Spain defeated Argentina in extra time on Sunday to win the World Cup for the second time, completing a tournament in which they conceded only one goal and broke Italy’s record for the longest unbeaten run in international football. Ferran Torres settled the final with a close-range finish in the additional period, rewarding La Roja’s patience against a defensive Argentine side who failed to register a single shot until the 117th minute.
Martínez heroics in vain
The winning goal arrived when substitute Nico Williams beat Nahuel Molina on the left and pulled the ball back for fellow replacement Torres to convert. The strike capped a dominant display in which Spain registered 20 attempts to Argentina’s two, though Emiliano Martínez produced a historic individual performance with 12 saves—the most by any goalkeeper in a World Cup final—to repeatedly deny Lamine Yamal and Pedri.
Argentina’s approach relied heavily on physicality and spoiling tactics that disrupted the flow of the game but created little attacking threat. Lionel Messi, competing at 39 years old, was largely contained by Spain’s coordinated pressing, managing only one speculative long-range effort late in extra time that deflected wide.
Discipline and injuries undo Argentina
The Albiceleste’s difficulties were compounded by the loss of both starting centre-backs, Lisandro Martínez and Cristian Romero, to injury during the match. Their task became impossible when Enzo Fernández received a second yellow card late in normal time and was sent off, reducing them to ten men for the remainder of the contest.
Unai Simón was virtually untested in the Spanish goal, making no saves throughout the 120 minutes—a testament to the defensive organisation that saw La Roja concede only once in the entire competition, to Belgium’s Charles De Ketelaere in the quarter-finals.
Historic unbeaten run
The victory extends Spain’s unbeaten streak to 38 matches across all competitions, surpassing the 37-game mark set by Italy between 2018 and 2021. Luis de la Fuente’s substitutions proved decisive throughout the campaign; Mikel Merino had previously scored twice off the bench earlier in the tournament, while against Argentina, Pedri added incision after replacing Fabián Ruiz.
Argentina’s resistance finally cracked in extra time when Williams’ pace stretched the depleted defence, creating the opening for Torres. The defeat ended Argentina’s reign as world champions and confirmed Spain’s status as Europe’s dominant force, adding a second star to their jersey 16 years after their first triumph in South Africa.