The final game of the World Cup is exactly what everyone expected it to be: a spectacle. With both teams yet to score, a few minutes remained before heading towards extra time, which saw one red card for the Argentine Enzo Fernández. The captain of Argentina, Lionel Messi, demanded one for the Spanish team too.
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In the 95th minute, Messi demanded a red card against Spain’s Marc Cucurella. Cucurella approached Messi to speak to him, slightly covering his mouth by putting his fingers to his lips to shield his words from television cameras. Messi immediately took offense at the gesture exchanged and appealed to the 4th referee to show Cucurella a red card.
Referee Slavko Vincic did not agree with the appeal, and no VAR was taken for the same. He resumed the play shortly, and the game headed straight into extra time.
Both teams have been putting in their 100 percent, but Spain has the most possession and has taken a few hits now on the opposite net. The anger erupted just moments after Argentina’s Enzo Fernández was shown a red card via a second yellow at a crucial moment.
The referee first showed Fernández a yellow card in the 81st minute, and then he received another in the 93rd minute. He challenged Spanish defender Pau Cubarsí, flipping him off his feet and triggering an immediate second yellow card. That turned red and sent him back to the bench.
The stakes are high, with both teams getting a little physical in the game. For the Argentinian captain, it has been a rather frustrating game so far. Throughout the match, Spain actively worked to neutralise Messi’s impact. Late in the first half, Mikel Oyarzabal wiped him out with a very heavy, late tackle.
While Oyarzabal immediately apologised to diffuse the situation, a separate aggressive shove by Álex Baena left Messi visibly furious at the lack of structural protection from the officials. In the 92nd minute, Messi collided heavily with Aymeric Laporte. He struck the ground with his hands on his face and got a free kick out of the foul.
Messi hasn’t been seen much in action this final, and Argentina has had no attempts on goal, while Spain has had 28 attempts. Both teams would have to push harder to get themselves one step closer to victory.
