A pathetic World Cup final performance shattered the spirit of Argentina as the defending champions ceded their crown to Spain. From violent events to skipping mandatory media sessions, the aftereffects were evident. A former USMNT icon had a single-word response to the shocking behavior of Argentina.
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The 1-0 defeat started a wave of post-match events that drew negative reactions from everyone. A notable one was skipping the mandatory media session in the mixed zone. Players are often contractually required to speak to the media post-match as FIFA mandates players from both teams to attend the mixed zone.
But the Miami Herald’s Michelle Kaufman revealed that the Argentina players did not stop over in the zone and walked right past it.
“Entire Argentina team skipped the mandatory mixed zone interview area after the match; not a single player addressed the media. Here they are walking away to bus,” Kaufman wrote.
The video Kaufman shared on her X went viral, with fans criticizing Argentina’s behavior, and Alexi Lalas quoted the post, taking a dig at Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
“Weak,” Fox soccer analyst Alexi Lalas wrote on X.
Argentina hopes for extra time and penalties from minute one as they came out with a plan to sit back and soak pressure. It almost worked out as their offense lacked the bite, and the defense held on thanks to Emiliano Martínez.
But a red card for Enzo Fernández in the 93rd minute changed the game. Ferran Torres of Spain punished the 10-man Argentina to seal Spain’s second World Cup trophy.
Ugly scenes unfolded immediately after the full-time whistle as Argentina’s Leandro Paredes grabbed Spain’s Gavi by the throat and slammed Eric Garcia to the ground. Nahuel Molina reportedly punched Spain captain Rodri in the gut, and Argentina coach Roberto Ayala was on the verge of hitting Dani Olmo. FIFA has reportedly opened an investigation into these incidents.
The actions drew massive backlash on social media as Lalas, who had mixed feelings on Argentina during the World Cup, couldn’t hide his displeasure after the final-day theatrics.
Former England international Wayne Rooney admitted Argentina were not graceful in the way they approached this loss.
“We saw some of the reaction after they knocked England out of the World Cup, and I think Enzo Fernandez has got what he deserved as well. It’s disappointing, and it’s sad,” Rooney said on the BBC.
“If you lose a game of football, you should be graceful, and you should just get off the pitch. It was very poor from them,” he concluded.
The 2026 World Cup might be the final act for Lionel Messi in Argentine colors, and despite his starring performances, the off-field aspects are threatening to dominate the discourse of Argentina’s 2026 World Cup campaign.
