When the final whistle sounded in New Jersey, several Argentina players – Lionel Messi among them – dropped to the ground in exhaustion and disappointment.
The rest stood frozen while Spain’s players dashed across the pitch in wild celebration.
Rodri, replaced during extra time, sprinted from the bench to celebrate with his fellow squad members.
As the Manchester City midfielder moved past Molina, the Argentine defender seemed to strike Rodri on the arm or midsection.
That blow lit the fuse for the chaos that followed.
Rodri turned to challenge Molina, but the Argentine was the one who lunged forward with hostility.
Garcia hurried over to defend his colleague, prompting Paredes to enter the fray and jab Garcia in the throat.
Unused substitute Gavi attempted to intervene, only to be wrestled to the ground by Almada.
Paredes then shoved Gavi to the floor by thrusting his hand into the Spaniard’s face.
Ayala then appeared to clutch Garcia by the neck before seeming to hit Spanish midfielder Dani Olmo.
“Paredes launched two or three wild swings at someone’s face. He attacked them,” Alan Shearer observed on the television broadcast. “There is no room for that in football.
“We understand how deeply they care and how painful losing is, yet there is a proper way to handle defeat. All too often we have seen such scenes from Argentina. The post-match reaction was appalling.”
Joe Hart added: “The game is finished, and they have no legitimate complaints about the result today. Disgraceful conduct.”
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni, who had tried to defuse the situation, downplayed the skirmishes in his post-match interview.
“We show grace when we win, and we must do the same when we lose,” he said. “Tonight we are proving we know how to accept defeat.
“We lost the match, and we accept that, but that does not mean we stop living or forget all we achieved to reach this stage.”
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