Second trophy
Spain suffocate Messi and Argentina to become World Cup winners
©IMAGO
Rutherford — There won’t be a second World Cup trophy for Lionel Messi. In front of 80,633 spectators at MetLife Stadium in Rutherford, New Jersey, Argentina were beaten 1-0 a.e.t by Spain thanks to a goal by Ferran Torres (105′). La Roja have now completed the double of winning a European Championship and the World Cup. After winning in 2010, it is the second World Cup trophy for Spain. Overall, it was another complete performance by a team that dominated their opponents throughout the tournament. The final was no different, as Spain dominated an Argentine side that were passive throughout the game, failing to register a single shot on goal.
Club Comparison
Spain
Argentina
UEFA Nations League A
World Cup
€1.22bn
Market Value
€807.50m
National Team
League Level
National Team
0
Expenditures 26/27
0
Luis de la Fuente
Managers
Lionel Scaloni
Full Club Comparison
Although Spain, in the form of Lamine Yamal have a young and upcoming superstar as well, the teenager didn’t perform in the tournament in the same fashion as some of the other superstars at the World Cup. Yamal, in fact, managed just one goal and one assist throughout the World Cup. Indeed, while Norway had Erling Haaland, France had Kylian Mbappé, England were led by Harry Kane, and Argentina by Messi, La Roja underlined that this is still a team sport. The Spanish managed to dominate their opponents through a collective effort. The same was the case for the entirety of the final as well.
Spain were the better of the two sides throughout the game, even though they didn't create many chances themselves. At halftime the xG was 0.16 to 0.00 in Spain's favour. But you always had the sense that if something was going to happen, it would be the Spanish to generate it. In fact, they would also generate further chances in the second half. Marc Cucurella and Dani Olmo were the most active players on Spain’s side. Argentina, in the meantime, were relatively passive, generating no goal actions, seemingly struggling to escape the ever-tightening Spanish embrace. With just moments to go in regular time, Enzo Fernández was sent off with a second yellow card after a bad challenge against Spain’s Pau Cubarsi at the halfway line.
Ferran Torres the hero for Spain – Argentina melt away in New Jersey sun
Now Spain's embrace became even tighter, even if Argentina somehow managed to rescue the game into extra time without recording a single shot on goal. There, Spain thought they had the winner in the form of Nico Williams (98′), but the play was whistled dead for an apparent foul in the buildup. Williams would be one of the main protagonists just moments into the second half of extra time. A deep ball found the winger, and his header found Torres, who would score with a precise shot from a short distance. With only 12 minutes to go, Spain then managed to see out the match, humiliating an Argentina side that had nothing left in the tank. Finally, Argentina woke up, but the goal of forcing the game into penalties would never come. Even with those final chances, Argentina would finish the game with an xG of just 0.2.
Stats
F. Torres
Centre-Forward
Spain
12
3
1
The post-mortem on Messi & Co. will be fascinating. It is highly unlikely that Messi will play in another World Cup. The Inter Miami CF star will be 43 when the next World Cup comes around. Even this Argentina side, built entirely around Messi, who could put in the bare minimum effort to showcase his brilliance when it mattered, found its limitations. Spain, in fact, suffocated Argentina. There was no room for Argentina to give Messi room to make his magic happen, as they hardly ever had the ball in dangerous areas. Another factor must have been the heat. Unlike in Atlanta, where Argentina demolished England after going down 1-0, the heat in the roofless MetLife Stadium took its toll on Argentina. But there is also another factor. The way Spain play might not be everyone's cup of tea, but their football is deadly efficient, suffocating even, and at the World Cup, they demonstrated that they were indeed the best team in the world.
Stats
L. Messi
Right Winger
Argentina
34
21
12
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