Argentina were beaten 1-0 by Spain in extra time of the showpiece finale in New Jersey on Sunday. Defending champions Argentina failed to muster a single shot on target over the 120 minutes and were down to 10 men following Enzo Fernandez's red card in the 93rd minute. Ferran Torres grabbed the only goal of the game in extra-time but it was the ugly post-match scenes that stole the headlines with Leandro Parades, Nahuel Molina and assistant coach Roberto Ayala all captured appearing to punch Spain players.
Paredes, Nahuel Molina, Thiago Almada and Argentina assistant coach Roberto Ayala were all caught up in the furore as Spain celebrated a historic second World Cup. TV footage showed Paredes grabbing Spain defender Eric Garcia by the throat before Barcelona midfielder Gavi, an unused substitute, attempted to intervene. Gavi was then forced to the ground by Almada, while Paredes also pushed him in the face.
FIFA has appointed a disciplinary and ethics prosecutor to review the bust-up, with punches flying, that erupted after Spain’s 1-0 victory over Argentina in New York, with several players and coaching staff potentially facing sanctions. Argentina assistant coach Roberto Ayala has attempted to downplay his post-match clashes with Spain's players after the World Cup final. Addressing the incident for the first time, he told Esports Migdia on Valencia Capital Radio: 'Obviously I’m sorry. Because of my position, I can’t allow a feeling, or what I might receive from the other party, to change my mood and my actions. 'I’m sorry, but for me, these are things that stay there and that’s it. For me, things need to be put behind us and left there. 'It was more of a push than anything else, it wasn’t a punch like they’re saying, and that’s it. It was a reaction to something he said, but that’s it. If I see him, I’ll obviously apologise to him in person.'