The World Cup was written in the stars for Spain: Ferran Torres after beating Argentina

Spain’s World Cup finals hero Ferran Torres said the triumph over Argentina felt destined after his extra-time strike sealed a historic 1-0 victory, insisting the trophy belonged to the whole country rather than the 26 players who lifted it in New Jersey.

Torres scored the decisive goal 37 seconds into the second period of extra time, ending a brilliant move by Pedro Porro and Nic Williams to end Spain’s 64-year wait for a second FIFA World Cup title. The win also denied Lionel Messi the chance to end his international career with back-to-back World Cup crowns.

Spain vs Argentina, World Cup Final: Highlighting

Reflecting on the biggest goal of his career, Torres dedicated the moment to Spain and said the team always believed they were destined to win the title.

“The goal was for 47 million people; it wasn’t just me or the 26 players here,” Torres said after the final.

“I believe today’s result was written in the stars. The game was far from ours to win, but we did our best to make them feel as close as possible.”

Torres went through the tournament without finding the net, but picked the perfect opportunity to open his account. His clinical finish eventually beat Emiliano Martinez, who frustrated Spain with a series of excellent saves for almost two hours.

The goal capped off a dominant performance from Luis de la Fuente, who controlled possession, restricted Argentina to almost no attacking threat for most of the game and deservedly lifted the trophy.

MESSIAH’S CHALLENGE

Torres admitted that facing a Messi-led team naturally brings nerves, but said Spain never abandoned the style that took them to the final.

“All finals are tough. When Messi is in the opposing team, the nervousness always creeps in,” he said.

“But at the end of the day we’ve always stuck to our guns to play our own brand of football and I think we showed that again today.

Spain’s midfield, managed by Rodrigo, dictated the tempo throughout the evening, while Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams constantly stretched the Argentine defence. Messi was largely silent as Spain restricted the defending champions to very few meaningful opportunities.

The victory completed an excellent tournament for De la Fuente’s side, who defeated Portugal, Belgium, France and Argentina in the knockout rounds to become world champions. For Torres, whose first goal of the campaign proved to be the most important of the tournament, the final was the perfect end to a journey he believes was always headed for Spain.

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Issued by:

Amar Panicker

Published on:

20 Jul 2026 05:30 IST