New Jersey [US], July 21: Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni asked his players and the fans to not forget their journey at the 2026 World Cup despite a 1-0 defeat to Spain in the final.
Argentina were bidding to successfully defend their title from four years' ago, but substitute Ferran Torres fired Spain to their second men's World Cup title in extra-time on Sunday.
A second booking by Enzo Fernandez in injury time meant Argentina faced the extra 30 minutes with 10 men.
"We take responsibility for things, but that doesn't mean we should forget what we did to get here," Scaloni said after they failed to emulate Brazil (1958, 1962) and Italy (1934, 1938) by retaining the trophy.
"We have to tell the country that we gave it our all, it's a great example for our people and our country. You lose, that's just how it is." During the press conference, he broke down in tears and had to cut it short.
"It's very painful, I'm so sorry," he said while crying and before rushing off the stage. He received encouraging applause from Argentinian journalists.
Before the emotional moment, Scaloni was asked about Lionel Messi's future and said he hadn't yet talked to the player.
Scaloni took charge of Argentina in 2018, leading them to the world title in 2022 and Copa America wins in 2021 and 2024.
His future after the World Cup is unclear, but ahead of the tournament, media reports said that he had a verbal agreement to stay on until 2031.
"Eternal gratitude to these guys who competed until the end. I'll always remember what they did, getting this far. It means a lot.
We're great in victory and defeat, we showed we know how to lose," he said.
Argentina needed lots of late goals to progress to the final and their performance in the showpiece was widely criticized by pundits for being too negative as they failed to have a shot on target in 120 minutes.
Source: Qatar Tribune
