New footage from the stands of the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium has revealed the moment that sparked a massive brawl between Argentina and Spain players after Spain's 1-0 extra-time victory. The footage shows Argentina defender Nahuel Molina throwing a punch at Spain midfielder Rodri as the Manchester City star sprinted past him in celebration following Ferran Torres's 106th-minute winner.
Molina's Punch Ignites Confrontation
Rodri was running towards his teammates when Molina lashed out, striking him in the abdomen. The Spain captain immediately turned around and walked over to confront Molina, visibly furious. Spain defender Eric Garcia then came across to defend his teammate, leading to a shoving match with Molina.
Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes then entered the fray, shoving Garcia to the ground before grappling with Gavi, whom he repeatedly pushed to the floor. Paredes also grabbed Garcia by the throat as Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni approached the scuffle. The incident incited a huge brawl as staff from both teams poured onto the pitch to ease tensions.
Red Card and Potential FIFA Sanctions
Paredes was shown a red card after the final whistle for his actions and is likely to face a strong punishment from FIFA. Argentina had already finished the match with 10 men after Enzo Fernandez received a second yellow card for a foul in second-half stoppage time. Argentina came into the final under investigation for a controversial Falklands banner displayed after the semi-final win over England and now face additional disciplinary action from FIFA for the on-pitch brawl.
Pundits Condemn Argentina's Behaviour
Reacting to the fracas on the BBC, Alan Shearer said: 'I think I saw him [Paredes] swing at least two or three haymakers into someone's face, he actually went for them. Honestly there is no place or space for that. The reaction after the final whistle is terrible.'
Wayne Rooney added: 'Does it surprise you? It doesn't surprise me, we've seen this with Argentina before. It's just not the reaction you want. You saw it after knocking England out in the last round as well. Enzo Fernandez has got what he deserved as well. It's disappointing. That's just sad. If you lose a game of football, be graceful and get out of there. It's really poor from them. It's a reaction to them being outplayed, outfought and outthought on the pitch. They resort to that at the end, it's sad, it's poor.'
Joe Hart commented: 'It's disgusting. There was one man on the pitch who did have class, that was Lionel Messi, who shook hands with every one of those Spanish players. The game is done. They can have absolutely no complaints about what happened today. Disgusting behaviour. Rodri I don't think needed to get in their faces but when you've been wound up for 120 minutes, and you felt you've been wronged and the referee is on your back... But the referee has blown his whistle, leave it. I think Argentina, are you surprised they've gone over the line again?'
Gary Neville labelled Paredes a 'disgrace' on ITV and said: 'I love the competitiveness of the Argentines, fighting and scrapping for their lives, [Lionel] Messi has propped them up, but it's been a disgrace the last few games.'
Micah Richards added on the BBC: 'It's quite embarrassing really because for all I gave them that praise in terms of how they approach the game, what can they do to disrupt Spain off the ball? They were on the cusp every single time. Seeing that sort of stuff after the game has been played, it's not good enough. It's embarrassing to be honest. Paredes there, he doesn't need to do that. He's better than that and he doesn't stop there, he keeps going and going and going. We all know what it's like to lose a game but it's not good enough. It's not a good look at all.'
