Argentina defender Nahuel Molina sparked a brawl immediately after the full-time whistle in the World Cup final by punching Spain captain Rodri. Spain sealed a 1-0 victory over Argentina on Sunday with Ferran Torres scoring the winner in the first half of extra time.
Punch triggers confrontation
As Rodri, who was substituted in extra time, ran onto the pitch to celebrate with his Spain teammates following the full-time whistle, Molina was seen throwing a punch to the chest of the Manchester City midfielder. Rodri immediately stopped and confronted Molina, which then triggered a fight between the two players.
Separate incident involving Gavi
In a separate incident, Molina and his Argentina teammate Leandro Paredes were seen grabbing Spain midfielder Gavi by the neck and throwing him to the floor. Former England defender Gary Neville condemned Paredes' actions, saying: 'He's a disgrace, him. I love the competitiveness of the Argentines, they deserve credit for fighting for their lives throughout the tournament, even today when they were being outplayed by a great Spain side. But he's been a disgrace the last couple of games. Why ref allowed him to do it I don't know.'
Shearer criticizes Argentina's reaction
Former England striker Alan Shearer also criticized the behavior, saying: 'Paredes threw two or three haymakers into someone's face. He went for them. There is no place 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. Too many times we have seen that from Argentina. The reaction after the final whistle is terrible.'
