England’s World Cup was over.

The drama wasn’t.

As Argentina celebrated reaching another World Cup final, Jude Bellingham became involved in a heated confrontation with substitute Valentín Barco after appearing to slap him on the back of the head.

Within seconds, players from both teams were involved.

England’s semi-final defeat had already produced enough talking points.

Football wasn’t finished yet.

What happened?

The incident came moments after the final whistle following Argentina’s dramatic 2-1 victory over England.

Video footage appears to show Bellingham approaching Barco before making contact with the back of the substitute’s head during Argentina’s celebrations.

Argentina defender Nicolás Otamendi immediately stepped in as players from both teams gathered around the pair before teammates and staff quickly separated them. Bellingham was not shown a card during the match, although FIFA could still review the footage retrospectively.

It didn’t come completely out of nowhere

At first glance, the confrontation looked sudden.

It probably wasn’t.

Earlier in the evening, Barco had sprinted onto the pitch to celebrate Enzo Fernández’s equaliser directly in front of England’s players.

John Stones reacted by shoving the Argentina substitute away before officials restored order.

The frustration clearly hadn’t disappeared by full-time.

England had watched a place in the World Cup final vanish in the closing minutes.

Argentina were celebrating one of the biggest wins in their recent history.

It was never likely to end quietly.

Another painful ending for England

The confrontation quickly became another talking point after a night that had already delivered plenty.

England had led through Anthony Gordon.

Argentina equalised late through Enzo Fernández.

Then Lautaro Martínez struck the winner in stoppage time to send Argentina into the World Cup final.

For England, the emotions were obvious.

One moment they were minutes away from the biggest game in world football.

The next, they were watching Argentina celebrate in front of them.

Could Bellingham face punishment?

Because the incident was not dealt with by the match officials during the game, FIFA could still review the footage.

If disciplinary action follows, it could affect England’s third-place play-off, although no decision had been announced at the time of writing.

The comeback.

The heartbreak.

The tactical debate.

The celebrations.

England’s World Cup had already slipped away.

Then football found one final talking point before anyone had even left the pitch.