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East Rutherford, New Jersey : This is how good Spain was at the World Cup: Not even Lionel Messi had any answers.
And when it was over, Spain walked off with the trophy. Messi simply walked off in tears.
Spain is back atop the soccer world for a second time, after Ferran Torres’ first goal of this year’s World Cup — unquestionably the goal of his life — gave his country a 1-0 win over now-dethroned champion Argentina in the final on Sunday.
Maybe not by them — but certainly for them.
The goal came with Argentina down to 10 men after Enzo Fernandez was sent off late in regulation following a reckless tackle. Tempers flared then, and flared again after the final whistle with Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni and players from both sides engaging in what appeared to be some pushing and shoving.
In the end, Spain denied Messi a second straight title in what he has indicated was his final World Cup match. Torres, a second-half substitute, pounced on a bouncing ball in the box and used his left foot to bury a shot just under the crossbar in the 106th minute.
From there, the airtight defense that dominated opponents throughout the tournament came through one final time. Spain — which also won the title in 2010 — allowed only one goal in eight matches in this World Cup run, setting a record for fewest goals allowed by a champion.
“I feel pride, to be honest,” said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, who at 65 is now the oldest man to lead a team to a World Cup title. “Accompanying them on this journey is an honor.”
This title, combined with the Women’s World Cup won by Spain in 2023, makes the European nation the first to hold both the men’s and women’s titles simultaneously. And in the streets of Madrid — probably many other places in Spain as well — countless people spilled into the streets, celebrating Sunday’s victory long into the wee hours of Monday morning.
The score indicates this match was close, but only one team was in command.
Spain took the game’s first 20 shots on goal before Argentina — desperate for an equalizer — got its first attempt off in the second half of extra time. Spain took nine of the game’s first 10 corner kicks, and only a World Cup final-record 12 saves by Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez gave the 2022 champions a shot at going back-to-back.
“Dibu was nothing short of exceptional,” de la Fuente said, referring to Argentina’s keeper by his nickname.
Spain is now unbeaten in its last 38 matches — 29 wins, nine draws — and is the outright holder of the longest such streak by any European men’s team ever. Italy went 37 matches (28 wins, nine draws) from October 2018 through September 2021, before Spain ended that streak.
And for the last two-plus years, nobody has beaten Spain. Not even Messi. An Argentina team that was the kings of the late-game rally in this tournament had no answer this time.
“We lost the game, and we accept that,” Scaloni said. “That doesn’t mean that we will forget everything we’ve done so far, so I’d like to thank my people, my players and the country. I can tell them that we played our hearts out.”
Messi took a corner kick with about four minutes left before the final whistle and the ball took a fortunate skip toward substitute Giuliano Simeone — who sent it high and over the crossbar, holding his head in disbelief afterward.
“When you have Messi on the other side, well, you are nervous,” Torres said. “At the end of the day, we always depended on us. We always come up with our football, and we showed it again.”
After the post-match scuffles, they also paid tribute to the former champions. Spain’s players lined up to form an honor guard of sorts for Argentina’s squad to walk through on its way to the stage for the runner-up medals from President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“I think now I’m in a cloud,” said Spain midfielder Rodri, the Golden Ball winner as the tournament’s best player.
Argentina was forced to finish the match down a man after Fernandez was sent off in second-half stoppage time after getting his second yellow card. Fernandez was whistled for a collision that sent Spain defender Pau Cubarsi cartwheeling into the air, and the card came out immediately.
It was the 104th and last match of the biggest World Cup ever, a 48-team event that played out over the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Because there were more matches than any previous World Cup, it was no surprise that there were more goals than all other editions — more than 300, nearly three per match.
Except, of course, when Spain was involved. Spain’s plan was simple and flawless: Hold the ball as much as possible, denying opponents any hint of chances.
It worked, all the way to the end.
Messi is 39 and the math certainly suggests that the Inter Miami star is at the end of his international career. There have been hints — such as Messi himself declaring that a home World Cup qualifying match against Venezuela last year would be his final competitive contest for Argentina on his nation’s soil.
“I experienced a lot of things on this pitch, good and not so good,” Messi said that night. “I’ll take the good with me.”
He retired from the national team after losing a Copa America final to Chile — in the same stadium he played in Sunday — a decade ago, then came back a few weeks later after changing his mind.
Good thing he did, because in that decade he went from superstar to absolute icon.
There was the World Cup title in 2022. There were two Copa America titles, the first in 2021 and the second in 2024. He won Argentina’s player of the year award 16 times in a span of 19 years, first winning it as a teenager and continuing to win it all the way into his late 30s.
He’s a legend within the game and on all corners of the globe. But Spain was better Sunday.
“I spoke to my players, and they said: ‘Look, we’ve won everything, coach. We’ve won everything,’” de la Fuente said. “And that is beautiful.” (AP)
