Scaloni defends players’ behavior against Dutch at World Cup

By STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has dismissed criticism of his players’ behavior during the feisty World Cup quarterfinal match against the Netherlands and says it is “out of touch with reality.” There were 17 yellow cards and one sending-off as players clashed on numerous occasions before and after Argentina won a penalty shootout to advance to the semifinals. Scaloni says it is unfair that his players were accused of bad sportsmanship. He points to previous examples of how they have behaved after matches whether they won or lost. Scaloni says the criticism had hurt Argentina’s “pride.”