{"id":18171,"date":"2026-07-17T07:41:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T07:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=18171"},"modified":"2026-07-17T07:41:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T07:41:07","slug":"argentinas-enzo-fernandez-erased-by-chelsea-as-falkland-islands-fury-grows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=18171","title":{"rendered":"Argentina&#8217;s Enzo Fernandez &#8216;erased&#8217; by Chelsea as Falkland Island&#8217;s fury grows"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_0cb783\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Chelsea were quick to delete a social media post celebrating Enzo Fernandez&#8217;s goal for Argentina against England in the World Cup semi-final, after a wave of backlash from fans<\/h2>\n<div class=\"Byline_byline-container__K_Owl\" data-testid=\"byline\"><span class=\"Byline_byline-content-wrapper__Imque\" data-testid=\"byline-content\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"Byline_author-badge-date-wrapper__Q7jj1\">\n<p><span class=\"\" data-testid=\"byline-publishedDate\">08:01, 17 Jul 2026<\/span><span class=\"ArticleTimestamp_updated-date__7qD4Q ArticleTimestamp_updated-date-with-published__iFKpF\" data-testid=\"byline-updatedDate\">Updated 08:01, 17 Jul 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37442634\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"His Premier League club deleted the post\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37442634.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/1_England-v-Argentina-Semi-Final-FIFA-World-Cup-2026.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37442634.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/1_England-v-Argentina-Semi-Final-FIFA-World-Cup-2026.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37442634.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/1_England-v-Argentina-Semi-Final-FIFA-World-Cup-2026.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37442634.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/1_England-v-Argentina-Semi-Final-FIFA-World-Cup-2026.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"His Premier League club deleted the post\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">His Premier League club deleted the post<cite aria-label=\"Image: Shaun Botterill, Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Shaun Botterill, Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Chelsea have been slammed over a social media post praising Enzo Fernandez. The club swiftly deleted the post during Argentina&#8217;s 2-1 triumph over England at the World Cup, following a torrent of online criticism.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The 25 year old dragged his country back into Wednesday evening&#8217;s semi-final clash in Atlanta, Georgia, after the Three Lions had seized a second-half advantage through Anthony Gordon. Fernandez discovered acres of room on the periphery of Jordan Pickford&#8217;s penalty area, before unleashing a ferocious strike with merely five minutes remaining. The effort bent and dropped beyond the England shot-stopper, as Fernandez spun away in jubilant celebration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Lautaro Martinez then crushed the hopes of Three Lions players, coaching staff and supporters watching across the globe, as he connected with a soaring header at the far post two minutes into added time to hand the South Americans a 2-1 advantage, and ultimately, victory.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37442633\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37442633\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5129958960328318\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Enzo Fernandez was instrumental to Argentina's win\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37442633.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_England-v-Argentina-Semi-Final-FIFA-World-Cup-2026.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37442633.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_England-v-Argentina-Semi-Final-FIFA-World-Cup-2026.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37442633.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_England-v-Argentina-Semi-Final-FIFA-World-Cup-2026.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article37442633.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_England-v-Argentina-Semi-Final-FIFA-World-Cup-2026.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Enzo Fernandez was instrumental to Argentina's win\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Enzo Fernandez was instrumental to Argentina&#8217;s win<cite aria-label=\"Image: Shaun Botterill, Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Shaun Botterill, Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">JOIN US ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">While a remarkable 24 million viewers tuned into the BBC&#8217;s broadcast of the fixture, Chelsea seized the moment to honour Fernandez&#8217;s achievement online. The Blues posted an image of the midfielder cupping his ears in celebration, accompanied by the caption: &#8220;Enzo Fernandez,&#8221; alongside an emoji of an explosion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Nevertheless, that decision didn&#8217;t go down well with England supporters. Wave after wave of social media users were swift to respond to the post with critical messages, to the extent that Chelsea opted to remove it entirely, reports the Mirror.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">One irate fan wrote: &#8220;Are you f****** serious! We are Chelsea, we are English. England over f****** Enzo f****** Fernandez,&#8221; while another declared: &#8220;A disgraceful post. Betrayal.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A third said in: &#8221; Chelsea FC have deleted an X post of Enzo Fernandez celebrating after the goal. Many fans were angry in the replies.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Meanwhile, a fourth raged: &#8220;Any club celebrating a goal against the country they represent is idiotic &#8211; no matter the player, club, or country.&#8221; However, not all social media users agreed with this sentiment, with some questioning why there was such an uproar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">One argued: &#8220;I get it, but Chelsea have to remember it has an international fanbase. Some of us fell in love with the non English players of Chelsea like Didier (Drogba) or Eden (Hazard).&#8221; Another pondered: &#8220;Angry about the club celebrating a player that still has contracts with the club?&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Following their win, Argentina will go head-to-head with Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday, 19 July. 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