Spain Wins World Cup, Beats Argentina on a Goal in Extra Time

Ferran Torres scored an extra time goal in the 106th minute of what had been a scoreless World Cup Final and Spain held on to beat Argentina 1-0 at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford New Jersey on July 19th. It was Spain’s second World Cup championship; the first was in 2010 and several members of that team were in attendance.

Despite the low score, Spain dominated and shut down Argentina. The Argentinians did not have a shot until the 117th minute of play, when Lionel Messi attempted one that was blocked. They finished with just two while Spain had 20, 12 of which were on goal. Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez kept them in the game with 11 saves in 12 shots on goal, but his team was unable to break through the Spanish defense.

England defeated France 6-4 in the third place game on July 18th.

For those looking ahead, the 2030 World Cup will be held June 8th though July 21st, with Morocco, Portugal, and Spain as cohosts. Spain will be the first defending champion to host the tournament. This will mark the 100th anniversary of the World Cup, and there will be special “Centenary” matches hosted by Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Uruguay hosted the 1930 World Cup. All six of these host nations will automatically qualify for the tournament. There have been discussions regarding a one time expansion to 64 teams (since there will be six automatic qualifiers) but that decision has not been reached. And if you are looking still farther ahead, Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup.