Messi in tears as Argentina lose World Cup final to Spain in extra time

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Spain win second World Cup with extra-time goal in final against Argentina
Messi in tears as Argentina lose World Cup final to Spain in extra time
Spain and Argentina to contest 2026 World Cup final at MetLife Stadium on Sunday
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Lionel Messi was seen in tears after Argentina lost the World Cup final to Spain on Sunday. The match, held at the New York/New Jersey Stadium, ended 0-1 in favor of Spain after extra time. Ferrán Torres scored the winning goal in the second extra time.
Messi, who is 39 years old, was playing in his third World Cup final. He had no shots on goal during the 120 minutes of play. After the match, Messi was seen sitting on the grass for a long time before receiving his silver medal. He was consoled by his teammates as tears streamed down his face.
Argentina's coach, Lionel Scaloni, was also emotional during the post-match press conference. He cried and had to leave the stage briefly. Scaloni praised his team and hoped that future generations would be inspired by their performance. When asked about Messi's future with the national team, Scaloni said he had not yet spoken to Messi about it.
There was a controversial moment in the match when Messi was involved in an altercation with Spanish player Marc Cucurella. Messi appeared to complain to the referee about Cucurella covering his mouth while speaking, which is against the new rules introduced before the World Cup. However, no red card was given.
Experts and former players have weighed in on Messi's performance and the match. Kjetil Rekdal defended Messi, saying that the team was not better and that it was unfortunate that Argentina could not provide more support to Messi. Bjørn Helge Riise and Petter Veland speculated that this might be Messi's last match with the national team.
The Argentine Football Association posted a message on their official account thanking Messi for his dedication and magic, and expressing their love and support for him.
The match was held at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, as part of the 2026 World Cup hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
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