Ferran Torres’ first goal of the year World Cup it was his life’s goal and it brought Spain back to the top of the football world.
Denying Lionel Messi a second straight title in what he has indicated would be his final World Cup game, Torres came off the bench to score in the 106th minute and Spain – in a game they simply dominated – ended Argentina’s reign with a 1-0 victory on Sunday.
Torres pounced on a bouncing ball in the box and used his left foot to bury a shot just under the crossbar and into the back of the net.
“It was a goal scored by 47 million people,” Torres said, referring to Spain’s population.
Maybe not by them – but certainly for them.
It was Spain’s second title, this trophy added to the one claimed in 2010. And there is no doubt about the center of the footballing universe now, not after this performance.
Spain conceded just one goal in eight matches at the tournament, setting a World Cup record for fewest goals conceded by a champion. And this title, combined with the World Cup won by Spain’s women in 2023, makes the European nation the first to hold the men’s and women’s titles simultaneously.
“I feel sad,” said Messi, who broke down in tears after receiving his runners-up medal and looked out into the crowd towards Argentina’s supporters. “They were better, to be honest.”
The result shows that this match was close, but only one team was in command.
Spain had the first 20 shots on goal of the match before Argentina – desperate for an equalizer – got their first try in the second half of extra time. Spain converted nine of the game’s first 10 corners and only one World Cup finals record 12 saves by Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez gave the 2022 champions a shot at back-to-back comebacks.
Spain are now unbeaten in their last 38 matches – 29 wins, nine draws – and are now the outright holders of the longest such streak by any European team ever. Italy played 37 games (28 wins, nine draws) from October 2018 to September 2021, before Spain ended that streak.
And for the last two years, no one has beaten Spain. Not even Messi. An Argentina side that has been the reign of the late-game rally in this tournament had no answer this time.
Messi took a corner with four minutes left before the final whistle and the ball was flicked lucky to substitute Giuliano Simeone – who sent it up and over the bar, holding his head in disbelief afterwards.
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“When you have Messi on the other side, you are nervous,” said Torres. “At the end of the day, it was always up to us. We always created our own football and showed it again.”
The victory made Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, at 65, the oldest coach to lead a team to the World Cup title.
“We are world champions,” said de la Fuente. “Together we reached this stage.”
There was some pushing and shoving after the final whistle, which was quickly cleared and Spain began their celebration as most of Argentina’s players sat on the pitch in disbelief. Cooler heads prevailed, and Spain’s players lined up a few minutes later to form a kind of honor guard for Argentina’s team to pass on its way to the runners-up medal stage.
Enzo Fernandez was sent off with a second yellow card in the second half, meaning Argentina were forced to finish the match with just 10 men. Fernandez was booked for a reckless tackle that sent Spain defender Pau Cubarsi flying through the air and the card came out immediately.
It was the 104th and final match of the biggest ever World Cup, a 48-team event played over the USA, Canada and Mexico. Because there were more matches than any previous World Cup, it was no surprise that there were more goals than any other edition – more than 300, almost three per match.
Except, of course, when Spain got involved. Spain’s plan was simple and flawless: Keep the ball as much as possible, denying the opposition any hint of a chance.
It worked, all the way.
“There is sadness, but also the knowledge that we gave everything,” said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni. “I could say a lot about how we got here, but it’s not worth it. I’m eternally grateful to these guys; they competed until the end. The other team was better.”
Spain entered this tournament considered one of the favorites and fully confident that they could end Argentina’s reign.
It had to go through the game’s greatest player – perhaps ever – to realize that promise.
Messi is 39 years old and the maths surely suggests that the Inter Miami star is at the end of his international career. There have been suggestions – such as Messi himself declaring that a World Cup qualifier at home to Venezuela last year would be his last competitive game for Argentina on his nation’s soil.
“I have experienced many things in this field, good and not so good,” Messi said that night. “I’ll take the goodies with me.”
In the Messi era, there were many good ones. Very large, in fact.
Had the World Cup title in 2022 definitely tops the list. There was the Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games. Two Copa América 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 until his late 30s.
He is a legend within the game and around the globe. But Spain were better on 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’s beautiful.”
The spectacle was not limited to football. There was a half-time show, a first for FIFA. There were many celebrities from stage, screen and sports: Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Matt Damon, Cillian Murphy, Daniel Craig, Stephen Curry, Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Brunson, Kevin Durant, Serena Williams, Carlos Alcaraz, David Beckham, more, Mr.
They came to see a show. So did another 80,000 people, not to mention perhaps as many as 2 billion watching around the globe.
Spain did not disappoint. No team has won back-to-back men’s World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962, and Spain kept Argentina from repeating it.
“We are gracious in victory,” Scaloni said, “and we must be gracious in defeat.”
