Substitute Ferran Torres struck in the second period of extra-time to edge Spain past a 10-man Argentina and give his side a second World Cup trophy.
Issued on: 20/07/2026 - 01:18Modified: 20/07/2026 - 01:18
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It was his first goal of the tournament. "Honestly, I cannot believe it," said the 26-year-old Barcelona forward. "I did not think too much when the ball came to me, I shot with all the power of the Spanish people." The blow with his left foot was Spain's 20th shot on the Argentina goal during a final they had dominated. And for all Spain's vaunted neat passing patterns in midfield, the strike was refreshingly old school. Pedro Porro's deep cross from the right side of the field was headed back by Nico Williams and Torres swept the ball over Argentina goalkeeper Emi Martinez and three defenders on the line into the net. Argentina reduced to 10 men With 15 minutes left, Argentina pressed forward for the equaliser despite losing midfielder Enzo Fernandez to a second yellow card at the end of the second-half of regulation time. In the frenzied final minutes, Spain defender Pau Cubarsi cleared the danger in front of his goal and Argentina forward Giuliano Simeone thrashed the ball over the bar. Fittingly, it was Torres who was hacking the ball clear when the final whistle was blown. "We are world champions," said Spain boss Luis de la Fuente. "I am proud and happy for my players. 'We've grown together' "We've grown together and thanks to the talent, commitment and values of the players and on top of that the team still has a long way to go. "We're thinking iof what's coming up." Fifa boss Gianni Infantino and US President Donald Trump descended onto the field from the VIP seats to hand out the awards.
