Spain claimed their second World Cup crown with a 1-0 victory over Argentina, secured by a Ferran Torres strike in the 106th minute. The win extended Spain’s unbeaten international run to 38 matches, an all-time European record.
Spain came out with intent from the first whistle. Lamine Yamal, the teenage prodigy, was the early standout, creating space on the inside right before his deflected effort was turned away by Emiliano Martinez’s legs. The opening stages belonged to Spain in terms of urgency, though clear-cut chances were scarce across the opening half-hour.
The match’s central controversy in that period came from an Alexis Mac Allister challenge on Dani Olmo that drew no card, angering the Spanish camp. Martinez remained the busier goalkeeper, dropping to his left five minutes before the break to gather Mikel Oyarzabal’s long-range shot with relative comfort. A Marc Cucurella effort that drifted narrowly wide on the stroke of half-time captured the mood of a cagey first 45 minutes that produced a World Cup final record-low of three shots.
A world-first half-time show at a World Cup final extended the pause, before both sides returned to resume a final that still lacked a decisive moment.
The second half raised the tempo considerably. Martinez nearly gifted Spain the lead in the 64th minute when he spilled Olmo’s long-range effort, only to scramble it just wide of the post. Moments later he was called upon again, gathering Ferran Torres’ close-range header to keep Argentina level. Pau Cubarsi then tested him with a powerful strike from distance that Martinez beat away.
The match’s decisive shift came in second-half stoppage time. Enzo Fernandez, already booked for dissent, launched a late challenge on Cubarsi that earned him a second yellow card. He became just the sixth player sent off in a World Cup final, leaving Argentina to play extra time with ten men.
Argentina had already made history for the wrong reasons, becoming the first side in a World Cup final to register zero shots across 90 minutes. A late Martinez save denied Yamal what would have been a winner with nearly the last kick of normal time.
Extra time brought a disallowed Spain goal early on. Nico Williams reacted quickest to fire into an empty net five minutes in, but referee Slavko Vincic ruled the move out after spotting a foul by Mikel Merino on Nicolas Otamendi in the build-up.
Argentine resistance finally broke at the 106-minute mark. Torres read Williams’ knockdown inside the area and drove the ball into the roof of the net, settling the contest. It was a sixth victory in seven major tournament finals for Spain.
For Argentina and Lionel Messi, the defeat ended hopes of becoming the first side in 64 years to defend the World Cup title, following their 2022 triumph.
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