Total frustration: Bellingham attacked the 'Colo' Barco in the Argentina-England.
Jude Bellingham could not bear the frustration of the defeat against Argentina and ended up slapping Argentine Valentín "Colo" Barco
The English did not accept leaving blank after the painful 2-1 defeat against Argentina. The clearest image of the pain and frustration in the “Three Lions” squad was carried out by Real Madrid star, Jude Bellingham, when he controversially slapped Valentín “Colo” Barco.
The action went unnoticed at first because Barco ran to join the celebrations in the center of the field as soon as the referee declared the end of the match. However, Bellingham's blow to the Argentine defender – who played last season for R. C. Strasbourg in France – came close to unleashing a real catastrophe on the field of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Tension on the court: What unleashed Bellingham's fury?
The attack almost caused a general fight. Versions in the stadium suggest that a strong exchange of words occurred between Barco and the English player, although the exact reasons have not yet been proven.
There are also reports that Bellingham simply could not stand the Argentine euphoria. While Barco embraced his teammates as part of the celebrations, the Briton approached and hit him on the back of the head, unleashing the immediate fury of the South American.
Barco immediately confronted the Real Madrid midfielder and the conflict bordered on a dangerous magnitude. The “Colo” teammates immediately came to his defense, complaining about the Englishman's attitude and seeking revenge by their own hands in the middle of the playing field. Otamendi and Nico Paz intervened to avoid sanctions
When Valentín responded with anger - without yet knowing the official reason for the provocation or whether there was a history of shouting from the bench during the match - Nico Paz quickly intervened to try to separate them.
The tumult grew and involved members of both schools. Calm came thanks to Nicolás Otamendi, who firmly pushed Bellingham to remove him from the exchange of words. The captain's intervention prevented the conflict from escalating to greater sanctions, something that would have seriously affected the Argentines ahead of next Sunday's grand final.
In the end, history demonstrated once again that England cannot shake off the yoke of “the hand of God” that has been pursuing them for 40 years. With a decisive Lionel Messi, Argentina resolved an extremely complicated match and already has its sights set on the title.