Argentina vs Spain has provided fans across the globe with a first half of World Cup Final football packed with technical quality, but Ian Wright has been less than impressed with the referee, and the Argentina team’s ability to somehow escape punishment.
The game began, before a ball was even in play, with an extravagant, classically American pre-match show, with Tom Cruise delivering a speech that only the Hollywood superstar could pull off.
For all of its cheesiness, the stoicism of the Spanish and Argentinian professionals was evident, and that transferred into the game itself.
‘It’s always Argentina’ – Ian Wright slams referee leniency in favour of Lionel Messi’s men vs Spain
After a preceding day of electric storms and flash floods, the 2026 World Cup Final is bathed in an afternoon of picturesque sun.
Within five minutes, Lamine Yamal got in on goal twice, being denied in a 1v1, then failing to square to an open man, then Lionel Messi was unleashed into open space and stopped from having a golden opportunity of his own by an onrushing Unai Simon.
Argentina, in Argentina fashion, began making challenges early on and quickly became the beneficiaries of ‘Let It Go’ refereeing.
Both teams played aggressive football defensively, marking man-to-man and refusing to allow any openings that weren’t hard fought.
Wright, working as pundit for ITV, spoke on the refereeing decisions made in favour of Argentina throughout the first half.
The 2022 World Champions escaped the first half with just one booking, despite committing nine fouls in dubious fashion.
Wright said, in response to being asked whether the referee was being lenient with Lionel Scaloni’s men: “Always with Argentina.”
The former Arsenal man was met with a brief moment of silence, then laughter, after he said this, repeating ‘always’ to drill his point home.
Gary Neville chimed in with his take, sayin ‘[Alexis] MacAllister should have been booked’. which Roy Keane quickly agreed with.
“Leniency to the extreme, I would say,” concluded Neville.