Spain conquered its second World Cup this Sunday by defeating Argentina in the final held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, with a goal from Ferran Torres in the 106th minute of extra time that secured the title for La Roja.
Torres collected a rebound inside the box and with a powerful shot from above defeated goalkeeper Emiliano "Dibu" Martínez, scoring his first goal of the tournament and becoming the hero of the Spanish national team in a manner comparable to Andrés Iniesta in the 2010 South Africa final, according to the report by Marca.
The match went into extra time after a goalless draw at the end of the regulation 90 minutes, during which Spain demonstrated absolute dominance over the reigning champion.
Argentina failed to make a single shot during regular time, becoming the first team in the history of World Cup finals not to have a shot on goal in 90 minutes.
The end of regulation time brought another piece of bad news for Lionel Scaloni's team: Enzo Fernández was sent off in the 90+3 minute for a second yellow card, the first one for protesting the referee in the 82nd minute and the second for a strong tackle on Pau Cubarsí, leaving Argentina with 10 players to face extra time.
It was the first sending-off in a World Cup final since John Heitinga, exactly in the final match that Spain played in 2010.
With one more player on the field, Spain took advantage of their numerical superiority and found the decisive goal in the 106th minute thanks to Torres, who until that moment had gone through the tournament without scoring but had provided key assists, such as the pass for Mikel Merino's goal against Portugal in the round of 16.
Lamine Yamal was another key figure in Luis de la Fuente's team throughout the tournament, leading the World Cup in completed dribbles with 30 and scoring against Saudi Arabia to become the second youngest player to score in World Cup history, at 18 years and 343 days old.
Lionel Messi and Julián Álvarez, on the other hand, were ineffective throughout the final, unable to create any real danger against a Spanish defense that completely nullified them.
Spain thus achieves its second World Cup star, 16 years after its first title, when that golden generation led by Xavi, Iniesta, and Villa defeated the Netherlands in Johannesburg.
The final was also the first historic encounter between both teams in a World Cup, a match that Spain resolved with tactical authority and a stroke of luck at the most decisive moment.
The Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić officiated the match, which will go down in history as the night when Ferrán Torres, with just one shot throughout the World Cup, etched his name alongside the great heroes of Spanish football.
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