Spain battle past 10-man Argentina to win 1-0 in extra time to win World Cup 

SUBSTITUTE Ferran Torres crashed home the winner at the start of the second period of extra time as Spain beat a toothless but resilient Argentina side 1-0 on Sunday (Jul 19) to win the World Cup for the second time in a largely frustrating final.

The European champions dominated the contest against their South American equivalents but got no reward for their efforts until 37 seconds after the final break of the match when winger Nico Williams headed Pedro Porro’s cross back into the path of his fellow substitute Torres, who smashed the ball into the roof of the net.

Argentina, reduced to 10 men when Enzo Fernandez was shown a second yellow card in stoppage time at the end of the initial 90 minutes, had been looking to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back titles but failed to fire a single shot at the Spain goal until that point.

With their title on the line, they finally showed attacking intent in the final minutes but it was too little, too late and their 39-year-old captain Lionel Messi was destined to end up a loser in his third and probably last World Cup final.

Spain’s bench cleared as they celebrated matching their 2010 triumph and there was an ugly melee on the pitch involving Argentina players.

Lamine Yamal, considered by many to be a player who might one day rival Messi’s achievements, nearly wrapped up the title for Spain at the end of normal time when he curled a free kick over the wall, only for Emi Martinez to produce another of the many saves he made throughout the match.

The Argentina goalkeeper produced an even better stop to deny a close-range header from Williams early in the first period of extra time and although he was finally beaten by the winger three minutes later, the referee scratched the goal off for a foul in the lead-up.

“I think that in the end, the goal belonged to 47 million people, not to me or the 26 players here,” Torres said via an interpreter. “I believe that today destiny was written, it was meant for us to win, far from our fans, but we tried to make them feel as close as possible.”

Torres’ deserved decider came 16 years and eight days after Andres Iniesta also scored in extra time to lift the Spaniards to their first World Championship with a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands.

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Spain remain the only nation ever to win the European Championship and World Cup in successive tournaments, having now done so a second time after their Euro 2024 title.

They are also the first World Cup champion ever to concede only once across an entire tournament. And they are the first winner of the Uefa Nations League to capture a World title, having captured the eight-year- old competition in 2022-2023.

“We’ve won everything, everything,” said Spain manager Luis de la Fuente through an interpreter. “And that’s wonderful, with a generation of footballers, I’ll say it again and again, who are an example for Spanish sport, for Spanish youth, for Spain. Together we are stronger, let there be no doubt about that.”

Lionel Messi’s Argentina failed to earn another title after winning their last three major tournaments, having also captured the 2021 and 2024 Copa Americas on either side of their 2022 World Cup triumph.

The 39-year-old, eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi finished the competition with eight goals and four assists, but had little time on the ball until Spain finally took the lead. Even in some nervy late moments for Spain, he never seriously looked like lifting his side to another great moment as he has so many times in the last two World Cup cycles.

“Well, in the end, all finals are difficult, and when you have Messi on the opposing team, you always get nervous,” Torres said. “But ultimately, we’ve always depended on ourselves, on playing our style of football, and I think we demonstrated that once again today.”

Spanish midfielder Rodri won the Fifa Golden Ball for his efforts throughout the tournament, including his help in containing Messi on Sunday, despite not tallying a single goal or assist himself.

While he didn’t record a single goal or assist in Spain’s eight matches, he completed more passes, ran more distance and had more player involvements than any other player in this year’s tournament.

He also played a key role in heavily limiting Messi’s touches during the final.

Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simon and defender Pau Cubarsi were named winners of the Golden Glove award and Fifa Best Young Player award, respectively. The pair each played critical roles in La Roja allowing just one goal - a record for a champion team - and 10 shots on goal in eight matches during this World Cup.

Simon finished with seven clean sheets, two more than the previous record for a single World Cup. The 29-year-old’s nine career World Cup clean sheets are one off the record of 10 shared by former France keeper Fabien Barthez and former England keeper Peter Shilton.

Those three awards are decided by Fifa’s Technical Study Group, made up of former professional players, coaches and analysts.

Worldwide audience

An estimated 1.8 billion people were expected to watch the match, which also is the first World Cup final to feature a half-time show, which kicked off with Madonna accompanied by Brazilian soccer greats Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. BTS, Justin Bieber, Shakira and the Muppets also featured in the show, which lasted just over 11 minutes.

Fans were reluctant to leave their seats and many sang along with Shakira when she performed the official 2026 World Cup song, Dai Dai.  

With enhanced security measures organised for President Donald Trump’s attendance, gates opened four hours ahead of the kickoff. After the first two games at the stadium, organisers increased the number of signs and volunteers to get people to the right seats. 

In the luxury suites surrounding the pitch, politicians mixed with celebrities at what is likely to be the most expensive sporting event ever. High-end hospitality packages were trading for up to US$4 million prior to the game. 

Trump was seen seated next to his wife, Melania, and Fifa chief Gianni Infantino. At one point the broadcast showed him patting what appeared to be the World Cup trophy.

Spanish King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez were also in attendance along with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, though Argentine President Javier Milei stayed home to avoid jinxing the result.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney were also in attendance. 

Celebrities including Beyonce, Jay-Z, Will Ferrell, Timothee Chalamet, Matt Damon, Mick Jagger and basketball stars Jalen Brunson and Victor Wembanyama were in the crowd.

Fifa drip-fed tickets to the final over the past few weeks. The process has been opaque enough to attract lawsuits in the US and Germany.

“I was one of the lucky ones who got in early on, so no complaints on my end,” said Brandon Ng, a managing director at boutique investment bank Houlihan Lokey who paid US$60,000 for 10 tickets. “The tournament has been electric.”

Revenue from chips, beer and hot dogs is also set to break records. The tournament’s opening match between Brazil and Morocco generated the stadium’s highest food-and-beverage revenue for any event since the 2014 Super Bowl.

Offerings at MetLife Stadium’s concessions included sodas for US$6, an US$8.50 hot dog and chicken tenders for up to US$19. Non-alcoholic beers were priced at US$14, while price of alcohol ranged from US$17 to US$20 with a limit of 2 drinks per person for every purchase.

In the New York City borough of Queens, Spain supporters gathered at the Casa Galicia cultural centre to cheer on their team, wearing La Roja’s traditional red.

Estrella Galicia beer and Albarino wine littered the tables, with only the occasional Poland Spring water bottle serving to remind guests they were in the US.

“We’re here to celebrate,” said Jose Alberto Gonzalez, 63. “The importance of watching the game here is that the people who are sitting next to you in the next table are the same ones who are here on a Friday night, so when you cheer, you’re not cheering with strangers.” BLOOMBERG, REUTERS