Spain had most of the ball possession and held Argentina to two shots. Lionel Messi had few chances and was unable to pull off another late comeback.
Substitute winger Ferran Torres smashed a one-timer into the back of Argentina’s net in the second half of extra time to lead Spain to its second World Cup title in front of 80,000 fans at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday.
On the opening whistle, Spain established its possession game immediately, attacking with nine players and overloading the flanks with midfielders, while Argentina struggled to keep the ball for much of the first half.
Spanish forward Lamine Yamal had his first chance in the fifth minute, collecting the ball on a give-and-go into the goal area, but Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez made a great save.
A minute later, Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón came way off his line to close down Argentina striker Lionel Messi, before the stay player could find a pass or shot.
Spain began the second half with a fast tempo, connecting one-touch diagonal passes through the middle of the field and easily getting in front of the Argentine goal.
At the close of the second half, Spain recorded 14 shots, while Argentina had none. Martinez, playing with a broken finger, made 10 saves, including a free kick from Yamal seconds before the end of regulation time.
Early into extra time, Martínez stopped a point-blank header by substitute Nico Williams. Williams put the ball in the back of the net a short time later, but the goal was disallowed because another Spanish player committed a foul on the play.
Argentina played a very physical game, committing several fouls but also disrupting Spain’s rhythm. Enzo Fernández was sent off with a second yellow card just before the end of regulation time, forcing Argentina to play a man down in extra time.
Spain entered the second half of extra time with 19 shots to Argentina’s zero.
The game winner came 39 seconds into the second half of extra time. A shot from distance from the right side went wide left, but Williams managed to keep the ball in near the end line and headed it to the ground and into the path of Torres, who rifled it into the goal with a left-footed one timer.
Messi tried to engineer another late comeback, launching crosses and corner kicks from the right side into Spain’s penalty box, but his teammates couldn’t find the back of the net. He also fired a hard shot that hit the face of substitute Mikel Merino, who scored two game-winning goals in this tournament.
Eight of Argentina’s starters also played in the 2022 World Cup final, which they won.
Spanish goalie Simón only conceded one goal in eight games. He was awarded the Adidas Golden Glove trophy for the best goalkeeper in the tournament.
Spain captain Rodrigo Hernández Cascante received the FIFA Golden Ball, which is awarded to the tournament’s best player.
The FIFA Golden Boot award for most goals in the tournament went to French player Kylian Mbappé, who scored 10 goals. Rounding out the top three goal scorers was Messi with eight goals and England’s Jude Bellingham with seven goals and one assist. Bellingham edged out Norway’s Erling Haaland, who had seven goals but no assists.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, now the oldest men’s coach to win a World Cup at 65, said his young team will continue to get better and has its eyes set on future international competitions, including the next Euros and the 2030 World Cup, which Spain is co-hosting with Portugal and Morocco.
“This team has a long way to go,” he told a FIFA reporter after the match. “So, we are already thinking: What’s next? What’s coming up?”
Argentina Coach Lionel Scaloni said his players carried on like warriors despite some injuries, fatigue, and playing short-handed.
“We competed against an amazing team,” he said.
“We feel extremely grateful for all our fans—all of those who transmitted all that energy that we were lacking.”
