Online Reporter
FOUR days after shedding tears of joy in Atlanta, Argentina players were crying tears of despair in New Jersey.
Their World Cup campaign, and almost certainly Lionel Messi‘s World Cup career, ended with a timid 1-0 defeat to Spain in extra-time.
Three shots – none in the regulation 90 minutes – and none of them on target.
Spain rained down 20 attempts on Emi Martinez’s goal and finally found the breakthrough when Ferran Torres lashed home in the 106th minute.
In their 2-1 semi-final win on Wednesday, Argentina rubbed both of their goals in England players’ faces. They then posed with a flag which said:
“The Faklands are Argentine”, exposing them to possible disciplinary action from Fifa.
So not many Three Lions fans will have been overcome with sympathy watching Messi sob from the final whistle to the trophy lift.
Neither will those who feel the Argentines got more than their fair share of leniency from referees – not least when Nico Williams’ goal in the final was disallowed for a dubious foul in the build-up.
The initial reaction to the defeat from some Argentina players was outright rage.
Leandro Paredes was shown a post-match straight red card for disgracefully striking Gavi in the face.
Others, including Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni, joined the tussle.
But the rage soon gave way to devastation.
Giuliano Simeone lay face-down on the turf sobbing. Nahuel Molina lifted up the collar of his shirt to cover most of his face.
Messi shook hands with Lamine Yamal but was also seen wiping tears from his eyes while sat on the MetLife Stadium pitch, and then again as Spain stepped up to collect their reward.
Others joined him, sat there heartbroken as the reality set in. They had the chance to cap off the greatest footballer of all time’s international career with back-to-back World Cups, but fell short.
And their heads were bowed after an ultra-conservative game plan that painfully backfired.
Meanwhile, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni admitted Spain were the better team following his team’s 1-0 extra-time defeat in the 2026 World Cup final on Sunday.
Substitute Ferran Torres scored in the second period of extra time as Spain finally broke down 10-man Argentina to win 1-0 at MetLife Stadium.
The South American champions, featuring star player Lionel Messi, had been seeking to become the first team since 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups.
“They were the better side — that’s the truth —but I’ll cherish the memory of them (his side), of what they achieved, and of the value of making it this far,” Scaloni said.
“We have to place immense value on this because it takes so much effort.”
Scaloni said his team must accept defeat with the same grace they showed when celebrating recent successes. “We are gracious in victory, and we must be gracious in defeat. Today, we are showing that we know how to lose,” he said.
“We lost the match and we accept it, but that doesn’t mean we stop living or forget everything we did to get here.” He thanked the fans for their incredible support throughout the 2026 tournament.
“To the people, my players, and the country, I want to say that we gave it our all,” he said.
“We arrived here facing a realistic situation, but if the players leave everything on the pitch, as they did today, it sets a great example for our people and our country. “We have to pick ourselves up again, there is no other way,” he added.
Scaloni, 48, said the side’s achievement in reaching a second successive final should be appreciated.
“I certainly value the runners-up spot because it takes so much to get here, and I think it deserves huge recognition,” he said.
“Naturally, we would have liked to win, but ultimately, I feel gratitude. That is the only word I have, along with sadness, of course.
“But when you give everything like that, regardless of whether you play well or poorly, it’s very hard to find fault.” — Sun/SuperSport.
