Spain is the world champion for the second time after Ferran Torres struck the only goal of the final to beat a ten-man Argentina 1-0 after extra time at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
The European champions controlled large stretches of the match but found the Argentine defense difficult to break down. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez produced a string of saves to keep the reigning champions in the contest, and the game only turned decisively in Spain’s favor deep into second-half stoppage time, when midfielder Enzo Fernandez was shown a second yellow card for a reckless challenge on Pau Cubarsi and sent off.
Extra time followed the pattern of the ninety minutes before it, with Spain probing patiently against an Argentina side that dropped deep to protect their numerical disadvantage. The breakthrough finally arrived early in the second period of extra time, when substitute Torres finished cleanly after a sharp knock-back from Nico Williams.
Under coach Luis de la Fuente, Spain conceded just a single goal across their seven matches en route to the title, built on a possession-heavy style that repeatedly suffocated opponents. Lionel Messi’s Argentina, by contrast, had to fight through the knockout rounds, staging a comeback against Egypt and rallying from a goal down to beat England in the semi-finals before falling just short in the final.
Argentina’s resistance owed much to a defense forced into reshuffling on the fly. Manchester United center-back Lisandro Martinez picked up an injury just before halftime, and Cristian Romero had to be withdrawn for Facundo Medina during the hydration break, leaving Lionel Scaloni’s side to see out the closing stages with two makeshift changes at the back. Even so, it was Spain who dominated the underlying numbers, finishing with 20 shots to Argentina’s solitary attempt and pushing goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez to a World Cup final record of 11 saves. Advanced metrics were similarly one-sided, crediting Spain with close to two expected goals against barely a fifth of one for Argentina.
The victory also extended Spain’s unbeaten run to a European record 38 matches and made De la Fuente, at 65, the oldest coach to lift the World Cup. Torres, who had come on as a 62nd-minute substitute, said afterwards that the goal belonged to the whole of Spain rather than to him alone, adding that destiny had written itself in the team’s favor. For Argentina, it capped a tournament defined by dramatic late goals, from their comeback against Egypt to twice fighting back against England, but this time the late moment belonged to their opponents instead.
