Lionel Scaloni paid tribute to his gamers and accepted Spain have been worthy winners after Argentina’s bid to defend the World Cup title led to a 1-0 defeat after further time at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Ferran Torres scored the one purpose of the ultimate within the 106th minute, changing from shut vary after Nico Williams’ cross had discovered Mikel Merino on the again publish.
Argentina had survived 90 minutes due to a rare show from Emiliano Martinez, who made 11 saves to interrupt the World Cup remaining report and preserve Spain at bay.
Argentina didn’t register a single shot in regular time, the primary staff in historical past to realize that undesirable distinction in a World Cup remaining, however they resisted to the very finish earlier than Enzo Fernandez’s second yellow card within the ninetieth minute lowered them to 10 males and finally opened the door for Torres to settle it.
Scaloni, who has managed Argentina since 2018 and overseen a golden period that delivered the 2021 Copa America, the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa America, was gracious in defeat.
“I really feel unhappy however I’m conscious that we performed our hearts out. There are a lot of issues I want to say, however I can’t actually. I’m perpetually grateful to those guys who’ve competed all the best way,” he mentioned.
“They have been higher to be sincere. I’ve actually fond reminiscences of what they did and the way troublesome it’s to get right here.
“We have to connect quite a lot of worth to what we’ve got achieved. We’re massive in victory and we should be massive in defeat. In the present day we confirmed that we all know the way to lose.
“We misplaced the sport and we settle for that. Nevertheless it doesn’t imply that we are going to overlook all the pieces we’ve got achieved up to now. I want to inform the nation that we performed our hearts out.”
Messi’s farewell
The defeat virtually actually marks the tip of Lionel Messi’s World Cup profession.
The 39-year-old, enjoying his sixth and remaining event, was saved quiet all through the ultimate by a Spain aspect that afforded him virtually nothing.
He completed and not using a shot on the right track, a stark distinction to a event during which he had damaged Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup scoring report and change into the primary participant in historical past to attain or help in 11 consecutive World Cup matches.
Spain’s mixture of Pau Cubarsi and Aymeric Laporte at centre-back, sitting behind a world-class midfield, denied Messi the pockets of area that had outlined his event as much as that time.
He gave the ball away greater than every other Argentina participant on the night time, a primary in a 2026 marketing campaign that had produced moments of brilliance that may outlast the outcome.
