The 2026 FIFA World Cup final in New York, New Jersey Stadium, finished with a 1-0 scoreline in favor of the Spanish team over an Argentine side that just didn’t show up for the final match. Argentina had just 3 shots compared to Spain’s 20. The South American team somehow showed more attacking flair after the whistle blew.
Several Argentine and Spanish players engaged in scuffles after the bad-tempered final, which saw 5 yellow cards and a red card for the Argentine side. Leandro Parades, who already had a yellow card and somehow escaped a second yellow card for a hard tackle, was the chief instigator as he clashed with defender Eric Gracia first and then with Gavi.
Match Brief
The final was quite different from the previous day’s France VS England third-place playoff game, which saw a total of 10 goals between the teams. The potential final World Cup outing for Argentine talisman Lionel Messi and the passing of his mantle to Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal didn’t really live up to the expected levels.
Spain was expected to dominate the possession, and they did just that. Argentina came out and didn’t play football, but chose to antagonize the opponent and sit back and soak in the pressure. Goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez made a few regulation saves and then came in clutch to save Argentina and keep the score level.
The deadlock broke in extra time, but before a game-changing tackle gone wrong from Enzo Ferandez. In the third minute of added time of the second half, Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernández, who was already on a yellow card, was given the marching orders after a heavy tackle on Spain’s 19-year-old central defender Pau Cubrasi, who was flung in the air due to the force of the contact.
Ferran "El Tiburón" Torres
Spain’s one-man advantage proved to make the difference as Ferran Torres smashed a thunderous shot into the roof of the net in the 106th minute off a nice headed layback from winger Nico Williams inside the box. With the goal, Torres opened his account in the tournament.
Nicknamed "El Tiburón" or “The Shark”, the player came on for fellow center forward Oyarzabal. The Barcelona striker has had a dismal campaign until the final and was at one instance seen pleading under his breath for a goal to be given against Saudi Arabia, only for VAR to rule it offside.
But “The Shark” smelled blood when it mattered and powered the reigning European champions to their second World Cup victory after their success 16 years ago at the 2010 win over the Netherlands in South Africa.
The Clash After the Game
A game marred by frequent fouls and heavy challenges from the Argentine side came to its boiling point after the final whistle was blown, when Paredes ran in to confront Barcelona defender Eric Garcia as the Spanish players were celebrating their win. The Boca Juniors midfielder grabbed Garcia by the throat and shoved him into the ground.
The fight sparked off further escalations between players from both teams while Argentina head Lionel Scaloni and others tried to separate the players. Paredes was shown a red card for his violent conduct. Other altercations happened in parallel as well. Nahuel Molina appeared to take a swing at the stomach of Spain captain Rodri as he ran past him to celebrate the win.
The confrontation started from this point as Oyarzabal and Rodri sprinted past Molina at the final whistle. Molina’s actions made Rodri stop in his tracks and approach the defender, shouting. As both players squared up, Garcia stepped in to diffuse the situation, which was met by Paredes, who flew into him.
Coach Lionel Scaloni approached the players, wagging his finger, asking for calm and the scuffles to be broken up. With Scaloni breaking up the situation along with the Argentina coaching staff for help, Paredes turned his attention to Spain’s 21-year-old midfielder Gavi, who was teeing up to Thiago Almada.
Paredes spun the midfielder to the ground and appeared to push into his face while holding the player’s substitute bib. Gavi’s teammates had to step in between the pair, with striker Borja Iglesias crashing into Paredes.
Paredes' outburst and violent conduct capped off an emotional tournament for the Argentine side, who were attempting to defend their title for their captain, Lionel Messi, who is playing his sixth and final World Cup in his illustrious career.
