Spain are world champions for the second time. Sixteen years after their first title, La Roja beat Argentina 1-0 in an extra-time thriller at the New York/New Jersey stadium, closing out a tournament they went through unbeaten.
From kickoff, Spain dictated the tempo. Argentina barely threatened the Spanish goal all night, failing to test goalkeeper Unai Simón even once with a shot on target.
Spain piled forward relentlessly, racking up an expected-goals value near 2 across twenty attempts, while Argentina barely scraped together a fraction of that from just two efforts.
Messi’s best opening arrived almost immediately. Early in the first half, a clever pass from Julián Álvarez sent him racing in behind with only Simón to beat, but the Spanish keeper reacted fastest and smothered the chance.
It set the tone for a frustrating night for the Argentine captain, who found himself starved of the ball far more than Spain’s young winger Lamine Yamal.
Argentina’s survival hinged almost entirely on their goalkeeper. Emiliano Martínez produced a string of outstanding stops to keep the scoreline level, setting a new benchmark for saves made in a single World Cup final.
Then came the turning point. Deep into stoppage time at the end of normal play, Argentina’s Enzo Fernández picked up a second yellow card for a dangerous tackle and was sent off, leaving his side to battle through thirty minutes of extra time with ten men.
Spain briefly celebrated a breakthrough when a shot crossed the line, only for the goal to be wiped off for an infringement in the buildup. It merely delayed the outcome.
Moments into the second period of extra time, substitute Ferran Torres struck from close range after being set up by fellow substitute Nico Williams, finally cracking Argentina’s resistance and sending the Spanish bench into celebration.
For Messi, the loss carries added significance. He has suggested this could be his final World Cup appearance, since he would be well into his forties by the time the next tournament arrives, though he has made similar suggestions before, only to keep playing on.
Argentina had arrived hoping to complete an unprecedented run of major-tournament wins, but their bid ended not in dramatic fashion, but in a slow, grinding defeat.
Spain’s coach continued a remarkable unbeaten run in charge of the national team, and became the oldest manager to lift the World Cup.
It capped a run that began, almost humorously, with a scoreless draw against a debutant nation in their opening group match, hardly a sign of what was to come.
No nation has retained the World Cup since Brazil managed it in the late 1950s and early 1960s, a streak Spain will now aim to break themselves in four years.
The night ended with a lavish closing ceremony featuring major international performers before the trophy was lifted, a fitting send-off for a tournament that delivered star power both on and off the pitch, and one final gut-punch for the game’s biggest name.
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