Bellingham Slaps Argentina's Barco After England's World Cup Semi-Final Heartbreak

England's World Cup dream ended in bitter fashion as a 92nd-minute winner from Lautaro Martinez gave Argentina a 2-1 victory in the semi-final, and the match's final act saw Jude Bellingham slap an Argentina substitute in a post-match altercation.

"Jude Bellingham slapped substitute Valentin Barco as England and Argentina clashed following the defending champions' dramatic FIFA World Cup semi-final victory."

football360.com.auBellingham slaps rival as England and Argentina clash after ‘worst example of sportsmanship we’ve seen’

The incident capped a spiteful encounter that saw 11 fouls in the opening 24 minutes, according to Yahoo News New Zealand, which reported that "there were 11 fouls in the opening 24 minutes of the World Cup semi-final, with no yellow cards." Earlier, Bellingham had laughed off Argentina's tactical antics, but emotions boiled over after the final whistle.

Yahoo News New ZealandJude Bellingham laughs off Argentina antics after heated start to World Cup semi-final

Sky Sports offered a damning assessment of England's attacking stars, noting in its player ratings that "Bellingham, Rice and Kane fail to deliver" in the losing effort. The Standard, however, singled out defender Djed Spence for praise, reporting that he "shines in defeat" alongside John Stones.

2 sources

Sky SportsEngland player ratings: Spence shines but Bellingham, Rice and Kane fail to deliverThe StandardEngland player ratings vs Argentina: Djed Spence shines in defeat as John Stones impresses

Before the match, GiveMeSport had flagged concerning footage of Bellingham that sparked injury fears, but the midfielder started and played the full 90 minutes before his post-match confrontation. GQ, meanwhile, had profiled Bellingham as "the World Cup's biggest crush," adding a layer of off-field fascination to a player whose tournament ended in frustration and controversy.

2 sources

GiveMeSportConcerning Jude Bellingham Footage Sparks England Injury FearsGQHow Jude Bellingham Became the World Cup's Biggest Crush