Scaloni refuses to make excuses: "We lost because Spain were better"
Scaloni admits Spain's superiority in the 2026 World Cup final and dismisses any talk of refereeing controversy.
Spain
Argentina- 120'Final score: Spain 1 - 0 Argentina
- 111'Yellow card: Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina)
- 106'⚽ Goal for Spain (Ferran Torres)
- 102'Substitution: ↑ Marcos Senesi / ↓ Julián Alvarez. (Argentina)
- 99'Substitution: ↑ Eric García / ↓ Aymeric Laporte. (Spain)
- 99'Substitution: ↑ Martín Zubimendi / ↓ Rodri. (Spain)
- 90'Red card: Second yellow card to Enzo Fernández (Argentina)
- 90'Yellow card: Cristian Romero (Argentina)
- 82'Yellow card: Enzo Fernández (Argentina)
- 75'Substitution: ↑ Mikel Merino / ↓ Dani Olmo. (Spain)
- 75'Substitution: ↑ Nico Williams / ↓ Álex Baena. (Spain)
- 70'Substitution: ↑ Giuliano Simeone / ↓ Rodrigo De Paul. (Argentina)
- 70'Substitution: ↑ Facundo Medina / ↓ Cristian Romero because of an injury. (Argentina)
- 62'Substitution: ↑ Pedri / ↓ Fabián Ruiz. (Spain)
- 62'Substitution: ↑ Ferran Torres / ↓ Mikel Oyarzabal. (Spain)
- 58'Substitution: ↑ Nahuel Molina / ↓ Gonzalo Montiel. (Argentina)
- 52'Yellow card: Leandro Paredes (Argentina)
- 45'Second half begins
- 45'Substitution: ↑ Leandro Paredes / ↓ Nico González. (Argentina)
- 45'Half-time
- 45'Half-time
- 44'Substitution: ↑ Nicolás Otamendi / ↓ Lisandro Martínez because of an injury. (Argentina)
- 41'Yellow card: Lisandro Martínez (Argentina)
- 0'Kick-off
- 0'Kick-off
The day after Argentina's 1-0 defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, Lionel Scaloni offered no excuses: for the Argentina coach, La Roja fully deserved the title.
"They were the better side, that's the truth"
Asked about the reasons behind the defeat, Scaloni didn't hesitate: "They were the better side, that's the truth, but I'll cherish the memory of what they achieved, and the value of making it this far." He added: "Spain are fair champions, we must recognise it."
No excuses over the officiating
Though he could have pointed to certain refereeing decisions, notably Enzo Fernández's late red card, Scaloni waved away any controversy: "No, we lost because Spain were better than us. We've got to admit it, they played better, and that makes us better too."
"Gracious in victory, gracious in defeat"
The Argentina coach summed up his philosophy in one line: "We are gracious in victory, and we must be gracious in defeat." A dignified statement, delivered while a visibly emotional Scaloni was already leaving doubt over his future in charge of the Albiceleste.
