tempers flared in Atlanta as Jude Bellingham appeared to slap Valentin Barco without provocation at full time, following England's 2-1 defeat to Argentina that sent the defending champions into their second successive World Cup final.
New footage shows the Real Madrid midfielder watching Argentina's celebrations before spotting the Chelsea-bound Barco, marching over and clipping his opponent in the face. A small melee ensued, with Morgan Rogers and Bellingham both needing to be pulled away, while England's back-up goalkeeper Dean Henderson acted as a barrier to keep Argentinian players at bay.
“Jude Bellingham appeared to slap Valentin Barco after Argentina beat England 2-1 to reach the World Cup final.”
The ugly scenes capped a night that began with promise for England. Anthony Gordon had given the Three Lions the lead, but Argentina came from behind after goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez. England dropped deeper and deeper as the match wore on, eventually succumbing to Lionel Scaloni's side.
Barco, an unused substitute, had earlier irked England's players when he rushed towards them to celebrate Fernandez's equaliser instead of joining his own team-mates. The referee was required to intervene and get Barco away, but he escaped any punishment. The moment appeared to stick in Bellingham's mind.
England boss Thomas Tuchel, who faces questions over his future, defended his second-half decision to introduce more defenders. "I have to make a decision on the pitch," he said. "In the moment, no regrets. The team gave everything and we were very, very close. We deserved to be up 1-0." He praised his team's mentality: "We played one of our better matches, maybe our best match in the circumstances."
Argentina now face Spain in the final, with the reigning world champions taking on the European champions in the biggest game in football.