And just like that, Argentina’s luck ran out. Spain’s Ferran Torres emphatically found the back of the net from 8 yards out in extra time to secure La Roja a 1-0 win and the country’s second World Cup. Torres’ goal came in the 106th minute, but don’t let that fool you: this was a one-sided contest from start to finish, and a deeper look at the box score reflects that.
I predicted Spain would beat Argentina, 3-1, and from the start it seemed like that prediction would come to fruition. Spain came out swinging, almost immediately recording two shots on goal, including an early header that came so close to finding the back of the net. Spain’s relentless attack was evident throughout the match. La Roja applied pressure with swift passing and precision shots. Just ask Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez, who seemed to be the only one playing defense, making one spectacular save after another, 11 to be exact.
The box score is staggering: Spain controlled possession for 68 percent of the match, unleashed 20 shots, a staggering 11 of which were on goal. Now, compare that to Argentina’s final team stats: three total shots and only three on goal. Even more staggering? These final stats came after 120 minutes of action.
Sure, Spain had the man advantage in extra time, after Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez was sent off after he was given his second yellow card of the game after a reckless tackle. But La Roja didn’t need the man advantage to keep Argentina on its heels. Spain had been doing that early and often before Argentina went down to 10 men.
The pressure kept coming in extra time, and it finally paid off 39 seconds into the second half of extra time with Torres’ spectacular goal. “I just saw the ball coming to me, and I just shot with the power of all the Spanish people,” Torres told reporters in Spanish after the game. While Argentina may have pieced together some quick runs and passes here and there, the threat was never there. The box score clearly indicates that. No reasonable fan will disagree that Spain deserved to win. La Roja was clearly the best team on the field at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday afternoon.
Spain’s astonishing run
Spain’s thrilling win perhaps came as a surprise to no one considering its marvelous run.
For starters, Spain has now won seven of its last 15 games against Argentina, the latest win giving Spain its second World Cup since winning the whole thing for the first time in 2015.
What’s more, Spain remains unbeaten in its last 38 matches. La Roja‘s record during that span? An eye-popping 29 wins and nine draws.
As for Argentina, the defending champs may one day look back and realize that they were ultimately playing on borrowed time. La Albiceleste needed every ounce of luck (and help from the refs?) to dispatch Cape Verde, Egypt, and Switzerland.
Argentina was playing in its seventh World Cup final. Argentina has won three World Cups, including its last in 2022. There’s only been one repeat winner: Brazil, which accomplished the feat in 1962.
The best of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
It’s sad to say, but the 2026 FIFA World Cup has officially come to an end. But as the great Dr. Seuss once said, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
The global event taught us that the world can, in fact, come together and celebrate what’s great about this sport, on and off the pitch.
On the field, chances are you randomly found yourself rooting for Vozinha and Cape Verde after impressive group-play performances, before nearly pulling off the impossible and knocking off Argentina in the Round of 32. After making its World Cup debut, Cape Verde undoubtedly earned a loyal following after gutsy performances that included holding eventual World Cup champion Spain to a scoreless draw and a 2-2 tie against Uruguay.
The world also bared witness to tomorrow’s stars, from England’s Jude Bellingham (23 years old) to Spain’s Pau Cubarsi earning the tournament’s Best Young Player award. He’s 19. You also can’t forget about Mexico’s 17-year-old phenom Gilberto Mora, who became the second-youngest player to start a World Cup knockout match since Brazil’s Pelé, who was 20 days younger in the 1958 tournament. How young was Mora? He crossed the stage at his high school graduation just days after England beat Mexico in the Round of 16 at Estadio Azteca.
And not that anyone needed a reminder but Kylian Mbappé is good. Really good. He became the first player ever to win the Golden Boot twice: He won the first time in 2022 in Qatar with eight goals. He notched 10 goals this time around. His brace in the third-place game on Saturday against England helped him take the lead over Lionel Messi, who was held scoreless in the final against Spain. Messi, who choked back tears after losing to Spain and very well could have played in his last World Cup game, finished with eight goals.
Off the field, you saw countless examples of visiting fan bases making themselves at home in foreign cities — from the Scots running Boston dry to Japanese fans eating Texas BBQ for the first time. And no one will ever forget Germany fans and fans from other European nations discovering ranch for the first time.
There are too many examples to list of the way Mexico welcomed the world to games in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey. South Korean, English, Moroccan, and Colombian fans, among others, were treated like royalty during pit stops here. Then there was Tijuana, the city south of San Diego in Baja California, which hosted the Iranian national team after it was banned from setting up camp in the U.S. amid an ongoing war.
The bond was so strong, Moroccan officials said they plan to show their appreciation to Mexico’s fans when they visit Morocco for the 2030 World Cup. There’s also a strong push for the English FA to schedule an international friendly between Mexico and England at Wembley Stadium to reciprocate the love. The English FA is reportedly considering it.
