How Club World Cup feud was nearly THREE YEARS in the making as two stars ‘tried to offer each other out in the tunnel’

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 River Plate crashed out of the Club World Cup group stages against Inter Milan.

Dumfries, 29, had left a heavy challenge on his rival moments before the final whistle to reignite the row.

Tensions then boiled over at the end when River star Acuna, further enraged by the referee’s decision to send off team-mate Gonzalo Montiel, squared up with Inter defender Dumfries.

When the referee blew for full-time, the two stars could be seen going towards the tunnel.

It had appeared Dumfries was being pursued by the Argentine, 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 and into 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 at the 2022 World Cup in the quarter-final match between the Netherlands 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 Qatar tournament, with Dumfries and Acuna playing their part in the drama.

Argentina went 2-0 up in the second half through a Lionel Messi penalty.

It 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 Wout Weghorst to send it to extra time and penalties.

But in the build-up to the shootout, Leandro Paredes had booted the ball at the Netherlands bench, causing a mass brawl which saw him flattened by Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk.

The South Americans would go on to win the shootout 4-3 after Emi Martinez saved kicks from Van Dijk and Steven Berghuis.

Wild Argentina celebrations rubbing it in the noses of their European rivals saw Dumfries lose his head and 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, North Carolina.

Meanwhile, Chelsea and Manchester City have both confirmed their places in the knockout rounds.

After finishing second in Group D – a draw which has worked out favourable for them and convinced fans they will make the final – the Blues will take on Benfica on June 28.

City beat Juventus 5-2 to top Group H, and will face Al-Hilal in the early hours of July 1.