Paredes sent off and Molina throws a punch in ugly scenes after Spain beat Argentina
Leandro Paredes sent off and Nahuel Molina throws a punch in ugly scenes after Spain beat Argentina at the 2026 World Cup Final.
It was Ferran Torres’ 106th-minute strike that gave Spain a much deserved win for Luis de la Fuente’s side at the New York New Jersey Stadium.
Argentina have since been slammed with footage showing Nahuel Molina hitting Rodri and Leandro Paredes swinging punches at two Spain substitutes.
As reported by Sky Sports, that Molina ‘threw out an elbow and caught Rodri as the Spain captain ran past him, Paredes ‘kicked Eric Garcia to the floor’ before pushing him with a hand around his neck as Garcia got back up in confrontation.
Spain’s Gavi was then held back by another Argentina player, then had his bib torn by Paredes, who swung for him twice, and caught him in the face.
Paredes came off the bench at half time, was booked shortly after, escaped being show a second yellow for fouls throughout the second half, then was eventually sent off for his part in the troubling scenes.
Football won
— Toni Kroos (@ToniKroos) July 19, 2026
It got a bit heated after full time between players from Argentina and Spain 😠 pic.twitter.com/e2idrEBGP3
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) July 19, 2026
Sky Sports’ Dan Long explained in a live blog what he saw upon looking back at the footage:
“I’ve had another look at the replays of what happened after the final whistle.
“Leandro Paredes appears to kick Eric Garcia to the deck, then push him back with a strong hand around his neck when the Spaniard gets back to his feet to confront him.
“A Spain substitute then gets held back by another Argentina player, before Paredes comes in, rips his bib and swings for him twice, catching him in the face, too.
“He can surely expect the book to be thrown at him. Shocking behaviour.”
Joe Hart, on punditry duties for the BBC, said: “There was one man on the pitch who did have class and that was Lionel Messi, who shook hands with every one of those Spanish players.
“The game’s done. They could have absolutely no complaints about what happened today. Disgusting behaviour.
“Spain fully deserve it. They have been absolutely superb all tournament.
“They have dominated all game against a rigid, rugged Argentina. The best team has won this World Cup.”
Crazy scenes at full time. 👀#worldcupwithmicky #fifaworldcup pic.twitter.com/4h0ggz307a
— Micky Jnr (@MickyJnr__) July 19, 2026
— Out Of Context Football (@nocontextfooty) July 19, 2026
Leandro Paredes was sent off after the final whistle amidst ugly scenes from some of the Argentina players 🔴
Nahuel Molina also appeared to throw a punch towards one of the celebrating Spain players 😬 pic.twitter.com/LVItPtx08n
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 19, 2026
Wayne Rooney, a pundit for the BBC, said: “Does it surprise you? It doesn’t surprise me.
“We’ve seen this with Argentina before. It’s just not the reaction you want. We’ve seen some of the reaction after knocking England out in the last round.
“That’s just sad. If you lose a game of football, be graceful and get out of there. It’s really poor from them.”
“That’s a reaction to them being outplayed, out-fought, out-thought on the football pitch, and then they resort to that at the end.
“It’s poor from those two players.”
Alan Shearer, speaking no the BBC, said: “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.”
Gary Neville, speaking on ITV, said: “They’re very competitive and I love that element of them, but [Paredes] has just been a disgrace for the last couple of games, and why the referees have allowed him to continue doing what he is doing…”
Micah Richards: “It’s quite embarrassing really. In the game, they were just on the cusp every single time.
“Paredes doesn’t need to do that, he’s better than that, and it doesn’t stop there — it keeps going and going and going.
“We all know what it’s like to lose a game, we can be very frustrated, but this is not good enough — it’s not a good look at all.”
Lee Dixon: “You have to say, especially after those scenes just then, well done Spain. Football has been the winner, there’s no doubt about that. They’re a deserved team to win it on the day.
“Throughout the tournament they’ve gotten better and better, conceding one goal in a World Cup tournament just says everything you need to know about how organised and creative they are.
“They’ve got pace down the wings and they’re good to watch. On the other hand, today, Argentina were just anti-football, and the scenes at the end, how Paredes is still on the pitch, I’ll never know. I made out six or seven times he should have been sent off.
“[Messi’s] legacy coming to an end. Wasn’t as his best today, wasn’t allowed to be.”
