Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni has strongly dismissed accusations that his side are ungracious winners despite the outlandish antics that left much to be desired following their World Cup win over the Netherlands.
The quarter-final clash, won by Argentina on penalties after a enthralling 2-2 draw that sprung to life in the ending minutes of the game, was an ill-tempered, acrimonious affair with hostility and taunts resulting in scuffles on the pitch and 16 cards being served with even substitutes booked on the touchline.
What was most vivid was Argentina players allegedly taunting their rivals by celebrating directly in the faces of their crushed Netherlands counterpart after the winning penalty in the shootout. A video also later made the rounds showing Lionel Messi allegedly goading Netherlands players in his post-match interview. Scaloni however has spoken out in defense of his team, insisting they are gracious winners.
“We have to remove this taboo that we do not know how to lose and we do not know how to win,” Scaloni said.
“We lost our first game with Saudi Arabia and went quietly to the hotel to continue preparing for what was coming.
“We won the Copa America in Brazil (last year) and I think you saw the most beautiful image of sportsmanship you could see, with Neymar, (Lionel) Messi, (Leandro) Paredes and other players sitting on the steps of the Maracana.”
As for the incidents further feeding Argentina’s long-standing reputation for often pushing gamesmanship to the limits, Scaloni, though, believes that odious reputation they have been given is totally unrealistic.
“This issue must be settled,” he said. “We deeply respect the Netherlands, as we do now for [semi-final opponents] Croatia and all our rivals.
“We must banish the idea that we do not know how to win or lose. That is totally out of touch with reality.”