Argentina fought today, endured with injured players on the pitch, gave their last drop, and played a man down; Spain dominated, the match went to extra time, and in the 106th minute, Ferran Torres converted for the Iberian squad's second cup.

"La Roja" controlled the ball for nearly the entire match and attacked far more often against a colossal "Dibu" Martínez, who saved everything. With one man fewer, the Argentines resisted; fatigue overwhelmed them, they held on as long as they could, and at the start of the second half of extra time, the goal came for "La Furia."

After a cross launched into the area, Nico Williams brought it down, and Ferran Torres appeared, entering from the left and from five meters out, struck the 1-0 goal that silenced the Argentine crowd, who nonetheless can feel very proud of their squad, which delivered a brilliant World Cup performance.

"Sadness, but we gave it our all; total gratitude to these guys who gave everything and made it this far. We are great in victory; we must be great in defeat," said head coach Lionel Scaloni after the match ended.

"We have to remember everything we did during the tournament to get here. This is a great example for our people, for the country, and a huge thank you to these young men; there is nothing to reproach when they have played like this," emphasized the Pujano native.

Over 40 days of competition, Argentina faced very tense matches, fought until the very end; they were a worthy finalist, and Spain, a rightful champion. In truth, they were the best team in the tournament, conceding only one goal in eight matches and never trailing on the scoreboard.

This was the third final for Lionel Messi, the great albiceleste captain, who won one (Qatar 2022) and lost two: the first at the Maracanã, also in extra time, 0-1 with a goal by Germany's Klose, and now this one, also in extra time, with Torres's strike.

The Rosario native played in his sixth World Cup, which will possibly be the last of his career, and he continues to accumulate records. He has now joined the group of players with the most finals played and remains the all-time leader in assists for goals (12).

Other records for "La Pulga"

At 39 years and 21 days, Lionel Messi became the oldest outfield player to participate in a World Cup final, surpassing the record shared by Fritz Walter and Gunnar Gren, who were 37 years and 236 days old when they faced each other representing Germany and Sweden, respectively, in 1958.

Additionally, the albiceleste captain, who began playing football at age seven and overcame a genetic condition at birth, is the first South American to play in three World Cup semifinals. He did so in Brazil 2014 against Germany, in Qatar 2022 against France, and in this 2026 edition against Spain.

Following the match, Argentine President Javier Milei stated on X: "Thank you very much, Players!!! To the end with your boots on. Argentina always at the top."

The people await their beloved national team on Monday afternoon.