Ferran Torres slammed home an extra-time winner in the 106th minute, and Spain lifted their second men’s World Cup trophy after a 1-0 final victory over Argentina in New Jersey — a match the defending champions finished without a single shot in regulation and without much of their dignity after the whistle.
Spain controlled the final from the opening kick. They held 65% possession, fired 20 shots — 11 on target — and posted an expected goals tally of 1.94. Argentina became the first team in World Cup final history not to register a shot across 90 minutes. Their first attempt didn’t arrive until Lionel Messi tried his luck in the 117th minute, by which point Torres had already decided it.
Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made 11 saves, the most by any keeper on record in a World Cup final. It kept the scoreline respectable while the rest of his team’s performance was anything but.
Enzo Fernandez received his marching orders after two yellow cards — the first for dissent, the second for a late challenge that sent Spain’s 19-year-old defender Pau Cubarsi somersaulting. Argentina finished with ten men and never looked like equalizing.
Then came the scenes that turned a forgettable Argentine performance into an ugly one.
After the final whistle, Leandro Paredes went after Spain’s Eric Garcia and shoved Gavi when the midfielder stepped in to defend his teammate. Paredes was also involved in scraps with Rodri and Borja Iglesias. Nahuel Molina was seen throwing a punch at a Spain player. Paredes received a red card. During the match itself, Giuliano Simeone had shoved Marc Cucurella in the back.
“Embarrassing, seeing that sort of stuff after the game has been played,” Wayne Rooney said on BBC One. “Someone has been crowned World Cup champions. It is not good enough. Paredes is better than that. It doesn’t stop there. He keeps going and going.”
Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart was blunter: “Disgusting behaviour.”
Alan Shearer focused on the football. “There is no doubt that the right team won,” he said. “From start to finish, Spain controlled possession. They were the ones looking to play football, create chances and get in behind. This is a result for football because of the way that they have played.”
Rodri, who completed 101 passes in the final, was awarded the Golden Ball. Cubarsi, who completed 121 — only three players on record have reached 100 passes in a World Cup final, and two of them were Spaniards on Sunday — was named Best Young Player. Unai Simon claimed the Golden Glove after keeping his seventh clean sheet in eight matches. Spain conceded just one goal all tournament, the fewest by any World Cup-winning side.
The numbers pile up like leftovers at a tailgate nobody wants to clean. Spain are now unbeaten in 38 consecutive matches, the longest run by any European team in history. They hold the World Cup, the Olympics, and the European Championship simultaneously. Lamine Yamal, at 19 years and six days, became the third-youngest player to appear in a World Cup final, after Pelé in 1958 and Giuseppe Bergomi in 1982.
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni, fighting back tears at his post-match press conference, attempted to defend his side but conceded the obvious. “Even though they were out-playing us until the 85th minute, I would love to know what would have happened had we still had 11 men on the pitch,” he said. “They deserved the victory, that is the reality.”
Argentina made 464 passes to Spain’s 852. Four Argentine players were booked. Many observers felt the officiating had been lenient on them throughout the tournament.
Kylian Mbappé claimed the top scorer prize and extended his lead as the all-time leading World Cup scorer. Messi, who failed to score in the final, was edged by Rodri for the Golden Ball.
Sources:
- BBC Sport — “Victory for football? Spain beat Argentina to win World Cup”
- Yahoo Sports — “Leandro Paredes attacks Eric Garcia and Gavi after Argentina lose the 2026 World Cup final to Spain”