Spain defeated 10-man Argentina with a golden goal by Fran Torres and became the world champion!

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Sports Service: The final of the 23rd edition of the 2026 World Cup was held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey with 80,663 spectators. The two teams that had not lost before faced each other.

 

Spain, who started with an attacking line-up and relied on their young stars, created one of the most one-sided finals in World Cup history, with a numerical advantage of 65% possession and 20 shots against only 2 by the opposition.

 

Argentina did not register a single shot during the 90 minutes of normal time, becoming the first team since 1966 not to have a shot in normal time in a World Cup final.

 

The story of a tough and exciting final

The first half of the match began cautiously from both teams, but Spain quickly took control of the game. Only 3 shots were registered in the entire game in the first half, the lowest number in the history of the World Cup finals since 1966.

 

In the 5th minute, Lamine Yamal's shot was met with a spectacular reaction from Emiliano Martinez. A minute later, Unai Simeone's timely exit prevented Lionel Messi from making a dangerous move. In the 44th minute, Lisandro Martinez was replaced by Nicolas Otamendi due to injury.

 

The second half was dominated by Spain. Emiliano Martinez made 11 exceptional saves, the most in a World Cup final.

 

The crucial moment of the game came in the 90th minute +3, when Enzo Fernandez received a second yellow card for a rough tackle on Pau Cobarsi and was sent off, sending Argentina into extra time with 10 men.

 

The winning goal in extra time

At the beginning of extra time, Spain scored a goal that was disallowed due to a foul by Mick Merino on Otamendi. But in the 106th minute, Pedro Porro passed the ball from the right wing to Nico Williams. Williams headed the ball into the path of Fran Torres with a spectacular header, and the Spanish striker fired a wild left-footed shot into the bottom corner of the Argentina goal to score the winning goal.