Argentina's Leandro Paredes explains why he held Falkland Islands banner as team's expected punishment revealed
Nearly everyone in England will be feeling a little worse for wear after last night's result and the actions of the Argentinian players afterwards have done little to improve the mood.
I won't bore you by going over the events of the match, certainly in the 30 minutes after Anthony Gordon's opening goal, but as we all know, England missed out on the chance to reach a World Cup final for the first time since 1966.
After a tense match which involved a lot of fouls and aggression, it's no surprise that things boiled over a little when the match action was over, with Jude Bellingham slapping Valentin Barco's head, which prompted another scuffle between the players.
The Argentinians clearly weren't bothered about endearing themselves to the English fans at the full-time whistle either, as they held up a banner which read: Los Malvinas son Argentines - which translates as The Falklands are Argentine.
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It's never easy to keep politics out of sport and despite the Falklands War occurring back in 1982, there's clearly a lot of people who are still angry about it on both sides, with English referees even denied the opportunity to officiate the later games due to Argentina's involvement.
Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes has since spoken out about the decision to hold up the controversial banner, as he defended his and his teammates' actions.
He told Sky News: "Sadly, it is a sad part of our history, for everyone involved in that chapter of our history. And it hurts. We knew we were playing for them too. For all the people, for our entire nation. I believe we did it in the best possible way.
"We always wanted to convey that for us, it wasn't just a football match. We were aware that it wasn't just that. It was very important for our entire country. And I think we feel immense joy."
Keir Starmer was quick to shut the claims of the banner down as his spokesperson told the Press Association: "The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are. Our position is unchanged. Self-determination rests with the islanders and our commitment to the Falklands will never waver."
While a lot of English football fans will be supporting Spain in Sunday's final, it's worth remembering that Spanish players have been punished in the past for similar shouts about Gibraltar, with Rodri and Alvaro Morata both handed a one-match ban after they helped Spain to beat England in the 2024 European Championships final.
However, it seems unlikely that any Argentine players will be denied the chance to play in the final, with FIFA's disciplinary code indicating that the majority of incidents such as this which involve political gestures result in a financial penalty, and not a sanction relating to the sport or competition.
When the Argentinian side held up a banner with the same words about the Falklands during a friendly with Slovenia in 2014, they were handed a £20,000 fine.
All-time World Cup top scorers
Lionel Messi - Argentina
Number of goals: 21
World Cups: Six - 2006 (one goal), 2010 (no goals), 2014 (four goals), 2018 (one goal), 2022 (seven goals), 2026 (eight goals at time of writing)
Number of matches played: 33
Kylian Mbappé - France
Number of goals: 20
World Cups: Three - 2018 (four goals), 2022 (eight goals), 2026 (eight goals at time of writing)
Number of matches played: 21
Miroslav Klose - Germany
Number of goals: 16
World Cups: Four - 2002 (five goals), 2006 (five goals), 2010 (four goals), 2014 (two goals)
Number of matches played: 24
Ronaldo - Brazil
Number of goals: 15
World Cups: Four - 1994 (no goals), 1998 (four goals), 2002 (eight goals), 2006 (three goals)
Number of matches played: 19
Harry Kane - England
Number of goals: 14
World Cups: Three - 2018 (six goals), 2022 (two goals), 2026 (six goals at time of writing)
Number of matches played: 18
Gerd Müller - West Germany
Number of goals: 14
World Cups: Two - 1970 (10 goals), 1974 (four goals)
Number of matches played: 13
Just Fontaine - France
Number of goals: 13
World Cups: One - 1958
Number of matches played: Six
Pelé - Brazil
Number of goals: 12
World Cups: Four - 1958 (six goals), 1962 (one goal), 1966 (one goal), 1970 (four goals)
Number of matches played: 14
Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal
Number of goals: 11
World Cups: Six - 2006 (one goal), 2010 (one goal), 2014 (one goal), 2018 (four goals), 2022 (one goal), 2026 (three goals)
Number of matches played: 27
Jürgen Klinsmann - West Germany/Germany
Number of goals: 11
World Cups: Three - 1990 (three goals), 1994 (five goals), 1998 (three goals)
Number of matches played: 17
Topics: World Cup, Jude Bellingham
James Moorhouse