Spain claim World Cup victory over Argentina after Torres' extra-time winner

Spain won their second World Cup title after Ferran Torres' 106th-minute smashed finish earned La Roja a 1-0 win against defending champions Argentina in the 2026 final in New York New Jersey.

The win had shades of their maiden victory in 2010 too - scoring in the second period of extra time after a goalless 90 minutes. Then, it was Andres Iniesta against the Netherlands - now another Barcelona player, Torres, adds his name to the history books.

It was a nod back from fellow substitute Nico Williams that saw the former Manchester City forward storm on to the ball and fire past Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez. It came minutes after Williams had an initial strike ruled out for a Mikel Merino foul on Nicolas Otamendi.

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It was no less than Spain deserved either, having been the far better team on the night. The game is perhaps summed up in the shot count - La Roja had 20 while Argentina registered two, and even those were late in extra time. One of those was a skied effort from Giuliano Simeone that could have sent the game to penalties.

Argentina did keep their shape well as Spain applied consistent pressure - especially after Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez was sent off for a reckless second yellow at the end of normal time - and relied on Martinez to make a string of saves.

But there is no fairytale end to Lionel Messi's expected final World Cup appearance, with the Argentina skipper anonymous for much of the game with his team unable to get hold of the ball. He is also beaten to his first World Cup Golden Boot by France's Kylian Mbappe, who won it by two goals.

For Spain, they remain undefeated under manager Luis de la Fuente in competitive matches, adding a World Cup win to their Euros title from 2024.

And as numerous players from the victorious squad of 16 years ago watched on, it was another nod to their achievements when they also followed up their Euro 2008 victory with the World Cup trophy in South Africa.

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