Javier Mascherano denies brawl with Ever Banega and insists he’d never blame player ‘who has the balls’ to take penalty in a final
Javier Mascherano has hit out at rumours suggesting he was involved in a dressing room bust-up with Ever Banega following Argentina’s Copa America final defeat.
Chile ended their 99-year wait for success in the tournament after beating Argentina 4-1 on penalties following a scoreless 120 minutes.
Banega missed Argentina’s third penalty and reports surfaced following the match that the Sevilla midfielder was involved in a brawl with Mascherano.
Argentina midfielder Ever Benega watches as his penalty is saved by Claudio Bravo in the Copa America final
Rumours surfaced following the penalty defeat that Javier Mascherano was involved in brawl with Benega
However, the Barcelona bruiser has rejected those claims and insists he respects Banega’s decision to take a penalty.
‘I heard that I grabbed Ever but I’m not like that,’ Mascherano was quoted as saying by Ole.
‘It’s ridiculous.
‘I would never point my finger at someone, who had the balls to take a penalty in a final before 70,000 people.’
However, Mascherano has rejected those claims and insists he respects Banega’s decision to take a penalty
The Argentina team look on as Lucas Biglia comforts Banega following his penalty miss
