Leandro Paredes and Spanish players involved in ugly post-match incident following Spain's title triumph | WATCH

Spain's 2026 World Cup victory was overshadowed by a chaotic post-match incident after Argentina's Leandro Paredes lost his cool and hit a Spanish player who was celebrating their victory on the field at MetLife Stadium on Monday (Sunday in the US).

Argentina and Spain pushed the World Cup final match to the brink, remaining goalless in regulation time. But Ferran Torres' heroics in extra time helped La Roja become world champions by 1-0, and even Messi's magic failed to show its spark in the summit clash at New York/New Jersey.

Argentina and Spain players involved in post-match altercation

The incident happened after the referee blew the final whistle, when Spanish players were seen celebrating their World Cup triumph. Paredes confronted Eric Garcia and punched him, leading to tensions erupting on the field. The Spanish defender's teammates stepped in, and Gavi attempted to diffuse the matter.

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The situation escalated when Paredes struck Gavi in the face, despite Argentina’s Thiago Almada attempting to defuse the tension by pushing the Spanish midfielder down.

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Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni eventually stepped in to diffuse the scuffle by pulling his player back. The Argentine midfielder was also shown a red card after the match for his actions.

Spain crowned world champions after Argentina's toothless display

Lionel Messi failed to display his spark when Argentina needed him the most. Spain capitalised on the chance to score, with substitute Ferran Torres scoring in extra time, giving them a 1-0 edge to become world champions.

Williams got Pedro Porro's lofted cross to the back post and smartly put it on Torres' path as he struck the decisive goal to help Spain seal their second World Cup crown.

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It looked like the Spain-Argentina summit clash was heading for a penalty shoot-out after the score remained 0-0 in regulation time before Torres came charging in with his late heroics. Once Enzo Fernandez was sent off after his ugly challenge on Pau Cubarsi, La Roja struck right on the money.

Argentina looked reckless in their playmaking, committing fouls throughout the clash, as Spain took charge, and the rest is history.