Argentina didn’t want to face the music after losing the World Cup Final.
Following their 1-0 loss to Spain on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, Lionel Messi and Co. decided to bail on postgame interviews, instead opting to jump right onto the team bus – much to the ire of former USA soccer great and Fox analyst Alexi Lalas.
“Weak,” Lalas said of the Argentina squad, which started brawling with Spain after the final whistle.
Players are required to meet with the media postgame, and it is likely that the team will be assessed a mild fine after they skipped their obligations on Sunday, with temperatures boiling over after the loss.
Argentina, known for being aggressive and even chippy during games, got into a shoving match after Spain won the 2026 World Cup, perhaps leaving some bitter feelings after the game concluded.
Defensive midfielder Leandro Paredes was in the thick of the aggression as he charged after Spanish player Eric Garcia in an ugly scene postgame.
Paredes was quickly shown a red card and sent off as the two teams should have been shaking hands.
The red card wasn’t the first that Argentina had been assessed on Sunday.
During the game, star defender Enzo Fernández was shown his second yellow card of the match, forcing the team to play down a man for all of extra time.
Messi was in tears after what was likely his final World Cup match.
“I hope that everyone feels proud of him, of what he’s achieved because he’s the best football player ever stepping foot on a pitch,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said.
