NEW YORK, USA: Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, July 19. This was one of the most one-sided finals in the history of the FIFA World Cup, and one that Lionel Messi and Argentina sacrificed without putting up much of a fight.
Although the scoreline suggests a margin of just one goal, Argentina were never truly in the game. Possession was largely ruled by Spain (65%), with captain and central holding midfielder Rodri reigning supreme. Much of what Spain built went through Rodri, and without an effective checks-and-balances tool put in place by Argentina, he remained unscathed till the end of the evening.
La Albiceleste put up one of their worst attacking displays, taking no shots at all in regular time, and were only spurred into action after Ferran Torres broke through in the second half of extra time. By the end of this half, Argentina had taken two shots, but regrettably, none of them was on target. Spain’s legendary defence, which had conceded just once coming into this final, claimed another moral victory.
Lionel Messi was isolated by Spain
The way Spain isolated Lionel Messi from the rest of his team in the FIFA World Cup final was remarkable. Later, they were helped by Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni’s defence-first tactical setup, thanks to which he even sacrificed Julian Alvarez in the 102nd minute, leaving Messi virtually the sole attacker in the XI.
Scaloni did not bring Lautaro Martinez on, despite the Inter striker being his second-highest goalscorer in this tournament (3), and this decision will haunt him for a long, long time. Lionel Messi, reduced to making just 54 touches throughout the game, felt lonely at the top and was marked with precision by Aymeric Laporte and Pau Cubarsi.
Argentina’s attacking prowess rested solely on the shoulders of Messi, and Spain negated this tactic well by focusing on cutting off supply lines for the former. This resulted in the iconic attacker dropping deep to retrieve the ball, since Rodrigo de Paul and Alexis Mac Allister, his usual minders, were negated while duelling by Spain’s Rodri and his partner Fabian Ruiz.
Enzo Fernandez’s immaturity saw him pick up two yellow cards in this FIFA World Cup final, but when Scaloni took Nicolas Gonzalez off at half-time, it handed Spain a freer hand in midfield. Rodri no longer had the challenging Gonzalez at his back, and only had to contend with the physicality injected by Leandro Paredes. The latter’s sole impact was in winning fouls indiscriminately, hoping but failing to disrupt Spain’s rhythm.
Rodri had a dream FIFA World Cup final
While much of Argentina’s reluctance to attack was of their own volition, the impact of Spain’s captain in midfield cannot be discounted. Golden Ball winner Rodri had a game that footballers dream of when thinking about a FIFA World Cup final, boasting a Godlike passing accuracy of 95%. Sitting deep in the centre of the park, he also created two chances for La Roja, and ended with a 100% success rate in dribbling.
Rodri did not forget his defensive duties, and wore the captain’s armband with pride after making four critical tackles and six recoveries that set his team on course for victory. Most importantly, the way the Manchester City man marked his opposite numbers, Mac Allister and Fernandez, is testament to his commitment.
Deprived of the compactness and flanking recoveries Gonzalez had given them in the first half, Argentina stuttered in midfield when Paredes came on. This was exarcebated all the more when Rodri ordered Ruiz to drive into the box and mark Lionel Messi and Alvarez closely, to cut off Mac Allister and Fernandez’s natural courses of action.
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni’s tactics will be criticised
Argentina’s lapses in attack will haunt them, but so will the fact that they made just eight touches in Spain’s box all evening. Manager Scaloni committed a historic blunder when he took Alvarez off and chose not to bring Martinez on, for this isolated an already-lonely Lionel Messi all the more.
Deprived of physically strong and fast-paced attacking partners, Lionel Messi was left to retrieve second balls in midfield when he should have been lurking at the edge of the box instead. Bringing Paredes on hurt La Albiceleste, too, as it took away the rhythm they had generated using the width Gonzalez and De Paul brought into play in the first half.
La Roja’s supremacy can not be doubted. Having kept seven clean sheets in eight matches at a tournament as physically and emotionally demanding as a FIFA World Cup, Spain showed that they were heads and shoulders above every other team. However, Argentina’s lack of intent in the final leaves a sour taste in the mouth, especially for a nation known for their unyielding nature.
Everyone in Argentina will tear into Scaloni’s tactics in the final, and rightly so. The statistic that will haunt La Albiceleste’s supporters the most is their number of shots on target, or lack thereof, despite having Lionel Messi in their ranks, the second-highest goalscorer in the history of the FIFA World Cup (21). That they created no big chances whatsoever will torment Argentina all the more for the next four years.
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