World Cup 2026: Final defeat and Argentina’s response to Messi questions

The Argentine players’ actions on the pitch were heavily criticized by former England internationals.

Former England captain Alan Shearer said: “Peredis threw two or three haymakers in somebody’s face. He went for them. There’s no room or space for that.

“We know how much it means to them and we know how much it hurts to lose, but there is a way to lose. We’ve seen it many times from Argentina. The reaction after the final whistle is terrible.”

Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart added: “The game is over, they have no complaints about what happened. Disgusting behaviour.”

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni tried to calm the situation in the post-match interview.

He said: “We are gracious in victory, and we must be gracious in defeat. Today, we show that we know how to lose.

“We lost the match, and we accept it, but that doesn’t mean we stop living or forget what we did to get here.”

Argentina, winners of the World Cup in 1978, 1986 and 2022, won their first seven matches in North America, beating Algeria, Austria, Jordan, Cape Verde, Egypt, Switzerland and England before losing to Spain.

Against Egypt, Argentina were 2–0 down before scoring three late goals to win, and in the semi-final with England, the Three Lions led 1–0 before an 85th-minute Fernández goal and Lautaro Martínez’s header gave them a 2–1 win.

Several Argentine media outlets suggested the final could be Scaloni’s last in charge and called it the end of an era, with talisman Lionel Messi in tears at the end, unlikely to play in another World Cup.

“The pain is immense, and it will take time to heal. But I hold on to all the good things.” Messi wrote on social media.