Bellingham slaps Barco, blames Pickford after Argentina's semifinal win

A viral video has revealed that Jude Bellingham slapped Valentín 'Colo' Barco on the head after Argentina's dramatic 2-1 win over England in the 2026 World Cup semifinal, because Barco had taunted English players while celebrating Enzo Fernández's equalizer. The incident came amid a tense match filled with confrontations.

The slap

Footage obtained by Clarín shows Barco, an unused substitute, running onto the pitch after Fernández's 85th-minute goal and shouting at English players. Bellingham later struck Barco from behind, sparking a scuffle that was quickly broken up. Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson said on BBC Radio 5 Live: "Today we haven't seen much sportsmanship and that was probably the worst example of sportsmanship we've seen in this World Cup" Source: Clarín.

The goal and blame

Infobae reported that Bellingham was also caught on camera complaining to goalkeeper Jordan Pickford after seeing a replay of Fernández's goal, muttering "It's in the center of the goal" Source: Infobae. The shot actually went to the side, and social media users defended Pickford. One wrote: "Pickford is the last person to blame; he kept them in the game longer than they should have been" Source: Infobae. Fernández's goal came from a Lionel Messi assist, and Lautaro Martínez scored the winner in the 92nd minute.

Reactions

• Cristian 'Cuti' Romero also taunted Pickford after the goal, shouting in his face.
• The match was the sixth World Cup meeting between the old rivals, with England leading 3-2 in wins before this semi.