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Messi rushes to referee, teammate feigns injury: Fresh footage reveals Argentina's bid to stop Enzo Fernandez's red
The attempt proved futile, and Enzo Fernandez was sent off, leaving Argentina to play the remainder of the contest with 10 men.
In a World Cup final where Argentina's rich footballing legacy came under scrutiny for their anti-football antics during the 1-0 defeat to Spain in New York, fresh footage has emerged that has only intensified the criticism. The clip appears to show Argentina making a desperate attempt to prevent Enzo Fernandez from being sent off following his challenge on Spain defender Pau Cubarsi.
Days after scoring the decisive goal in Argentina's 2-1 semifinal win over England, the Chelsea midfielder endured a night to forget at MetLife Stadium. Fernandez was shown a second yellow card in the 93rd minute after a reckless challenge that sent Cubarsi crashing to the turf.
Fernandez immediately protested the decision, shaking his head in disbelief, but the challenge left little room for debate.
The footage, which has since gone viral on social media, shows Nicolas Tagliafico standing well away from the incident, close to the Spanish penalty area and with no opponent near him. Moments after Fernandez's challenge, the full-back suddenly clutched his ankle and went to the ground despite having been walking normally seconds earlier.
The clip also shows Lionel Messi rushing towards referee Slavko Vincic immediately after the red card was produced. The Argentina captain pointed towards the injured Tagliafico, seemingly urging the referee to acknowledge the incident. While any stoppage for Tagliafico would likely have changed nothing, Argentina appeared to hope it would prompt the officials to revisit the sequence surrounding Fernandez's foul.
The attempt proved futile, and Fernandez was sent off, leaving Argentina to play the remainder of the contest with 10 men.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni initially asked Julian Alvarez to drop deeper to compensate for the numerical disadvantage. But as Spain tightened their grip on the game, he was eventually forced to introduce another defender, leaving Messi increasingly isolated in attack.
Spain finally made their dominance count in the 106th minute when substitute Ferran Torres fired home the winner to secure the nation's second World Cup title.
Argentina's frustrations spilled over after the final whistle. Nahuel Molina appeared to strike Spain captain Rodri in the torso during the celebrations, while Leandro Paredes grabbed Eric Garcia by the throat before shoving Gavi to the ground, triggering an ugly confrontation between both sets of players.
Former England defender Micah Richards condemned the scenes on the BBC.
"It's embarrassing. They were on the cusp every single time. Seeing that sort of stuff after the game was played, it's not good, it's embarrassing to be honest. Paredes is better than that. We all know what it's like to lose a game but this is not good enough."
Wayne Rooney said he was not surprised by Argentina's behaviour.
"We've seen this from Argentina before. It's just sad, very poor from them. If you lose a game of football, be graceful. It's a reaction to them being outplayed. Enzo Fernandez has got what he deserves."
