TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Spain has emerged as the champion of the 2026 World Cup after defeating Argentina 1-0 in the final held at the New York New Jersey Stadium in the early hours of Monday, July 20, 2026. Ferran Torres' lone goal in extra time secured La Roja the world championship title.
Spain dominated the entire match. However, they were only able to break the deadlock in the 106th minute. Nico Williams won an aerial duel before heading the ball towards Ferran Torres. The striker, who had just entered the second half, then unleashed a shot that beat Emiliano Martinez, putting Spain ahead 1-0.
The goal proved to be the difference after both teams played out a goalless draw for 90 minutes. Throughout normal time, Spain dominated the game with 66 percent ball possession. The team led by Luis de la Fuente released 20 shots, 12 of which were on target. In contrast, Argentina failed to record a single shot throughout the match.
Spain had been threatening since the start of the game. In the fifth minute, Lamine Yamal received a pass inside the penalty box, but his shot was still caught by Emiliano Martinez.
Argentina suffered a blow just before half-time when Lisandro Martinez suffered an injury and had to be replaced by Nicolas Otamendi in the 44th minute. Previously, the defender received a yellow card for a harsh foul.
Entering the second half, Lionel Scaloni introduced Leandro Paredes to add balance to the midfield. However, Spain continued to dominate the course of the game.
Luis de la Fuente then brought on Pedri and Ferran Torres in the 62nd minute. The changes livened up Spain's attack. Ferran almost scored with a header in the 67th minute, but was once again thwarted by Emiliano Martinez.
Argentina's goalkeeper once again became the savior when he parried Aymeric Laporte's header in the 81st minute and Nico Williams' shot in injury time of the second half.
Argentina found themselves in even more trouble after Enzo Fernandez received a second yellow card in the 90+3 minute for a harsh foul, forcing him to leave the field early. Despite playing with 10 men, Albiceleste managed to maintain a 0-0 scoreline until the end of normal time.
In extra time, Spain continued to bombard Argentina's defense. Nico Williams managed to breach Emiliano Martinez's goal in the 96th minute, but the goal was disallowed by the referee due to a foul by Mikel Merino in the process of the goal.
Martinez once again displayed his quality by thwarting Nico Williams' header in the 93rd minute and Mikel Merino's chance in the 103rd minute.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 106th minute. Nico Williams headed the ball towards Ferran Torres standing in front of the goal. Ferran capitalized on the opportunity with a shot that Martinez couldn't stop, putting Spain ahead 1-0.
Ferran Torres actually scored again in the 114th minute. However, the goal was disallowed because he was in an offside position.
Argentina failed to provide a response until the end of the match. Even throughout the 120 minutes, Lionel Scaloni's team failed to register a single shot on target.
Read: Argentina vs Spain: Experts Reveal Their World Cup Final Predictions
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