While Spain was the clear favorite from the start of the tournament, fans were expecting a miraculous performance from Argentina. Spain prayed for miracles, and a miracle arrived in the 106th minute of the game. After 16 years, Spain lifted the World Cup trophy, and they outclassed every opponent they faced throughout the tournament.
The Argentine fans might be feeling bad, but matches are neither won on social media nor on sheets of paper. They're played on the ground, and a single player can not help you lift the trophy. You might be a Lionel Messi, but the way the whole Argentine team played was nothing short of a disaster. So, let's decode where everything went wrong.
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A Tense, Goalless Battle That Refused to Budge
The final lived up to its expectations, but not in the way we expected. It was a sheer dominance by Spain's young guns, and they didn't let Argentina create a single chance throughout the game. Whether it was 68% ball possession, 11 shots on target or 90% successful passing, they suffocated the Argentine attack as they did with France in the semi-final.
Had it been any othe goalkeeper than Emiliano Martínez, the score could easily have been 5-0 or 7-0. From the opening whistle of the game, Lamine Yamal was in all-out attack mode and was finding spaces throughout the pitch. However, Argentina somehow managed to restrict for over 100 minutes. Not only did Spain dominate in every aspect of the game, but they also didn't let Argentina make a single shot in the first half.
Things worsened for Argentina when Lisandro Martínez got injured and was replaced by Nicolás Otamendi. By half-time, Argentina had no shots, no corners and no touches inside the penalty area, and had a possession under 40 percent. After the interval, Spain made a tactical substitution and called in Ferran Torres to replace Mikel Oyarzabal. In the 82nd minute, Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernández was booked for a reckless foul on Pau Cubarsí.
Yamal, Rodri, Ruiz and every other Spanish player tried their best to finish the game within the regulated time, but it didn't happen. The reason was Martinez's phenomenal goalkeeping, where he stopped 8 of 11 shots on target. Argentina were not playing like defending champions, and for moments, it felt as if it was a match between Spain's A team with Argentina B team.
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Spain vs Argentina: Ferran Torres's decider ends Argentina's dreams
The match could have gone either way in the last 30 minutes of the game. When Argentine fans were hoping for a miraculous comeback, Ferran Torres's goal in the 106th minute killed all hopes for Argentina. The credit for the match-winning goal not only goes to Torres for his finishing, but also to Nico Williams for his beautiful assist and Pedro Porro, who lifted a ball at the back post. With this goal, Ferran Torres is the second substitute ever to score a World Cup decider after Mario Gotze's heroic goal in 2014.
For the last few months, Ferran Torres was harshly criticized, and his missed goal against Cabo Verde made him a subject of trolling. People were name-calling him for his finishing slump. But today, he silenced all his critics and created history for Spain National Football Team. Now, Spain is the third team to have a 100% success rate in the FIFA World Cup finals after England (1966) and Uruguay (1930 and 1950).
In the post-match events, Torres credited this goal as a team effort rather than a personal win. Spain winning against Argentina was destiny written. Interestingly, every match of Spain witnessed an opponent's player getting injured and being substituted, whether it was Nuno Mendes, Thibaut Courtois, William Saliba or Lisandro Martínez. The weaker defense line allowed Spain to score, and a magnificent performance by Cubarsi as the centre-back changed the fate of the game.
Argentina were trying to bring the game closer to the penalty shootout, but the whistle brought celebrations for Spain and heartbreak for Argentina. Surprisingly, the goal came from the most unexpected player. Whether it was Ferran's assist against Portugal or his World Cup-winning goal against Argentina, he would always be remembered as "The Surprise Element". The most disgraceful part of the game was Leandro Paredes' grabbing Eric García's throat, which showed a lack of Sportsmanship.
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Is it the end of an Era for Messi?
Though there is no official announcement from Argentina or Lionel Messi, it is most likely the end of his World Cup career at 39 years old. Throughout the final, he struggled for influence and could only touch the ball 54 times throughout 120 minutes, which is usually 80-90 times during most matches. This statistic is not a criticism of Messi but Spain's successful implementation in the midfield, defense and attack.
Argentina played 9 tournament finals and lost five times, including losses in the FIFA World Cup and Copa America. If Argentina had won today, they would have become the second team after Brazil to win two consecutive FIFA World Cups, but tactics and performance win matches, and not emotions. It's unfortunate that despite eight goals and four assists, Messi managed to win only a silver ball. In contrast, Rodri won the Golden Ball for breaking his previous record of 638 passes in the FIFA World Cup 2022 with 790 successful passes in 2026.
Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simón received the Golden Glove award for his 7 clean sheets in 8 matches. Defender Pau Cubarsí was named the competition's best young player ahead of the heavily favored Lamine Yamal. The tournament may have ended with pain for Argentina, but one can't deny the fact that they've played in three of the last four World Cup finals. Maybe it's the beginning of a new era with a new star; we don't know.
