Spain vs Argentina World Cup Final honors went to Spain on Sunday night, as Ferran Torres struck in the 106th minute of extra time to secure a 1-0 win at MetLife Stadium. The victory gives Spain its second World Cup title and first since 2010, closing the book on what may have been Lionel Messi’s final chance at international glory.
Spain controlled the opening exchanges but couldn’t find a breakthrough, with Mikel Oyarzabal’s 38th-minute effort drawing the loudest reaction of the first half. Argentina barely threatened at all before the break, failing to register a single shot and getting zero touches inside Spain’s box. Messi’s best look came in just the fifth minute, when Julián Álvarez played him through with only goalkeeper Unai Simón to beat, but Simón reached the ball first to snuff out the chance. Marc Cucurella nearly broke the deadlock himself in the second half with a long-range effort that rolled agonizingly wide.
Argentina’s afternoon unraveled in the closing stages of regulation. Enzo Fernández was shown a red card in second-half stoppage time, leaving Argentina to play extra time a man down. Compounding the misery, goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez was forced off with an apparent injury and replaced by 38-year-old Nicolás Otamendi, a jarring change for a team suddenly needing to defend for 30 more minutes without its regular goalkeeper and with 10 men.
With Spain vs Argentina World Cup Final honors still undecided deep into extra time, Torres finally broke the deadlock in the 106th minute. Martín Zubimendi swung a cross to the far post, Nico Williams headed it back across goal, and Torres arrived unmarked to finish first-time past Otamendi. The Spanish bench emptied in celebration as the goal effectively decided the match, with Argentina now needing to find an equalizer with a man disadvantage against a defense that had conceded just once all tournament.
Down to 10 men and trailing, Argentina threw everything forward in the final stretch. Messi delivered a dangerous free-kick that Spain’s Dani Merino blocked with his own face, forcing Merino off for treatment moments later. Messi then nearly caught Simón off guard with a first-time corner delivery that landed on top of the net, narrowly failing to sneak in. It wasn’t enough. Spain held on to seal the win, denying Messi a fourth World Cup title and a chance at back-to-back championships in what was almost certainly his final tournament appearance.
The match was preceded by an elaborate closing ceremony, with Coldplay’s Chris Martin leading an 11-minute halftime-style show joined by Shakira, BTS, Justin Bieber, and Burna Boy. Shakira performed the tournament’s official anthem alongside Burna Boy before a Staten Island public school choir closed the performance with Martin, capping off the first-ever 48-team World Cup in fitting spectacle before the match itself delivered its own drama.
Spain’s win completes an unbeaten run through the entire tournament, conceding just once across eight matches. For Argentina, the loss ends a bid for a fourth title and a first repeat championship since Brazil in 1962, with Messi’s international career now likely at its close after this heartbreaking final chapter. For the full match report and player ratings from Sunday’s final, ESPN’s complete recap covers every key moment, while NBC News’ live coverage has the full breakdown of both the match and closing ceremony.
If you love sports, download Stadium Rant from the Apple App Store and join one of the fastest-growing social sports communities. Be sure to follow us on socials too — you can find all our profiles on our Linktree.
