Attacker · #0 · Argentina · 35 yrs
Argentina had Enzo Fernandez sent off in their World Cup final defeat to Spain, but Lionel Scaloni refused to pin the blame on the referee. The post Scaloni refuses to blame officiating for Argentina’s World Cup final defeat appeared first on SoccerNews.
Lionel Messi broke the silence after Argentina's 2026 World Cup final defeat against Spain with an emotional message on social media: "The pain is immense." Lionel Messi has once again suffered a heartbreaking defeat in a World Cup final, this time falling to Spain in the 2026 championship match in North America. The day after the crushing loss, the Argentina captain broke his silence with an emotional message on social media, admitting that “the pain is immense.“ Taking to his Instagram account, Messi delivered his first public words following the defeat at MetLife Stadium: “The pain is immense and this wound will take time to heal. But I also hold onto all the good things… the matches where we fought back, giving everything, which will remain forever in our memory, and the support of an entire country that, together with the work and effort of this group, brought us back once again to being among the best in the world. Today it is hard to appreciate what we accomplished, but this group reached two consecutive World Cup finals.“ The legendary playmaker also expressed profound gratitude to the supporters who backed the squad throughout their tournament run. “Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and every message. Once again, we managed to unite as a country and stand all together, sharing the immense pride of being Argentine,” he added. In a gracious display of sportsmanship, Messi closed his statement by acknowledging the new world champions and their historic achievement: “I also want to congratulate Spain on the championship.“ Lionel Messi’s Instagram post. Lionel Messi will not travel to Argentina for homecoming Following the 1-0 extra-time defeat against Spain, the Argentine national team delegation boarded flight AR 1971 to return home, with an expected arrival at Ezeiza International Airport around 6:30 PM local time. While fans are preparing a warm reception at home to recognize the squad’s impressive tournament run, Messi will be the most notable absence from the celebrations. Instead of boarding the charter flight out of New York with the rest of the team, Messi opted to travel directly to Miami to rest and recharge following his demanding World Cup campaign. In total, six members of Argentina’s 26-man World Cup roster chose not to return to Buenos Aires with the main group. Joining Messi in skipping the homecoming trip are goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, defender Cristian Romero, midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Rodrigo De Paul, and forward Julian Alvarez.
.png%3Fwidth%3D1200%26auto%3Dwebp%26trim%3D0%252C0%252C0%252C0&w=3840&q=75)
Miguel Delaney and Richard Jolly reflect on Spain winning a second World Cup, with Ferran Torres’ extra-time winner highlighting Spain’s depth and collective style under Luis De la Fuente. They lament Argentina’s negative, ill-disciplined performance which lacked any shot on goal until the 117th minute, a red card for Enzo Fernandez and post-match flare-ups—calling it a frustrating final, and a sad possible last World Cup game for Lionel Messi.
Argentina fell to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, and Lionel Scaloni addressed his team's defeat. Argentina‘s bid for back-to-back titles came up short on Sunday, falling to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final. In the aftermath, Lionel Scaloni faced the media not with excuses, but with a message of gratitude toward the group that carried Argentina all the way to the final. The manager, who has now led Argentina to a World Cup title and a runner-up finish in consecutive editions, chose to focus on the effort his players put in rather than dwell on the result itself. “Sadness, but knowing that we left everything out there. I have a lot of things I could say about how we got here, but it’s not worth it. I’m grateful to these boys for what they did to get us this far. We’re great in victory, and we have to show that we’re great in defeat too,” Scaloni said. Despite the disappointment of falling short of a second consecutive title, the coach was adamant that the run to the final shouldn’t be diminished by the way it ended, framing the campaign as something for the country to be proud of regardless of the scoreline. Lionel Scaloni, Head Coach of Argentina, reacts after receiving the silver medal. (Getty Images) “We lost, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to stop remembering everything we did to get here. If you leave everything out there like they did today, it’s a great example for our people, for the country. I do remember the runners-up, because it’s incredibly hard just to get this far. Obviously we would have liked to win, but that’s how it is. When you leave everything out there like that, it’s very hard to reproach anything,” he added. Scaloni addresses Enzo Fernandez’s red card Enzo Fernandez was sent off in the closing stages of the final, first picking up a yellow card in the 82nd minute for complaining before receiving a second in the 90+2 for a hard challenge on Pau Cubarsi. The ejection left Argentina to play the entirety of extra time with 10 men, a disadvantage that proved decisive when Ferran Torres scored the winner in the second period of extra time to give Spain a 1-0 victory. Asked about the sending-off afterward, Scaloni didn’t hide his frustration with how it unfolded. “I think the referee could have avoided the first one. I was talking to him in some odd English of mine. I think there are things that could have been avoided. But that’s it, there are no complaints. We have to give credit to our rivals. I would have liked to see what would have happened if we’d stayed with 11,” Scaloni explained during the press conference. Scaloni pays tribute to Messi Asked about Messi’s place in the squad after his final World Cup appearance, Scaloni didn’t hold back in his praise for the captain. “He’s 39 years old, it’s an incredible thing. I was always clear that he was going to play for as long as he wanted to. I hope he’s proud of his teammates, I think he is. In my opinion, he’s the best footballer to ever step onto a football pitch,” the Argentina coach s.
Dive in to find out why one of the Three Lions' most dangerous attackers is starting from the sidelines. Anthony Gordon is officially benched for England’s World Cup third-place playoff clash against France. While Harry Kane gears up to spearhead the frontline and finish the tournament strong, the explosive forward’s omission has completely hijacked the pre-match headlines. Dive in to find out why one of the Three Lions’ most dangerous attackers is starting from the sidelines. England enters the bronze-medal match after suffering a heartbreaking 2-1 semifinal defeat to Argentina, while France arrives following a 2-0 loss to Spain. Although neither national team reached the final they had hoped for, both still have the opportunity to conclude their World Cup campaign with a victory. The third-place playoff is often described as the match nobody wants to play, but both teams still have pride to defend after falling just one step short of the World Cup final. The Three Lions looked destined for their first World Cup final in six decades after Anthony Gordon fired the team ahead against Argentina. However, late strikes from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez completed a dramatic comeback that ended the Three Lions’ dream. France vs England StatisticsH2H RecordTotal Matches Played32England Wins17France Wins10Draws5England Goals66France Goals41 France, meanwhile, struggled to impose itself against Spain and suffered a 2-0 defeat, bringing an end to another impressive tournament run. Didier Deschamps’ side now has one final opportunity to leave North America with a positive result. Why Anthony Gordon is not starting The mystery surrounding Gordon’s absence has now been answered following the release of the official starting lineups. The Barcelona star has been left out of England’s starting XI because of Thomas Tuchel’s tactical selection rather than injury. The England manager opted to start Marcus Rashford on the left side of the attack, while Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze, and Bukayo Saka behind Ivan Toney. Marcus Rashford #11 of England reacts after the scoreless draw. Throughout the tournament, Tuchel has frequently rotated his attacking options depending on the opponent. Gordon has earned increased responsibility thanks to his energy, defensive work, and attacking contributions during England’s World Cup campaign, making him the preferred option for this encounter. No reports were suggesting Gordon is carrying an injury, meaning the forward is available among the substitutes and could still influence the match from the bench if called upon later. Tuchel sticks with the players who carried England deep into the tournament England’s coaching staff has consistently emphasized balance throughout the World Cup, and Tuchel has continued that approach for the final match. Harry Kane #9 of England celebrates with teammates Declan Rice #4 and Anthony Gordon #18. Several reports leading up to kickoff had already suggested Rashford was competing directly with Gordon for the left-wing position. His performances, combined with his defensive intensity and ability to stretch opposing defenses, ultimately convinced Tuchel to keep him in the starting lineup. The England manager also had to manage injuries elsewhere in the squad, with Jordan Henderson unavailable because of a broken arm, while other players carried fitness concerns after an exhausting knockout stage.
Football report Nick Ames answered your questions about Kane’s captaincy, Tuchel’s future, and England’s team psychology ohfffs asks: How many good performances did England manage in this World Cup? There was a really good half against Croatia and a good start against Mexico, but most of the rest was pretty poor. They were limp against Panama, dreadful against Ghana, just about hung on against Mexico and were very lucky to get past Norway. We know England can qualify but looked at objectively England were pretty underwhelming throughout.Nick says:“Good” is subjective but let’s say it means “controlled the game”. One thing I’d say is that – at club level too – there’s this expectation among fans for 90-minute performances that in reality only come around every so often. Most teams nowadays are good, brilliantly drilled, and will have their moments in a game. You would expect Croatia, Mexico, Norway and even DR Congo all to cause a few problems. You’d expect Ghana to spoil given Carlos Queiroz was in charge. So I’m not overly surprised these games were quite patchy. Spain or Argentina will win the World Cup and I’m not sure either will look back and say that, in terms of control, they really put it together over a consistent run of matches – although Spain’s masterclass against France was an exception. They’ve simply been better in the moments that mattered.Ultimately it stops with him. I can’t really look much further on this one. Maybe Messi’s cross shouldn’t be met by 5ft 9in Martinez with Stones jumping in front… maybe Bellingham should see the danger more quickly and be out to block Fernandez. But players are not going to get everything 100% right if you’re asked to park the bus for 40 minutes, especially not against a team with such cunning and craft. And ask yourself this – apart from Dan Burn maybe, how many of these England players are really used to manning a rearguard action at domestic level? It was one thing doing this with 10 men against a Mexico team whose one idea was to cross the ball badly. Quite another here. And even if shoring up the back line, why not retain some ball-carrying threat from wide, which would also have the effect of giving Argentina’s attacking full-backs something to think about? We could go on forever.I think Tuchel should stay, there is little point rolling the dice again when little broader vision is evident in any case. It’s not quite enough of a flop to cut ties now. But make no mistake – he was brought in to win things, nothing less, so if England do not win Euro 2028 then his appointment has been a failure. Continue reading...
Christian Polanco and Alexis Guerreros deliver an unfiltered live reaction from Atlanta following Argentina's dramatic 2-1 World Cup semifinal victory over England. The hosts break down Thomas Tuchel's tactical failure to preserve a 1-0 lead, Enzo Fernández's world-class equalizer, and Lautaro Martinez's late 92nd-minute header that sent the Three Lions packing. Complete with viral tweets from football icons, a scathing look at England's 12% possession breakdown, and breaking injury news on William Saliba, the guys officially map out the angles for the ultimate Argentina vs. Spain final showdown.
