Ian Wright hits out at ‘ridiculous and poor’ World Cup final pitch at the MetLife Stadium – and that was BEFORE extravagant half-time show featuring Justin Bieber and Shakira
1-0
Finished
-
41'
Yellow card
Lisandro MARTINEZ (Argentina) is booked by -
52'
Yellow card
Leandro PAREDES (Argentina) is booked by -
82'
Yellow card
Enzo FERNANDEZ (Argentina) is booked by -
90'+2'
Yellow card
Cristian ROMERO (Argentina) is booked by -
90'+3'
Red card
Enzo FERNANDEZ (Argentina) is booked for -
105'
Yellow card
Lionel SCALONI (Argentina) is booked by -
106'
Goal
Ferran TORRES (Spain) scores!! -
111'
Yellow card
Alexis MAC ALLISTER (Argentina) is booked
Spain squad
- Selected
-
8 Fabian RUIZ
Midfielder -
10 Dani OLMO
Forward -
12 Pedro PORRO
Defender -
14 Aymeric LAPORTE
Defender -
15 Alex BAENA
Midfielder -
16 RODRI
C Midfielder -
19 Lamine YAMAL
Forward -
21 Mikel OYARZABAL
Forward -
22 Pau CUBARSI
Defender -
23 Unai SIMON
Goalkeeper -
24 Marc CUCURELLA
Defender -
1 David RAYA
Goalkeeper -
2 Marc PUBILL
Defender -
3 Alex GRIMALDO
Defender -
4 Eric GARCIA
Defender -
5 Marcos LLORENTE
Defender -
6 Mikel MERINO
Midfielder -
7 Ferran TORRES
Forward -
9 GAVI
Midfielder -
11 Yeremy PINO
Forward -
13 Joan GARCIA
Goalkeeper -
17 Nico WILLIAMS
Forward -
18 Martin ZUBIMENDI
Midfielder -
20 PEDRI
Midfielder -
25 Victor MUNOZ
Forward -
26 Borja IGLESIAS
Forward
Argentina squad
- Selected
-
3 Nicolas TAGLIAFICO
Defender -
4 Gonzalo MONTIEL
Defender -
6 Lisandro MARTINEZ
Defender -
7 Rodrigo DE PAUL
Midfielder -
9 Julian ALVAREZ
Forward -
10 Lionel MESSI
C Forward -
13 Cristian ROMERO
Defender -
15 Nico GONZALEZ
Midfielder -
20 Alexis MAC ALLISTER
Midfielder -
23 Emiliano MARTINEZ
Goalkeeper -
24 Enzo FERNANDEZ
Midfielder -
1 Juan MUSSO
Goalkeeper -
2 Marcos SENESI
Defender -
5 Leandro PAREDES
Midfielder -
8 Valentin BARCO
Midfielder -
11 Giovani Lo Celso
Midfielder -
12 Geronimo RULLI
Goalkeeper -
14 Exequiel PALACIOS
Midfielder -
16 Thiago ALMADA
Forward -
17 Giuliano SIMEONE
Forward -
18 Nico PAZ
Forward -
19 Nicolas OTAMENDI
Defender -
21 Jose Manuel LOPEZ
Forward -
22 Lautaro MARTINEZ
Forward -
25 Facundo MEDINA
Defender -
26 Nahuel MOLINA
Defender
Former England striker Ian Wright criticised the pitch condition at MetLife Stadium ahead of the World Cup final, branding it "ridiculous and poor", with the comments coming even before the tournament's extravagant half-time show took centre stage. The remarks add to wider unease about how the pitch and surrounding spectacle were handled for football's biggest match, held on US soil as part of FIFA's expanded World Cup.
Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the final in New York, with the occasion overshadowed by an elaborate half-time show featuring performers including Justin Bieber, which many fans branded a "disaster" on social media. The build-up and aftermath were further dominated by talking points including Donald Trump's presence on the pitch for the trophy lift, scuffles between players after the final whistle, and criticism from figures such as Wayne Rooney over FIFA's handling of the showpiece event.
- Ian Wright called the World Cup final pitch "ridiculous and poor".
- Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the final at MetLife Stadium.
- Extravagant half-time show, featuring Justin Bieber, drew fan backlash.