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Spain claimed the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a hard-fought 1-0 extra-time victory over Argentina at MetLife Stadium, with Ferran Torres netting the decisive goal to secure La Roja’s second world championship.
The triumph ended Argentina’s reign as world champions and denied captain Lionel Messi a successful defence of the title won in Qatar, in what could be his final appearance on football’s biggest stage.
Spain dominated possession from the outset, dictating the tempo and forcing Argentina to spend much of the opening exchanges in their own half.
Young winger Lamine Yamal looked lively early on, testing goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez with a deflected effort that required a sharp save.
Although Spain enjoyed greater control, genuine scoring opportunities were limited before the interval.
A controversial moment arose when Alexis Mac Allister avoided a caution following a heavy challenge on Dani Olmo, drawing protests from the Spanish players.
Martínez remained alert throughout the first half, comfortably dealing with attempts from Mikel Oyarzabal, while Marc Cucurella fired narrowly off target as the teams went into the break deadlocked.
Following the restart, Spain increased the pressure and repeatedly threatened to break through.
Martínez continued to keep Argentina in the contest, recovering after fumbling a long-range strike from Olmo before making further stops to deny Torres and defender Pau Cubarsí.
Argentina, meanwhile, struggled to break down Spain’s organised defence, with Messi and his teammates unable to create significant opportunities in attack.
The match took a dramatic turn during stoppage time when Enzo Fernández, already carrying a yellow card, received a second booking for a late tackle on Cubarsí, reducing Argentina to 10 men and becoming only the sixth player to be dismissed in a World Cup final.
Despite the numerical advantage, Spain were unable to score before the end of regulation time, as Martínez produced another crucial save to keep out Yamal’s effort.
Argentina also finished the 90 minutes without registering a single shot, becoming the first side to fail to record an attempt during normal time in a World Cup final.
Spain briefly believed they had gone ahead early in extra time when Nico Williams found the net, but the effort was disallowed after referee Slavko Vinčić ruled that Mikel Merino had fouled Nicolás Otamendi in the build-up.
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The breakthrough finally arrived in the 106th minute.
Williams headed the ball into the path of Torres, who reacted quickest inside the box and blasted an unstoppable finish beyond Martínez to settle the contest.
Spain held firm during the closing stages to seal a historic victory, lifting the World Cup for the first time since their 2010 success and extending their unbeaten streak to 38 international matches, the longest ever recorded by a European men’s national team.
For Argentina, the defeat ended hopes of becoming the first country since Brazil in 1962 to retain the FIFA World Cup, while signalling the close of another memorable chapter in Messi’s illustrious international career.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong