3 min readUpdated: Jul 20, 2026 05:02 AM IST
Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes was shown a red card after the whistle was blown to mark the end of the 2026 World Cup final which they lost 1-0 to Spain 1-0 on Sunday. In some ugly scenes that followed the end of the match, Paredes was seen brawling with Spain defender Eric Garcia and Gavi.
It is unclear what the provocation was but in videos floating on social media, Garcia can be seen falling on the ground in the seconds after the referee blew the final whistle. He then gets up and has heated words with Paredes who then proceeds to push Garcia away with a hand on the latter’s neck. Additionally, Argentina defender Nahuel Molina also reportedly seemed to punch a Spanish substitute in the stomach right after the final whistle.
Leandro Paredes should be banned from international football for life viciously assaulting Spanish players after the final whistle.
Indefensible thuggery and criminality. pic.twitter.com/aW5NMMIUXE
— Adam Schwarz (@AdamJSchwarz) July 19, 2026
By this time, Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni got involved and tried to calm Paredes down but before the latter pushed Gavi to the ground and pulled the bib that substitutes wear. Paredes had been teethering on the edge for much of the game. He was earlier shown a yellow card for pushing Spain forward Dani Olmo while the latter was checking on an injured team mate right in front of the referee.
Spain stopped Argentina from becoming the first team since 1962 to succesfully defend their World Cup title. In a match in which they dominated, Spain managed to finally get the winning goal with their 20th shot. The match ended goalless at full time despite Argentina not taking a single shot at goal. While Nico Williams had seemingly scored in the early exchanges of extra time when he put one past Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in the 96th minute. However, the goal was ruled out due to a foul in the buildup.
However, Williams then turned provider as Barcelona’s Ferran Torres finally scored what turned out to be the winning goal for Spain in the 106th minute. Pedro Porro put in a cross that was headed back from close to Martinez by Williams, thus catching the Argentina goalkeeper out. The ball bounced kindly for Torres to volley into the back of the net.
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