Argentina fans throw stones at police after World Cup defeat

Lionel Messi's dream of signing off from international football on the ultimate high ended in heartbreak as Argentina lost the FIFA World Cup final against Spain 1-0.

What should have been a moment of celebration quickly descended into ugly scenes, with players and staff from both teams getting involved in a heated confrontation.

The violence came hours after Spain secured a 1-0 extra-time victory, ending Argentina's hopes of retaining the world title and bringing an emotional night to a difficult close for thousands of supporters.

However, Spain finally found the net when Ferran Torres scored his first goal of the tournament at 106 minutes into the match.