Chaos erupted at the final whistle of the World Cup final as Argentina players threw punches and one was sent off after Spain’s 1-0 victory, secured by Ferran Torres’ extra-time goal at New York New Jersey Stadium.
Leandro Paredes was dismissed after the match for kicking Eric Garcia to the floor and grabbing him around the neck, while Nahuel Molina took a swing at Rodri. “Paredes threw two or three haymakers into someone’s face,” said Alan Shearer. “There is no place or space for that.” Pundits were unanimous in their condemnation. Gary Neville called Paredes “a disgrace”, while Wayne Rooney said: “It’s very poor from them. If you lose a game of football, be graceful and get out of there.”
“Argentina players threw punches and Leandro Paredes was sent off after Spain beat them 1-0 in the World Cup final.”
The ugly scenes contrasted with the behaviour of Lionel Messi, who, according to Joe Hart, “shook hands of every one of those Spanish players”. Hart added: “There was one man on the pitch who did have class, and that was Lionel Messi.”
Messi, playing on the grandest stage for the last time, was unable to inspire his team. Argentina became the first team in World Cup final history to fail to record a shot in regular time. In extra time, Ferran Torres scored the only goal, giving Spain their second World Cup title. “The game’s done, they can have absolutely no complaints about what happened today,” said Hart.
The defeat ends Messi’s World Cup fairytale, but Pablo Iglesias Maurer wrote in the Guardian that it “does nothing to sully a spotless legacy”. Argentina had been the tournament’s most entertaining team, but in the final they “lost the magic they had carried through this tournament”.
Spain dominated from the start, suffocating Argentina defensively. Gary Neville summed up the aftermath: “I love the competitiveness of the Argentines but Paredes has been a disgrace the last couple of games.” Micah Richards said: “Seeing that sort of stuff after the game’s been played and someone’s just been crowned World Cup champions, it’s not good enough.”