Spain beat Argentina in extra time to win second World Cup title

Spain claimed their second FIFA World Cup title after substitute Ferran Torres struck early in the second period of extra time to secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory over defending champions Argentina in Sunday’s final at New York New Jersey Stadium.

Torres fired home in the 106th minute after excellent work from Nico Williams, ending Argentina’s resistance and handing Luis de la Fuente's side their first World Cup triumph since lifting the trophy in South Africa in 2010.

Spain dominated possession and created the overwhelming majority of the chances throughout the final but were repeatedly frustrated by Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, who produced a string of outstanding saves to keep the holders in the contest.

The breakthrough finally arrived just 37 seconds into the second half of extra time. 

Pedro Porro’s cross was kept alive by Williams at the back post before he intelligently laid the ball into the path of Torres, who rifled a left-footed finish into the roof of the net to spark wild celebrations among the Spanish supporters.

Argentina’s hopes of forcing a penalty shootout suffered a major blow in stoppage time at the end of normal time when midfielder Enzo Fernández received a second yellow card and was sent off after a late challenge on Pau Cubarsí, leaving Lionel Scaloni’s side to play the extra 30 minutes with 10 men.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Argentina continued to fight until the final whistle and nearly forced an equaliser deep into stoppage time when Lionel Messi’s corner found Giuliano Simeone, whose effort flew over the crossbar in what proved to be the final opportunity of the match.

Spain had looked the more dangerous side from the opening whistle, with teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo and Álex Baena repeatedly testing Argentina’s defence. 

Martínez denied Yamal early before producing further saves from Mikel Oyarzabal, Aymeric Laporte, Pedri and Nico Williams in a performance that almost single-handedly kept Argentina alive.

Williams thought he had broken the deadlock in the first period of extra time, but his effort was ruled out after VAR upheld a foul by Mikel Merino on Nicolás Otamendi in the build-up.

Argentina, seeking a record fourth World Cup crown and back-to-back titles after their triumph in Qatar four years earlier, struggled to create meaningful chances against Spain’s defence. 

They failed to register a first-half shot and finished the match with just two attempts and an expected goals figure of 0.20, compared with Spain’s 20 shots and 1.94 expected goals.

For Spain, the victory capped a remarkable tournament and extended the country’s resurgence under De la Fuente following their UEFA European Championship success. 

La Roja completed the competition unbeaten and added a second World Cup crown to the one won in 2010.
The defeat marked what is expected to be Lionel Messi’s final World Cup appearance. 

The 39-year-old captain, who inspired Argentina to the 2022 title, was unable to add another triumph as Spain finally found a way past Martínez to reclaim football’s biggest prize.