SerpApi.Org
Alexi Lalas ruthlessly slammed Argentina’s post-match behavior after the entire national team refused to speak with reporters following their devastating World Cup final defeat.
On Sunday, Spain secured its second men's World Cup title and first in 16 years by narrowly defeating Argentina, 1-0. Early in the second period of extra time, La Roja's Nico Williams headed the ball to Torres, who delivered a superb finish past goalkeeper Emi Martinez for the game's only goal.
Numerous Argentina stars did little to conceal their disappointment after the final whistle sounded, as Leandro Paredes threw Gavi to the ground before requiring restraint from his teammate, Thiago Almada.
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Once Spain’s World Cup trophy celebration drew to a close, Argentina made no effort to linger around MetLife Stadium.
According to the Miami Herald's Michelle Kaufman, La Albiceleste players did not appear in the mandatory mixed zone and instead hurried toward the team bus. Upon catching wind of Argentina’s media snub, Lalas bluntly commented: “Weak.”
Argentina's players sparked intense criticism from supporters and analysts for their conduct both throughout and following the match. In the 93rd minute of stoppage time, Enzo Fernandez received his marching orders for a reckless challenge on Spain defender Pau Cubarsi, collecting his second yellow card of the contest.
As La Roja celebrated their victory moments afterward, Paredes pushed Eric Garcia to the turf before grabbing him by the throat. Shifting his focus to Gavi, the 32-year-old seemed to throw a wild punch at the midfielder, leading referee Slavko Vincic to brandish a straight red card.
Argentina assistant coach Roberto “El Ratón” Ayala, meanwhile, appeared to confront Spain midfielder Dani Olmo on the pitch, leading to yet another tense altercation. The confrontation extended into the stands, with Colombian television network Noticias Caracol reporting that "at least a dozen people" were taken into custody inside the MetLife Stadium section reserved for Argentina players' family members.
La Albiceleste players who stayed on the field moved toward the location of the disturbance in the crowd, resulting in their somewhat delayed arrival to Spain's World Cup trophy ceremony.
Once the proceedings eventually began, Argentina players kept their backs toward Spain as La Roja players accepted their medals from President Donald Trump on the stage.
Droves of pundits immediately condemned Argentina for its "disgusting" post-match conduct, with BBC’s Micah Richards commenting: "The first yellow card wasn't until 40 odd minutes in the first-half, but 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.
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"It's quite embarrassing to be honest. Paraedes there, he doesn't need to do that, he's better than that. And it doesn't stop there, it keeps going, and going, and going. And we all know what it's like to lose a game, we can be very frustrated, we understand that. But this is not good enough, it's not a good look at all."
Former England star Wayne Rooney admitted he was hardly surprised by Argentina’s actions, stating: "Does it surprise you? It doesn't surprise me. We've seen this from Argentina before. It's not the reaction you want to see.
"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.
“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."
