• Spain are World Cup champions! A goal in the second half of extra time was all that was needed to bring Spain the country’s second World Cup championship as they defeated Argentina and Lionel Messi, 1-0, after 120 minutes of tension.
• Ferran Torres the hero: Torres’ goal in the 106th minute broke a lengthy deadlock in a game dominated by Spain. He took a pass from Nico Williams and buried it in the net. Argentina pushed for an equalizer late but couldn’t find the net.
• First World Cup final halftime show: A rapid-fire show of stars marked the first World Cup final halftime show, as Madonna, BTS, Justin Bieber, Shakira and others all made appearances. It was a colorful display, if a bit crowded with all the top names on display.
• Trump lingers after handing off trophy: US President Donald Trump handed off the trophy to Spanish captain Rodri, lingering on the edge of the frame as Spain lifted the trophy and celebrated.
It’s not always the case that the best team wins the World Cup, but that certainly happened this summer.
Despite starting the tournament off with a frustrating 0-0 draw against Cape Verde, Spain grew into the tournament and absolutely deserved to lift the trophy.
And while today’s final wasn’t the greatest watch ever, there was only really going to be one winner.
From the outset, Spain stuck to a game plan that has served it so well for so many years. It took command of the ball and popped it around with so much confidence and under so much pressure from Argentina players snapping at its heels.
And although it wasn’t creating many clear-cut chances in a scrappy first half, it was tiring the legs of its opposition and laying the foundation for its late winner.
After that historic half-time show, La Roja came out flying. It pinned Argentina back into its own half and wouldn’t let it out.
So much of the buildup was about Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal but, in truth, neither really impressed.
Messi was so quiet throughout, struggling to keep up with the pace of Spain’s movement. Every time he did get the ball, he was quickly smothered with no one to really pass to up the pitch.
Spain did have the ball in the back of the net during the second half, when Nico Williams smashed home a loose ball, but the referee ruled it out for a foul on Nicolás Otamendi in the buildup. It was very soft and certainly didn’t help this unfounded narrative that Argentina was getting some sort of help from the officials during this tournament.
Then came a moment that many saw coming. Enzo Fernández was playing on the edge for much of the knockout matches but his aggression boiled over when it really mattered. He picked up a second yellow card for cartwheeling a defender in the air and was sent off just moments before the end of the 90 minutes.
The referee had no choice really and Argentina entered extra-time with 10 men.
At that point, Argentine goalkeeper Emi Martínez had saved so many shots that it was just a matter of time before one beat him. Then, in the 106th minute, Spain’s Ferran Torres popped up to do just that.
The goal came after brilliant play from Nico Williams, who nodded his header back down to Torres who rifled his shot into the back of the net. Cue bedlam from Spain fans around the world.
Going behind did seem to spur Argentina into action and Messi started pulling the strings. In truth, it probably could have scored in the final seconds but, for once, a miracle comeback wasn’t to be.
Spain rightly won its second World Cup title, its first since 2010. Argentina, meanwhile, pushed all tournament but fell just short in its title defense.
In the end, it was the right result – if such a thing is even possible in sport.
Trump lingers on stage after trophy presentation
In a sort of repeat of last year’s Club World Cup trophy presentation, US President Donald Trump stayed onstage after the trophy presentation, even as FIFA president Gianni Infantino encouraged him to step away to give Spain the chance to celebrate.
The World Cup title is the only thing that really matters but there were a host of other trophies handed out before Spain got its hands on their prize.
To start, Spanish defender Pau Cubarsí was named the best young player at the tournament after the 19-year-old helped guide his side to total dominance.
On that note, Unai Simón was awarded the Golden Glove for being the best goalkeeper this summer and rightly so. The keeper only conceded once the whole tournament.
To complete the hat-trick, midfielder Rodri won the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament. In truth, it couldn’t really go to anyone else. He was crucial to his side’s success and is such a beautiful player to watch perform.
And finally, France’s Kylian Mbappé was named the winner of the Golden Boot after scoring 10 goals – becoming the World Cup all-time top scorer
US President Donald Trump puts a first-place medal over Lamine Yamal’s neck.
With “Dai Dai” playing in the background, as the song has so often during this tournament, Spain walks up to receive their winners medals.
