Spain beat Lionel Messi’s Argentina to win World Cup for second time

New Delhi ( Raghwendra Pratap Singh) : Spain defeated Lionel Messi’s Argentina in extra time to win the 2026 World Cup.

Substitute Ferran Torres struck in the second half of extra time to secure Spain’s second World Cup after a disappointing Argentina were reduced to 10 men.

The defending champions did not register an attempt on goal until the 117th minute and fell short in their bid to become only the third nation to retain the World Cup.Instead, Messi’s glorious World Cup career ended in heartbreak at the age of 39.

Spain won their second men's FIFA World Cup by defeating Argentina 1-0 in the final. The match was deadlocked at 0-0 through regular time at the New York/New Jersey Stadium, but substitute Ferran Torres broke the tie in the 106th minute of extra time to seal the victory.

Spain dominated the flow of the game, maintaining the majority of possession. They bypassed Argentina's midfield, which forced the Argentine defensive line to sit dangerously deep for much of the match.

The Spanish defense effectively contained Lionel Messi, limiting his attacking output to an expected goals (xG) metric of just 0.04 with zero key passes during the final.

Argentina’s tactical approach became overly defensive, and the pressure boiled over when midfielder Enzo Fernández was sent off after receiving a second yellow card near the end of regulation time.

With Argentina down to 10 men, Spain's persistent attacks finally paid off in extra time when Nico Williams headed the ball to a surging Ferran Torres, who side-footed the ball into the net to win the game.

Argentina had scored the most goals in the tournament before the final, netting 19 times. However, the team failed to register a single shot in regulation time, let alone a shot on target. Argentina finished the game with just two shots in total.In contrast, Spain had 20 shots in regulation time, with 12 of them on target. Spain registered an xG of nearly 1.94 compared to Argentina's 0.17.