The World Cup final concluded with violent clashes between players from Spain and Argentina, overshadowing Spain's 1-0 victory. The post-match celebrations by the Spanish team, whose substitutes and staff entered the pitch, triggered aggressive reactions from some Argentinian players.
Ferran Torres scored the winning goal in the 106th minute. Prior to that, Argentina's Enzo Fernandez received a red card in the 93rd minute.
Following the final whistle, Argentina's Leandro Paredes was ejected for an altercation with Spain's Eric Garcia and for pushing Gavi to the ground. Thiago Almada was also involved in the scuffles.
Commentators on the BBC criticized the behavior. Micah Richards described the scenes as "embarrassing," stating that such reactions after the game were "not good enough." Joe Hart called the behavior "disgusting," singling out Lionel Messi as the only player on the pitch with class. Wayne Rooney commented that the incidents were not surprising given Argentina's history, calling it "sad, very poor" and emphasizing the importance of graceful losing. He suggested Fernandez's red card was a deserved reaction to being outplayed.
