The 2026 World Cup qualifier between Argentina and Colombia witnessed tension between the players of both teams, with highly controversial refereeing decisions.
The match, played at El Monumental, ended in a 1-1 draw after Luis Diaz opened the scoring for Colombia and Thiago Almada equalized in the dying seconds.
Among the scenes that witnessed an altercation between the players was a scene between Lionel Messi and James Rodriguez. According to Sport, the flea rebuked the former Real Madrid star.
Argentina met Colombia in the 2014 Copa America final, winning the match, and James came out and said that the refereeing helped Colombia win the title.
It seems Messi hasn’t forgotten what James said, and during Wednesday morning’s match, he told him, “You said we were helped in the final… you talk too much.”
James showed no angry reaction to the Inter Miami star’s comments, and even after the match, he avoided discussing the incident, preferring to keep the on-field situation to himself.
The match was generally acrimonious, with Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez sent off after a strange tackle on the Colombian striker. There were also numerous protests against the referee from both sides in various scenes.
Argentina has already secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup, while Colombia is currently sixth in the South American qualifying group.
