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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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After Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup, tempers flared on the field between players, with a post-match brawl erupting and one player being issued a red card.
Once the final whistle blew, some of the players soaked up a massive win, or processed the disappointing loss. Meanwhile, a heated scuffle broke out with Argentina's Leandro Paredes going at it with several players, including Eric Garcia.
At one point, Paredes and Garcia were in each other's faces, and Paredes extended his arm to put a hand around Garcia's throat, as if trying to choke him. During the brawl, Paredes also shoved down Spain's Gavi to the ground.
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Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni rushed over to intervene in the incident, but by the time he'd arrived, the shove had occurred, and due to that, Paredes was issued a red card for his actions.
More news: Argentina Coach Intervenes in Heated Scuffle After World Cup Loss to Spain
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Paredes had received a yellow card earlier when the game was being played for a hard tackle after coming in as a substitute.
His later red card was the second one of the day for Argentina. Enzo Fernandez left the team down a man in the second half, when he received a red card at 92 minutes for leveling one of Spain's players, causing him to go flying and hit the ground.
"I thought Leandro Paredes had a bigger chance of getting the red card within the 90 minutes than Enzo Fernandez. But anyways, both got their deserving red cards," a commenter wrote on X.
Others said, "He’s the most unlikeable player in world football," and "Spain came for football, Argentina came for WrestleMania."
A red card typically results in a player's ejection from a game and a suspension for the team's next tournament match. However, Argentina and Spain played in the final match on Sunday. For Paredes, there are no more World Cup matches.
In addition to Paredes' post-match actions, Argentina's Nicolas Otamendi had words with several of Spain's players, including Rodri, but things eventually settled down between the arguing players.
It was definitely a tense defensive matchup throughout, with Spain controlling over 60% of the possession and allowing zero shots on goal for Messi and Argentina. Ferran Torres became the hero for Spain, scoring at 106 minutes into the game, giving them a 1-0 lead and ultimately, the country's second World Cup.
More news: Zlatan Ibrahimovic Gives Honest Take on Spain’s World Cup Run
For more about the World Cup, head over to Newsweek Sports.
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