All the controversy from the 2026 World Cup final: penalties, red cards, and VAR

Argentina were reduced to ten men after a reckless challenge from Enzo Fernández, who was already on a yellow card. The Chelsea midfielder arrived late and caught Pau Cubarsí with his knee, sending the defender crashing to the ground in a worrying fall. Referee Slavko Vinčić had a clear view of the incident and showed Fernández a second yellow card.

“It’s a yellow. He arrives late and catches him with his knee. He’s rightly sent off because it’s his second booking,” explained Iturralde González, refereeing analyst for SER and AS.

The Argentine players reacted furiously, surrounding and protesting to the referee. Their complaints appeared to centre on the belief that VAR should have intervened over the second yellow card, while they also seemed unhappy that Marc Cucurella had spoken while covering his mouth.

In reality, almost every decision that went against the Albiceleste sparked protests from Lionel Scaloni’s players. That came despite Leandro Paredes, who had already been booked, committing several further fouls without receiving a second yellow card.

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