Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time on July 19 to claim their second FIFA World Cup title. Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in the 106th minute. But the real story isn’t who won. It’s how thoroughly Argentina failed to threaten.
Argentina recorded zero shots on target during 90 minutes of regulation time in a World Cup final. That’s not a typo. An entire half, then another, and the reigning champions couldn’t force the Spanish goalkeeper into a single save during normal play. It ties an unwanted record that no team wants their name next to in the history books.
A final defined by what didn’t happen
Argentina’s goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was the only reason this match reached extra time at all. He made 11 saves across the full 120 minutes, setting a new record for the most saves by a keeper in a World Cup final.
Spain, meanwhile, looked like a team that had been building toward this moment for years. The victory extended their unbeaten run to 38 consecutive matches, surpassing Italy’s previous record of 37 games without defeat. Spain also kept seven clean sheets throughout the tournament.
