Argentina substitute Valentin Barco has been slammed for displaying the ‘worst example of sportsmanship we’ve seen at this World Cup’ during England’s semi-final defeat.
The Three Lions had one foot in a first World Cup final since 1966 when Anthony Gordon gave England a second-half lead in Atlanta.
But England decided to sit back and their defensive tactics led to a late Argentina comeback as Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez sent the reigning champions through to the final.
The semi-final clash was bad tempered throughout and ex-England goalkeeper Paul Robinson spotted ‘the worst example of sportsmanship’ of the World Cup from Argentina substitute Barco.
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After Chelsea midfielder Fernandez fired Argentina level, Strasbourg defender Barco ran across to the England dugout to celebrate in front of Tuchel’s squad.
‘We’ve not seen much sportsmanship today and that was probably the worst example of sportsmanship we’ve seen at this World Cup,’ Robinson said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
England World Cup hero Jude Bellingham was seen confronting Barco after the game, clearly unhappy with his reaction.
Argentina will face Spain in Sunday’s World Cup final after the European champions beat tournament favourites France in the first semi.
While England suffered a heartbreaking defeat, Three Lions legend Alan Shearer believes the better side progressed.
‘I think the better team won,’ he said on BBC One. ‘You have got to be open and honest about it.
‘Their reaction was brilliant, they hit the post a few times and England got lucky. How they didn’t panic, how they stuck to their game plan, how they believed in what they were doing, and they did it.
‘The substitutions worked for them and you have to respect the way they came back into the game. They deserve to be in the final on Sunday as much as it hurts to say that.’
Former England defender Matt Upson added: ‘It hurts. A lot of fans, all the players, everyone involved, it’s an awful feeling.
‘To be in a position that we were, I think there’s a level of frustration for me because the psychology behind going ahead in a football match of this magnitude and then how that plays out on the pitch is just fascinating because I see us stop doing what was getting us in front.
‘We stopped. We scored the goal and we stopped doing the thing that’s going to win us the game. And the moment you do that a team like Argentina feed off that.
‘They smell it. It’s instinctive for them and all of a sudden the swing of momentum after the hydration break it was over.
‘It was really frustrating to watch because you could see it slipping away out of our fingertips and that will be something that will be really disappointing.
‘The pain of going out at this stage again hurts deep and also starts to become a pattern and we need to break that cycle.’
Argentina beat France on penalties in the 2022 World Cup final and will hope for more heroics against Euro 2024 winners Spain.
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