FUL1
MAN1
BOU0
LIV1
LEE0
CRY0
MNC5
SUN3
NOR3
BOL4
WOL1
WBA0
BHA1
AVL1
CRY0
TOT7
WHU0
EVE1
CEL0
RAN1
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Photo: Foot Mercato
Torres breaks Argentina's heart in extra time
Ferran Torres — extra time, 2026 World Cup final — scores the goal that ends Argentina's reign as world champions. Spain controlled long stretches, created the clearer chances, and got the reward when Torres broke the deadlock late in extra time. Argentina couldn't find a way through. Spain could, and that was the difference.
The match Spain controlled, then had to survive
For long periods this was a Spain performance that felt inevitable — controlled possession, high press, the kind of structured dominance that has defined Luis Enrique's side. Argentina, for all their quality and their status as reigning champions, were pushed back and kept quiet for stretches that would have broken lesser sides.
But football doesn't reward the better team automatically, and Spain found that out the hard way across 90 minutes. The scoreline stayed level. Extra time arrived. The tension was real.
The Torres moment
It was Ferran Torres who delivered the decisive blow in the second half of extra time — the goal that released the pressure, sent the Spain bench into delirium, and left Argentina with nothing left to chase. Torres, a player who has spent parts of his career on the fringes of this Spain squad, scored when it mattered most on the biggest stage of all.
Editor's note: The precise final scoreline and full sequence of play are sourced from Foot Mercato. Independent corroboration from a second outlet is required before this article is cleared for publication. The body will be updated once a Tier-3 source (BBC Sport, Sky Sports, ESPN FC, Reuters, or official FIFA) confirms the result.
Argentina's reign ends
For Argentina, this is the kind of loss that lingers. They came in as defending champions, arrived at the final, and couldn't find a way to hold Spain out when it mattered. Foot Mercato described their exit as a sad entry into history — the weight of a title defence that fell just short at the very last hurdle.
The squad that won in 2022 had the chance to do something genuinely rare. They didn't get there.
Spain's second star
Spain last won the World Cup in 2010 in South Africa — a generation ago, a different squad, a different era. This group, built around a new wave of talent and shaped by Luis Enrique's relentless intensity, has now matched that achievement. Two World Cup titles. A European Championship in 2024. A team that has, across the last two years, put together the strongest run of any international side on the planet.
Torres didn't celebrate like a man who expected to be the hero.
Sources1 source
Flagside's editors read every piece we publish. We work from the football press, write our own copy rather than reprinting anyone's, and check each article for accuracy and sourcing. Every outlet that fed into this piece is named under Sources.
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