Ferran Torres breaks Argentina's heart in extra time as Spain win the World Cup for the second time

[NeuralTrace]

Spain are world champions after beating Argentina 1-0 in extra time on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, ending Lionel Messi's international career on a quiet, frustrating night rather than the fairytale ending a generation of fans had hoped for. Ferran Torres settled it just 39 seconds into the second period of extra time, heading down a Nico Williams cross before rifling it home from close range past Emiliano Martinez, capping a match that stayed scoreless through 90 minutes and the first period of extra time

Spain dominated the game from start to finish, racking up 20 shots and an expected goals tally of 1.94 compared to Argentina's paltry 0.20 from just two attempts, but Martinez kept them out with a string of excellent saves until he finally had no answer for Torres. The turning point arrived in second half stoppage time of normal time, when Enzo Fernandez picked up a second yellow card and left Argentina to see out extra time with ten men, tilting an already lopsided game even further in Spain's favor. Spain briefly thought they had broken through earlier when Nico Williams found the net, only for the goal to be chalked off after Mikel Merino was judged to have fouled Nicolas Otamendi in the buildup

For Messi, who had said before the tournament this would be his last World Cup, it was a subdued final chapter, one ESPN pundit rated his performance a 3 out of 10 on the night. Argentina had been chasing something no side has managed since Brazil in 1962, back to back titles, after winning it all in Qatar in 2022, but they managed only two shots all match and never seriously threatened Spain's back line. It marks the third time in the last four World Cups that Argentina have reached the final, having also lost to Germany in 2014

For Spain, already reigning European champions, this is their second World Cup title and first since 2010, a tournament run built on a defense that conceded just a single goal across eight matches, shipping only once against Belgium in the quarterfinal. Manager Luis de la Fuente drew some criticism for benching in-form midfielder Pedri for the final, a decision that looked questionable early on but was ultimately vindicated as his selected side ground out the win

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