DENZEL DUMFRIES and Marcos Acuna’s Club World Cup beef has been stewing for almost three years.
The pair were involved in a heated on-field bust-up as crashed out of the group stages against .
Tensions boiled over at the end when River star Acuna, further enraged by the referee’s decision to send off team-mate , squared up with Inter defender Dumfries.
, 29, had left a heavy challenge on his rival moments before the final whistle, and when the referee blew for full-time, the two stars could be seen going towards the tunnel.
It had appeared , though a picture from another angle actually showed him “offering out”; Acuna and pointing at the tunnel before they start jogging over.
Players and coaches from both sides rushed over to get in the way, with Inter players successfully ushering Dumfries off the pitch to be held in the tunnel, while Acuna had to be wrestled to the ground on the pitch to stop him going after his old foe.
But this was not the first time the pair have clashed in a high-stakes game.
Dumfries and Acuna, 33, previously met on December 9 at the 2022 World Cup in the quarter-final match between the and Argentina, who would eventually go on to win the tournament.
That heated clash had been one of the most memorable and feisty games of the entire Qatari tournament, with Dumfries and Acuna playing their part in the drama.
went 2-0 up in the second half through a penalty, which had been awarded after Dumfries was deemed to have fouled Acuna in the penalty area, though the wing-back looked furious over the lack of contact before the dive to the floor which then saw the penalty given.
However, the Dutch hit back with a stunning brace from to send it to extra time and penalties.
But in the build-up to the shootout, had booted the ball at the bench, causing a mass brawl which saw him flattened by captain .
The South Americans would go on to win the shootout 4-3 after Emi Martinez saved kicks from Van Dijk and .
Wild Argentina celebrations rubbing it in the noses of their European rivals saw Dumfries lose his head, and subsequently saw him get sent off AFTER the final whistle.
But while Dumfries had to go away and lick his wounds then, he had the last laugh in their follow-up meeting earlier this week.
Following their progression into the knockout stages, Inter’s next match will be played out on June 30 in Charlotte,.
Meanwhile,andhave both confirmed their places in the knockout rounds.
After finishing second in Group D – a– the Blues will take onon June 28.
City beat 5-2 to top Group H, and will face Al-Hilal in the early hours of July 1.
