How Messi, Argentina have made their fans suffer: Chest pain, high BP and more; doctor reports cardiac emergencies

******************************

The 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain kicks off on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at 3:00 PM Eastern Time (ET) at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, USA.

For fans in India, this translates to an early-morning start on Monday, July 20, at 12:30 AM IST.

Here is the global kickoff breakdown for the final match: India (IST): 12:30 AM (Monday), USA (ET): 3:00 PM (Sunday), UK (BST): 8:00 PM (Sunday), Australia (AEST): 5:00 AM (Monday).

******************************

FOOTBALL fever is breaking hearts, literally. Buenos Aires doctors report a surge in cardiac emergencies.

Dr Alan Sigal has revealed shocking World Cup fallout. His team treated heart attacks and deadly aortic dissections. The culprit is Sheer emotional stress from the matches themselves.

Matches stay calm, he explained, mostly. But afterwards, patients flood in and are overwhelmed completely.

Palpitations, chest pain and soaring blood pressure strike suddenly. Some even suffer dangerous arrhythmias after the match.

“It often happens that during the match things remain relatively calm, apart from the occasional emergency, which does happen. But once the match is over, many people come in overwhelmed by emotion, experiencing palpitations, chest pain, high blood pressure and even some arrhythmias,” he told Reuters.

“All of these are very directly linked to the intense emotions people go through while watching the match,” he said.

To be honest, Argentina have a lot to do with such emotional turmoil. The way Lionel Messi’s team performed until the semi-final is not short of Alfred Hitchcock classics.

Argentina's road to the final has been pure heart-stopping drama, especially in the knock-out round. Astonishingly, they never led a knockout game after 90 minutes. Their 12 of 19 tournament goals came after the 75th minute.

Against Cabo Verde, they were pushed to the breaking point. Extra time delivered salvation via a 111th-minute winner. Egypt then stunned them, racing to a 2-0 lead. Argentina roared back, sealing it with Enzo Fernandez's 92nd-minute strike.

Switzerland forced them into extra time yet again. Deadlock finally broke with a dramatic 112th-minute goal. Then came England, arguably their most nerve-shredding test yet.

Trailing late, Argentina scored twice in 7 minutes. Fernandez struck first, and Martinez sealed it deep into stoppage time. Relentless late-match theatre has given fans extreme anxiety and top-level elation. Argentina have simply refused to win the easy way so far.

Will there be any difference in the final against Spain? It’s only a few hours before the climax starts.

Spain vs Argentina: Head-to-head

Spain and Argentina share a perfectly balanced rivalry, 6 wins each. Yet, dramatic late finishes have historically been surprisingly rare.

Their only World Cup meeting came way back in 1966. Argentina won that thriller 2-1, Artime scoring twice. Their next clashes came decades later, in intense friendlies.

In 2009, Xabi Alonso stole victory with an 86th-minute penalty. In 2010, Argentina stunned newly-crowned champions Spain, winning 4-1. Messi, Higuaín and Tevez tore Spain apart brutally.

Then came 2018's utter humiliation for Argentina. Without an injured Messi, they suffered a crushing 6-1 defeat. Isco scored a stunning hat-trick that day. Spain destroyed La Albiceleste completely in a ruthless second half. Now, history collides again on football's biggest stage.