MUNDIAL·26

Final · Sunday, July 19 · New York/New Jersey Stadium, New Jersey · 80,663 in the stands

kickoff 15:00 local · 27°C · 41% humidity

Spain

106′ Ferran TORRES (pen)

1:0

after extra time

Argentina

tap a player for their match file

Spain4-2-3-1
Argentina4-4-2
Unai SIMON6.8Pedro PORRO6.8Aymeric LAPORTE7.4Pau CUBARSI7.6Marc CUCURELLA6.7Fabian RUIZ7.0Alex BAENA6.5RODRI7.2Dani OLMO7.1Lamine YAMAL7.2Mikel OYARZABAL6.6Emiliano MARTINEZ7.5Nicolas TAGLIAFICO6.6Gonzalo MONTIEL6.6Lisandro MARTINEZ6.0Cristian ROMERO6.2Rodrigo DE PAUL6.3Nico GONZALEZ6.3Alexis MAC ALLISTER6.0Enzo FERNANDEZ5.4Julian ALVAREZ6.4Lionel MESSI6.7
from the bench

match pulse — xG per 5 minutes · goals · cards

45′90′105′120′ESPARG

goals — hover the strip for every shot and card, with names

  • 106′Torres0.22 xG
ESP 0:0 ARG0'kickoff
5' Yamal — xG 0.10 · Saved39' Oyarzabal — xG 0.10 · Saved43' Cucurella — xG 0.03 · Missed46' Baena — xG 0.08 · Saved61' Yamal — xG 0.04 · Blocked64' Olmo — xG 0.05 · Saved65' Olmo — xG 0.16 · Blocked67' Torres — xG 0.18 · Saved77' Pedri — xG 0.04 · Saved77' Cubarsí — xG 0.03 · Saved81' Laporte — xG 0.09 · Saved87' Torres — xG 0.12 · Missed89' Rodri — xG 0.02 · Missed90 + 3' Williams — xG 0.08 · Saved93' Williams — xG 0.24 · Saved90 + 8' Yamal — xG 0.07 · Saved101' Yamal — xG 0.02 · Missed103' Merino — xG 0.24 · Missed104' Williams — xG 0.03 · Blocked106' Torres — xG 0.22 · Goal117' Messi — xG 0.04 · Blocked120 + 2' Simeone — xG 0.18 · Missed

▶ Watch every shot in 3D⟲ Replay the match

The xG race — cumulative expected goals, minute by minute

ESP 0:0 ARG
1.02.00′15′30′45′60′75′90′105′120′106' Torres — GOAL1.940.22

On paper vs as played — formation sheet vs heatmap reality

ESP 4-2-3-1 attack →, ← ARG 4-4-2 attack. The teamsheet, as announced.

23Unai SIMONUnai SIMON12Pedro PORROPedro PORRO14Aymeric LAPORTEAymeric LAPORTE22Pau CUBARSIPau CUBARSI24Marc CUCURELLAMarc CUCURELLA8Fabian RUIZFabian RUIZ15Alex BAENAAlex BAENA16RODRIRODRI10Dani OLMODani OLMO19Lamine YAMALLamine YAMAL21Mikel OYARZABALMikel OYARZABAL23Emiliano MARTINEZEmiliano MARTINEZ3Nicolas TAGLIAFICONicolas TAGLIAFICO4Gonzalo MONTIELGonzalo MONTIEL6Lisandro MARTINEZLisandro MARTINEZ13Cristian ROMEROCristian ROMERO7Rodrigo DE PAULRodrigo DE PAUL15Nico GONZALEZNico GONZALEZ20Alexis MAC ALLISTERAlexis MAC ALLISTER24Enzo FERNANDEZEnzo FERNANDEZ9Julian ALVAREZJulian ALVAREZ10Lionel MESSILionel MESSI

The duel — team data, FIFA tracking included

1.72
Expected goals
0.09
74
Threat
26
20
Shots
2
12
On target
0
774
Passes completed
357
26
Forced turnovers
32
10.2s
Ball recovery time
13.1s
14.33
High-press phases
4.33
23
Fouls committed
21
4
Offsides
1
121 km
Distance covered
119 km
32.6 km/h
Top speed
33.8 km/h

Territory — where each team lived

Every player's heatmap, minutes-weighted and stacked per team. Spain attack →, ← Argentina attack. Brighter is more presence; where the colors meet is the contested ground.

How it happened

  1. 41′Lisandro MARTINEZ (Argentina) is booked by the referee.
  2. 44′Nicolas OTAMENDI (in) comes off the bench to replace Lisandro MARTINEZ (out) (Argentina)
  3. ′Before the second half begins Leandro PAREDES (in) comes off the bench to replace Nico GONZALEZ (out) (Argentina)
  4. 52′Leandro PAREDES (Argentina) is booked by the referee.
  5. 58′Nahuel MOLINA (in) comes off the bench to replace Gonzalo MONTIEL (out) (Argentina)
  6. 62′Ferran TORRES (in) comes off the bench to replace Mikel OYARZABAL (out) (Spain)
  7. 62′PEDRI (in) comes off the bench to replace Fabian RUIZ (out) (Spain)
  8. 70′Facundo MEDINA (in) comes off the bench to replace Cristian ROMERO (out) (Argentina)
  9. 70′Giuliano SIMEONE (in) comes off the bench to replace Rodrigo DE PAUL (out) (Argentina)
  10. 75′Nico WILLIAMS (in) comes off the bench to replace Alex BAENA (out) (Spain)
  11. 75′Mikel MERINO (in) comes off the bench to replace Dani OLMO (out) (Spain)
  12. 82′Enzo FERNANDEZ (Argentina) is booked by the referee.
  13. 90+2′Cristian ROMERO (Argentina) is booked by the referee.
  14. 90+3′Enzo FERNANDEZ (Argentina) is booked for the second time and receives a red card!
  15. 99′Martin ZUBIMENDI (in) comes off the bench to replace RODRI (out) (Spain)
  16. 99′Eric GARCIA (in) comes off the bench to replace Aymeric LAPORTE (out) (Spain)
  17. 102′Marcos SENESI (in) comes off the bench to replace Julian ALVAREZ (out) (Argentina)
  18. 105′Lionel SCALONI (Argentina) is booked by the referee.
  19. 106′Ferran TORRES (Spain) scores!!
  20. 111′Alexis MAC ALLISTER (Argentina) is booked by the referee.

The morning-after column · AI-written from the match data

Spain's suffocation finally broke Argentina in the 106th minute

Spain's siege took 106 minutes to crack. Argentina sat narrow and deep from the opening minute, content to disrupt Spain's build-play and spring the rare counter—and for most of 90 minutes it held. Spain's midfield pressed relentlessly (14.3 high-press phases), forced 26 turnovers, recovered possession in 10.2 seconds, and cycled 20 shots. Argentina offered almost nothing: two shots, zero on target, an xG of 0.09. But the Argentine defence, anchored by Otamendi and reinforced by Enzo Fernández's discipline, bent without breaking until the 90th minute, when Fernández's second yellow left Argentina a man down.

The dam burst in extra time. With Argentina exhausted and exposed, Spain's crisp passing—orchestrated by Pedri (7.8 rating) and Nico Williams (7.7)—found space it had chased in vain for ninety minutes. The decisive goal arrived at 106', low expected value (0.22 xG) by Spain's standards, but clinical. Argentina's sole real chance came at 120+2', one last desperate miss. Emiliano Martínez (7.5), the goalkeeper, had been Argentina's salvation all tournament; he couldn't stop what Spain had become inevitable.

Spain's 1.72 expected goals to Argentina's 0.09—the final's true scoreline was decided not in ninety minutes but in the ceaseless pressure of 106.

106′

Spain scored from open play in extra time, breaking Argentina's exhausted defence a man down.

What Spain needed

Relentless press and ball recovery won a final they nearly drew through profligacy.

  • 14.3 high-press phases created the chaos that forced 26 turnovers and opened Argentina's shape in extra time.
  • Three big chances in normal time (0.24, 0.18, 0.24 xG) went begging; the danger was conceding a late break into the final moment.
  • Pedri (7.8 rating) and Nico Williams (7.7) orchestrated patterns that only yielded one goal despite 1.72 xG—precision matters more than volume.

What Argentina needed

Enzo Fernández's red card at 90+3 exposed a defence designed to outlast, not to lead.

  • An xG of 0.09 reflects the chasm: Argentina created nothing from open play and relied on Martínez (7.5) to deny Spain's 12 on-target shots.
  • Enzo Fernández's discipline collapsed in the 90th minute; the second yellow removed Argentina's midfield shield when they needed one most.
  • A single big chance missed at 120+2 (0.18 xG) was Argentina's only shot at an upset—insufficient when facing a press that recovered possession in 10.2 seconds.