Top News

East Rutherford (New Jersey). European champion Spain won the FIFA World Cup title for the second time by defeating defending champion Argentina 1-0 in extra time in the early hours of Monday (Indian time) in a thrilling final. Ferrán Torres scored the winning goal in the 106th minute of extra time, giving Spain its first World Cup since 2010 and second overall.

Barcelona’s star forward Ferran Torres came on the field in place of Mikel Oyarzabal in the 62nd minute. In extra time, Nico Williams made a brilliant header from Pedro Porro’s cross, which Argentina could not clear. The ball reached Ferran Torres and he scored from close range to give Spain the lead.

Earlier, the course of the match changed in the 90th minute, when Argentinian midfielder Enzo Fernandez committed a dangerous foul on Spain’s young defender Pau Quibarsi. Referee Slavko Vincich showed him a second yellow card and gave him a red card, after which Argentina had to play the rest of the match with 10 players.

Spain’s dominance was visible throughout the match. Spain continued to attack and create several goalscoring opportunities, although success did not come until extra time. On the other hand, Argentina seemed to be struggling in front of Spain’s strong defence.

Messi failed to make an impact

Lionel Messi also failed to make an impact in this match. Argentina’s first shot came in the 117th minute, when Messi’s effort was blocked by Spain’s players.

The Argentine team, which was hoping for a second consecutive World Cup title, could not even fulfill its dream of becoming the team that defends the title for the first time since 1962.

In the last minutes of the match, Argentina tried hard to equalize, but Spain’s players maintained their lead by defending brilliantly and created history.

It was the 104th and final match of the FIFA World Cup, the largest ever with 48 teams, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. A total of 307 goals were scored in the tournament, the highest in World Cup history.

Many big personalities from the sports and entertainment world also reached the stadium to watch the final match. US President Donald Trump was also present during the match and attended the prize distribution ceremony.

Famous singer Post Malone performed at the closing ceremony, while the half time show featured a colorful performance by global artists including Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira, BTS, Burna Boy.