Patience proved the critical virtue for Spain. They had to wait for a kickoff delayed by — among other things — a Tom Cruise speech. They had to wait twice as long as usual at half time. And they had to wait for 106 minutes of play and their 20th shot before Ferran Torres lashed home the goal that would win them a second men's World Cup.
For much of Sunday’s final, that moment had felt purely a matter of time, as the European champions thoroughly outclassed their South American counterparts.
Just as they did in their impressive semifinal display against France, Spain dominated the ball early and their teenage superstar, Lamine Yamal, came close to opening the scoring in the fifth minute. Seconds later, at the other end of the pitch and the age scale, Lionel Messi was beaten to a through ball by Spanish keeper Unai Simon. It was as close as Messi, 39, got to a significant impact on the game, which may well be his last at a World Cup.
As the first half wore on in the New York New Jersey stadium, Spain dominated the ball but Argentina held firm, with a smart Emi Martinez save from Spanish striker, Mikel Oyarzabal, as close as either side came before the elongated interval.
Half-time show keeps players waiting
