EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Substitute Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in extra time as Spain defeated defending champion Argentina 1-0 on Sunday to lift its second FIFA World Cup title and deny Lionel Messi a fairytale ending to his international career.
Torres struck in the 106th minute, latching onto a loose ball inside the penalty area before firing a left-footed shot beneath the crossbar to settle a final that Spain controlled from start to finish.
“It was a goal scored by 47 million people,” Torres said, referring to Spain’s population.
The victory earned Spain its first World Cup title since 2010 and completed an extraordinary run in which La Roja conceded just one goal in eight matches, the fewest ever allowed by a World Cup-winning team.
Spain also became the first nation to simultaneously hold both the men’s and women’s World Cup titles following the women’s triumph in 2023.
Despite the narrow scoreline, Spain dominated proceedings throughout the final.
Luis de la Fuente’s side registered the match’s first 20 shots before Argentina produced its first attempt of extra time, while Emiliano Martínez kept the defending champions alive with a World Cup final-record 12 saves.
Spain also won nine of the first 10 corner kicks and repeatedly pinned Argentina deep inside its own half.
Messi nearly forced a dramatic equalizer in the closing minutes when his corner found substitute Giuliano Simeone, whose effort flew over the crossbar.
Argentina’s hopes suffered another blow in second-half stoppage time when Enzo Fernández was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a reckless challenge on Pau Cubarsí, forcing the defending champions to finish with 10 men.
At the final whistle, emotions briefly boiled over as players from both teams exchanged pushes before order was quickly restored.
Spain’s squad then formed a guard of honor for Argentina’s players as they walked to collect their runners-up medals.
The victory extended Spain’s unbeaten run to 38 matches across all competitions, surpassing Italy’s previous European record of 37 games without defeat.
It also made Luis de la Fuente, 65, the oldest coach to lead a team to a men’s World Cup title.
“We are world champions,” de la Fuente said. “It was together we reached this stage.”
The final concluded the largest World Cup in history, a 48-team tournament staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
More than 80,000 fans packed MetLife Stadium, while a host of global celebrities attended, including Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, David Beckham, Patrick Mahomes, Stephen Curry, Carlos Alcaraz, Serena Williams and Zinedine Zidane.
For Spain, the celebrations marked the return to football’s summit. For Messi and Argentina, it brought an end to their reign after a remarkable run that fell one match short of back-to-back world titles.
Source: Saudi Gazette