Spain 1-0 (aet) Argentina (Torres 106′)
METLIFE STADIUM — Out of left field, a new dynasty is born. Spain changed football half a generation ago: take the ball, pass the ball, win the lot. They were kings of Europe and then kings of the world. Play the tape again.
In between, the supposition was that Spain’s style simply stopped working and with the death of tiki-taka went their chances of domination. At the greatest tournament of all they failed to even compete in a quarter-final for 16 years. All the while, it turned out, a new winning system was being created in an underground football lair.
Then the poster boys were the metronomes and artists: Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets. Now it is the coaching system that rules all. Luis de la Fuente spent eight years managing three different Spain teams at youth group level, all while the senior team won nothing. The public panicked. The media panicked. The Spanish football federation asked for trust.
It was horrible to watch, but not because of Spain. They met an opponent that was so determined to kill the game that they became the ultimate parody of what they purport to represent. Argentina had more red cards than shots in the 98 minutes of normal time.
