Lionel Scaloni paid tribute to his players and accepted Spain were worthy winners after Argentina’s bid to defend the World Cup title ended in a 1-0 defeat after extra time at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Ferran Torres scored the only goal of the final in the 106th minute, converting from close range after Nico Williams’ cross had found Mikel Merino at the back post.
Argentina had survived 90 minutes thanks to an extraordinary display from Emiliano Martinez, who made 11 saves to break the World Cup final record and keep Spain at bay.
Argentina did not register a single shot in normal time, the first team in history to achieve that unwanted distinction in a World Cup final, but they resisted to the very end before Enzo Fernandez’s second yellow card in the 90th minute reduced them to ten men and ultimately opened the door for Torres to settle it.
Scaloni, who has managed Argentina since 2018 and overseen a golden era that delivered the 2021 Copa America, the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa America, was gracious in defeat.
“I feel sad but I am aware that we played our hearts out. There are many things I would like to say, but I can’t really. I am forever thankful to these guys who have competed all the way,” he said.
“They were better to be honest. I have really fond memories of what they did and how difficult it is to get here.
“We need to attach a great deal of value to what we have done. We are big in victory and we must be big in defeat. Today we showed that we know how to lose.
“We lost the game and we accept that. But it doesn’t mean that we will forget everything we have done so far. I would like to tell the country that we played our hearts out.”
Messi’s farewell
The defeat almost certainly marks the end of Lionel Messi’s World Cup career.
The 39-year-old, playing his sixth and final tournament, was kept quiet throughout the final by a Spain side that afforded him almost nothing.
He finished without a shot on target, a stark contrast to a tournament in which he had broken Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup scoring record and become the first player in history to score or assist in 11 consecutive World Cup matches.
Spain’s combination of Pau Cubarsi and Aymeric Laporte at centre-back, sitting behind a world-class midfield, denied Messi the pockets of space that had defined his tournament up to that point.
He gave the ball away more than any other Argentina player on the night, a first in a 2026 campaign that had produced moments of brilliance that will outlast the result.
