England vs. Argentina has carried 60 years of history into every meeting, and Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal in Atlanta was no exception. England hadn’t reached a World Cup final since winning the tournament in 1966, and for 78 minutes in Atlanta, that drought looked set to end.
But then it didn’t, and tempers flared up. Watch What’s Trending Now!
“THE CLASH BETWEEN BELLINGHAM AND THE ARGENTINA PLAYERS AFTER THE FINAL!” reported Diario AS. It all reached a boiling point when Lautaro Martínez struck in the 92nd minute, capping a stunning Argentina comeback that turned a 1-0 English lead into a 2-1 defeat, and sent Jude Bellingham into a postgame confrontation with Argentina’s players. But things had been simmering since way before.
The opening minutes saw two bruising challenges by Argentina that sparked the initial bust-up.
Two minutes into the match, Bellingham was fouled by Leandro Paredes with an elbow shove. Then, after a tackle on Lionel Messi went unpunished by the referee, the Argentine squad was left furious. Seconds later, Enzo Fernández clattered into Elliot Anderson, which prompted the English players, including a visibly angry Jude Bellingham, to confront the Argentines. Later in the half, England’s Elliot Anderson was shown the first yellow card of the match in the 37th minute.
The booking was given after Anderson cut Messi down just as the Argentine playmaker danced past English defenders. The challenge immediately led to players from both teams rushing together in a scuffle that involved pushing and shoving. The half stayed goalless, but Bellingham was furious at the interval after England were denied a stoppage-time corner call, and he was pulled away by teammates after a heated exchange with both the referee and Messi. Anthony Gordon put England ahead in the 55th minute, and the lead held until the 85th, when Enzo Fernández equalized with a long-range strike set up by Messi. Martínez then finished another Messi assist to complete the turnaround.
As Argentina’s players celebrated, cameras captured Bellingham walking toward the celebrating group and appearing to slap 21-year-old substitute Valentín Barco on the back of the head, prompting players from both sides to intervene and teammates to pull Bellingham away.
It remains unclear whether Barco said anything to provoke the confrontation, and as of now there’s been no official word from FIFA on possible disciplinary action. England face France in Saturday’s third-place match, and Bellingham’s involvement could hinge on any review. Bellingham, who scored six goals this tournament to match captain Harry Kane, was seen in tears and hugging Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni before leaving the pitch. Kane summed up the dressing room mood: “Gutted for the boys. Gutted for everyone: the staff, the fans… We played a good game for the large majority of it. Once we went 1-0 up we just tried to hold on, which at this level, is not enough.”
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Argentina advance to face Spain in Sunday’s final; England’s wait for a first final since 1966 goes on.
