Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez was sent off in the World Cup final at the MetLife Stadium, leaving Lionel Messi’s side to battle Spain with ten men.
The Chelsea star received a second yellow card for a rash foul on Pau Cubarsi, a challenge made worse by his earlier caution for backchatting the referee.
Fernandez attempted to plead his innocence by wagging his finger after being shown the red card, but the decision left little room for debate among pundits.
Alan Shearer, commentating for the BBC, was unsparing in his assessment of the midfielder’s contribution to Argentina’s difficult situation in the final.
Shearer said: “He might just have cost his team massively, because you know now that Argentina are going to try to take it to penalties.”
The former England striker continued: “With him already being on a yellow card for something stupid – backchatting to the referee. And when you’re on a yellow, you cannot, cannot make a challenge like that. That is stupid from him, it really is.”
Chris Sutton shared the same view, saying: “Enzo Fernandez is disputing this. It seemed like a pretty wild challenge. He’s late and Cubarsi gets there first.”
Former referee Darren Cann was equally clear in his verdict, stating: “There is no argument, it is a clear second yellow card and the red card is absolutely correct in my opinion. I do not expect the VAR to intervene.”
Wayne Rooney added his voice to the chorus of criticism, saying: “It’s a silly tackle. He is a little bit late to it. On a yellow card you can’t just dangle your leg out and give the opposition the opportunity to get you a red card.”
Rooney went on to highlight the difficulty Argentina now faced, saying: “It makes it a very difficult game for Argentina to get through now, Spain were on top as it was but now it’s even more difficult.”
Fernandez was dismissed in the 93rd minute, forcing Argentina to play extra time with ten men after struggling to pose any real threat throughout ninety minutes.
The red card was a stark contrast to Fernandez’s heroics in the semi-final, where the former Benfica man scored against England to help Argentina come from behind and reach the final.
Former goalkeeper Paul Robinson described Argentina as being in “survival mode” during extra time, noting that they had not managed a single shot on goal throughout the period.
Robinson said: “Spain have been very dominant. They haven’t been overly creative with just one or two opportunities. Emi Martinez has made one or two saves that you expect him to make.”
Robinson concluded: “Spain are by far and away the better team and Argentina are now in survival mode,” painting a bleak picture for the ten-man South American side.
