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Spain won the 2026 FIFA World Cup by beating Argentina 1-0 after extra time at New York New Jersey Stadium on 19 July. Ferran Torres scored the only goal in the 106th minute, giving Spain its second men's world title after the 2010 triumph.
The result looks like one isolated moment on a scoreboard. FIFA's match report describes a longer pattern: Spain held control, Argentina defended deeply, goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez kept making saves and the breakthrough arrived only after the defending champions had been reduced to ten players.
Spain controlled the ball before it controlled the score
Lamine Yamal forced an early save after five minutes, but Spain could not immediately turn possession into clear chances. Argentina protected the centre, accepted long periods without the ball and relied on Martínez when Spain reached shooting positions.
Mikel Oyarzabal tested the goalkeeper and Marc Cucurella dragged an effort wide before half-time. That combination explains the goalless first half: Spain had territory and initiative, while Argentina kept the spaces around its goal small enough to survive.
Argentina's defensive task kept getting harder
Argentina had to replace both starting centre-backs as the match progressed. Nicolás Otamendi came on for Lisandro Martínez shortly before half-time, and Facundo Medina replaced Cristian Romero after 70 minutes. Each change asked a reorganised back line to absorb another wave of Spanish pressure.
FIFA's report says Argentina did not record an attempt until extra time. That statistic does not mean every Spanish attack was dangerous, but it does show how little attacking relief Argentina created while protecting its own penalty area.
The red card changed an already difficult balance
Enzo Fernández received a second yellow card in added time at the end of the second half. Argentina therefore entered extra time with ten players after spending most of normal time defending without sustained possession.
It would be too simple to say the red card alone caused the defeat. Spain had already produced the stronger attacking pressure, and Martínez had already made several important saves. The dismissal removed one more passing option and one more defender from a team that was already being stretched.
The winning move used the width Spain had kept searching for
The goal began with Pedro Porro delivering from the right. Nico Williams met the cross at the far post and headed the ball back into a dangerous central area. Torres struck the dropping ball first time into the roof of the net before Martínez could reset.
That sequence mattered because it moved the defence twice. The cross pulled attention toward the far side, Williams redirected rather than forcing a difficult header at goal, and Torres attacked the second ball. Three quick actions finally created the clean finish Spain had lacked.
Why the final felt closer than the underlying pattern
A 1-0 final can be both narrow and deserved. Argentina stayed alive through disciplined defending and excellent goalkeeping, so one mistake or counterattack could still have changed the champion. Spain nevertheless produced the pressure, chances and territorial control that made a winner increasingly likely.
The useful conclusion is not that possession automatically wins finals. Spain combined patient circulation with repeated entries, fresh substitutes and a decisive wide combination. Argentina's resistance made the margin tiny, but it did not erase the direction in which the match had been moving.
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