Spain won their second World Cup on Sunday night, defeating Argentina 1-0 in the final at the New Jersey New York Stadium. The victory, secured by a Ferran Torres goal in the 106th minute, was a dominant performance that saw Argentina fail to register a single shot on target.
Celebrations and Trophies
After the match, the Spanish team celebrated with multiple trophies. Rodrigo Hernández, named the tournament's best player, carried the actual World Cup trophy along with a replica in a Louis Vuitton trunk and a Lego version. Pau Cubarsí received the young player award, and Unai Simón took the Golden Glove. Each player was also given a replica World Cup in a black Louis Vuitton trophy trunk.
In the dressing room, champagne was cracked open, and players cut pieces of the net as souvenirs. Marc Cucurella had buried a coin in the pitch before the match, a tradition started by Joan Capdevila in 2010. Cucurella also faced a dilemma: he had promised to get a tattoo of coach Luis de la Fuente's face if Spain won, and now had to decide where to place it.
Coach's Journey
De la Fuente, who began his coaching career at Deportivo Alavés in the third tier and was unemployed for 18 months before joining the Spanish federation's youth system, has now won the European Championship with the under-19s, under-21s, and senior side, as well as the World Cup. “They asked me what there is left to win; we said the next game in September because they’re insatiable,” he said.
Dominant Performance
Spain's dominance was reflected in the statistics: Ferran Torres's goal was Spain's 20th shot of the match, while Argentina did not manage a shot until the 115th minute. It was only the third time in 900 World Cup games with Opta stats that a team failed to attempt a shot. Spain's expected goals against for the entire tournament was 0.3 per game. “If my gloves could talk, they would say they didn’t have much work to do,” Simón said.
Emotional Moments
After the match, Nico Williams handed his medal to his mother in the front row. Lamine Yamal embraced Lionel Messi, a moment captured for posterity. Ferran Torres spoke of a “great liberation,” saying, “Destiny is written: God gives to those who deserve.” The team departed the stadium with their trophies, including a big red speaker playing music, as they headed to the airport for their flight back to Spain.
