Spain won the FIFA World Cup for the second time in history after substitute Ferran Torres scored the only goal in extra time, beating defending champions Argentina 1-0 in Sunday’s final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Torres struck in the 106th minute, turning in Nico Williams’ headed cutback from close range to end Lionel Messi’s hopes of a second World Cup title and denying Argentina back-to-back crowns.
A crowd of 80,663, including US President Donald Trump, watched Spain add the trophy to the one they won in South Africa in 2010.
Martínez Heroics Keep Argentina Alive Through Regulation Time
Emiliano Martínez stood between Spain and a rout for most of the match. The Aston Villa goalkeeper denied Lamine Yamal inside the first five minutes and later kept out efforts from Mikel Oyarzabal and Dani Olmo. His sharpest save came in stoppage time at the end of normal time, when he tipped a curling Yamal free-kick over the bar just as it looked destined for the top corner.
That stop forced the match into extra time and kept Argentina’s hopes intact, even though Luis de la Fuente’s side had dominated possession from the opening whistle.
Argentina’s night got harder before the break. Central defender Lisandro Martínez went off injured shortly before halftime and was replaced by Nicolás Otamendi. Things worsened in the second half when midfielder Enzo Fernández picked up a second yellow card for a rash challenge on Pau Cubarsi, leaving Argentina to play the closing stages and all of extra time with ten men.
Spain briefly thought they had broken through early in extra time when Williams bundled the ball in, but the goal was ruled out after Mikel Merino was penalized for fouling Otamendi in the buildup.
Torres Strikes As Spain Seal Second World Cup Crown
The breakthrough arrived 37 seconds into the second period of extra time. Pedro Porro whipped in a cross from the right, Williams headed it back across goal, and Torres arrived unmarked to fire a left-footed volley past Martinez.
He nearly doubled the lead eight minutes later but had a second effort chalked off for offside after breaking clear of Argentina’s defense.
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Argentina fails to register a shot on target in 120 Minutes
Argentina managed just two attempts across the full 120 minutes, and neither forced a save from Unai Simón. Messi‘s long-range effort in the 117th minute, which struck Merino, was Argentina’s first shot of the entire match. Cubarsi then made a crucial clearance late on to deny Giuliano Simeone.
Spain, by contrast, finished with 20 shots, 11 of them on target, a gap that summed up their control over the game. At 39 and almost certainly playing his last World Cup match, Messi was largely shut out of the contest as Spain claimed the title in front of a star-studded halftime crowd that had earlier watched performances from Madonna, Shakira, and Justin Bieber.
For Spain, the win completes a run that began with their 2010 triumph and confirms their status among the tournament’s most dominant sides of the modern era.
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