Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes clashed with Spanish players minutes after coming on in the second half of the FIFA World Cup 2026 final at New York New Jersey Stadium. It all got heated between Paredes and some of the Spanish players after the midfielder elbowed Rodri in the back. As Spain players surrounded Rodri to check on him, Paredes pushed Dani Olmo twice before the latter threw himself to the ground. Before things could heat up further, the referee intervened to separate Paredes from the scene, but also ended up showing a yellow card to the Boca Juniors midfielder.
A video of the incident went viral on social media, with fans pointing out that Paredes could easily have been sent off for pushing Olmo in front of the referee.
Paredes se habia librado de la amarilla hasta que se le ocurrio empujar a Dani Olmo jsjwjsjs pic.twitter.com/rwLDkPkKEj
— Lexa (@Alexaxfcb) July 19, 2026
Paredes came on for the second half, replacing Nico Gonzalez. Earlier in the first half, Lisandro Martinez was forced off with an apparent thigh injury. Veteran defender Nicolas Otamendi, 38, replaced him in the 44th minute.
Argentina were reduced to 10-men after Enzo Fernandez was shown a second yellow for a clumsy challenge on Pau Cubarsi.
Spain was absolutely dominant in terms of possession and shot attempts. Lionel Messi and Argentina found a way to hang on – but barely.
The teams will now play 30 minutes of extra time, split into two 15-minute halves. If the score is still even after extra time, there will be a penalty shootout to decide which team wins the title.
It was the ninth 0-0 score at halftime in the 23 World Cup finals, including the 1950 Uruguay-Brazil match that wasn’t an actual final but decided the champion.
(With AP Inputs)