Spain claimed their second World Cup title after Ferran Torres scored an extra-time winner to secure a 1-0 victory over defending champions Argentina in Sunday’s final at MetLife Stadium.
Torres struck decisively in the 106th minute, finishing powerfully after Nico Williams headed Pedro Porro’s cross into his path. The goal capped a dominant display by Spain, who controlled much of the contest against an Argentina side that failed to produce a single shot on target throughout 120 minutes.
A crowd of 80,663, including US President Donald Trump, watched as Argentina captain Lionel Messi sought to end his World Cup career with another title. Instead, Spain kept the 39-year-old largely quiet, limiting his influence for most of the match.
Spain’s pressure finally pays off
Spain created the better chances throughout the final but struggled to find the breakthrough. Nico Williams briefly thought he had opened the scoring in extra time before his effort was ruled out.
Argentina relied heavily on physical defending and committed a series of fouls as they attempted to disrupt Spain’s rhythm. Their task became even more difficult when midfielder Enzo Fernandez was sent off in stoppage time after a heavy challenge on Pau Cubarsi.
Despite Argentina’s resilience, Spain finally found the decisive moment when Williams nodded the ball into the path of Torres, who fired home to seal the victory and add a second World Cup crown to Spain’s maiden triumph in 2010.
Messi’s farewell ends in disappointment
Messi, who had scored eight goals and provided two assists during Argentina’s run to the final, was unable to inspire another memorable performance as Spain dominated possession and prevented him from creating meaningful opportunities.
Argentina had hoped to become the first nation since 1962 to retain the World Cup, but their campaign ended with a runners-up finish after falling short in the final.
Head coach Lionel Scaloni acknowledged Spain deserved the victory while expressing pride in his team’s achievement of reaching a second consecutive World Cup final.
“They were the better side, that’s the truth,” Scaloni said. “But I’ll cherish the memory of my players, what they achieved, and the value of making it this far.”
He urged his players to accept defeat with dignity, saying the team had shown the same grace in losing as they had during previous triumphs.
“We lost the match and we accept it, but that doesn’t mean we forget everything we did to get here,” he said.
Scaloni also thanked Argentina’s supporters throughout the tournament and praised his squad for giving everything on the pitch despite the disappointing result.
