Spain vs Argentina player review: Lionel Messi’s super sub fails to produce final moment of magic to lead Spain to World Cup win | soccer news

Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the most one-sided World Cup final in history. From Ferran Torres’ heroics to Lionel Messi’s last dance, here are the player ratings as Luis de la Fuente’s side claim their second star…

spain

Unai Simon – 5

Argentina had virtually no shots until the 117th minute. You probably got a nice tan and definitely won a trophy.

Pedro Foro – 8

It was a consistent threat that put Lamine Yamal on the run. In the end, it was his cross that sparked the opener. It was a precise delivery to Williams at the back post.

Pau Cubasi – 6

Played with maturity beyond his years. There wasn’t much he could do to stop the Argentine, but he consistently maintained his composure whenever the threat was clear. World Cup winner and young player of the tournament.

Aymeric Laporte – 6

There was nothing to do defensively. I had half a chance later than usual but didn’t get enough buy on the header.

Mark Cucurella – 7

Just like at the Euros two years ago, Cucurella upped his game this summer and continued that with another fine performance at both ends of the pitch.

Rhodri – 7

Midfielder General. The match went in favor of Spain. It’s understandable considering it came in overtime, given that playing for more than 90 minutes could affect his injury history.

Fabian Lewis – 6

89% pass success rate and two chances created. A solid, if not sensational performance from the PSG man before he was eliminated after an hour.

Yamal Lamina – 5

Is this the day they took the crown away from King Messi? not quite. The teenage superstar has been targeted and kept silent, but he will accept the consequences.

Dani Olmo – 5

For all his ownership in Spain, that didn’t happen for Olmo. It was difficult to pull the strings because not much was actually happening in front of him.

Alex Baena – 5

Whether it was Montiel or Molina, Argentina’s right-backs were there to deal. Baena combined well with Cucurella, but the introduction of Williams to add more pace made perfect sense.

Mikel Oyarzabal – 6

He was the only player to trouble Martinez in the first half, but as is often the case, he was sacrificed to allow Spain to take an alternative approach at the top.

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Ferran Torres – 8

It’s a moment he will never forget. It’s a product whose composure and quality truly shine when it matters most. His teammates struggled to show it, but Ferran Torres showed it well. I will forever be the man who won the 2026 World Cup.

Peter – 6

He looked smart on the ball and brought a bit more energy to midfield than Fabian Luiz.

Mikel Merino – 5

His moment appeared to come in extra-time when he reached the end of a cross just outside the six-yard box. The net should have swelled, but the super sub missed his mark and the chance to be the hero.

Nico Williams – 7

The substitute came on to make an impact and thought he had the biggest kick of the ball when he slotted the ball home in the opener of extra-time, but it was controversial. But he had his moment, grabbing an assist for the winner as he nodded back to Torres.

Martin Zuvimendi – 5

As Argentina chased a late equalizer, half the game was spent doing what it could not do. Not at roadie level, but fresh legs at key moments.

Eric Garcia – 6

Argentina were throwing the kitchen sink at Spain and Garcia added an extra defensive body to see the action through.

Argentina

Emmy Martinez – 8

He started off feeling relieved, but as the match progressed, Martinez became more anxious. There were a few simple saves he fumbled. But he regained his composure and made key saves to keep Argentina going in the second half and into extra time. Unfortunately for him, that wasn’t enough.

Gonzalo Montiel – 5

It had difficulty moving forward and was often unable to keep up with Cucurella’s overlapping movements at the opposite end. There was nothing about his World Cup-winning moment four years ago.

Christian Romero – 6

There was a lot of defending to do and he did well alongside Otamendi for the most part before limping off in the 70th minute as Martinez was sent off just before half-time.

Lisandro Martinez – 4

He didn’t do anything seriously wrong, but it may have been a bit harsh as they were both booked and injured before half-time.

Nicolas Tagliafico – 6

Lamine Yamal performed as well as he could have. The teenager certainly hasn’t done anything noteworthy and that’s to the Argentine left-back’s credit.

Rodrigo DePaul – 5

Struggling to dominate the midfield battle with Rodri and Ruiz playing him off the park.

Alexis Mac Allister – 5

He wasn’t able to sit with the rest of the Argentine players and show what he was capable of possessing. It was his approach to the game that was hampered, rather than his individual efforts.

Enzo Fernandez – 2

Cubarsi’s absolutely stupid tackle in stoppage time saw his team fall behind completely in extra-time as he had already been booked for speaking to the referee. They were already in bondage and he made things worse.

I never touched my ears after that.

Nico Gonzalez – 6

Indeed, he looked threatening when he had the chance to carry the ball forward, but was pulled off at half-time as Argentina showed much more defensive stability.

Lionel Messi – 4

If this is the end of Lionel Messi, it won’t be what he dreamed of. He didn’t impact the game as much as anyone expected, but it was a great tournament. He is truly a great player.

The image of him sitting on the floor, defeated, may be the last we see of him on a football stadium as far as we know. If so, he goes with his head held high, even if he can’t find another moment in magical history.

Julian Alvarez – 3

Argentina played defensively and Alvarez could not intervene. He was replaced by a central defender in extra time, which tells you everything you need to know about how Lionel Scaloni approached the game.

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Nicolas Otamendi – 6

It looks like an experienced name will be the last dance. We led the defense well enough until the inevitable situation occurred.

Leandro Paredes – 2

shocking. He continued to commit fouls, did nothing positive, held his own in a poor manner until the final whistle, and received a red card after that. He should be ashamed of himself.

Nahuel Molina – 3

Williams was beaten at the back post to set up Torres’ winner. He then sparked an ugly scene at full-time by throwing a punch at Rodri, who was running onto the pitch to celebrate with his team-mates. A sore loser may try to shirk his or her role in an expensive goal.

Facundo Medina – 5

There wasn’t much Medina could do to stop the Spanish attack, but he was ultimately one of the defenders on the pitch when they scored.

Giuliano Simeone – 5

He worked hard after coming on but will always regret missing out in stoppage time in extra time. When the ball landed at his feet from the corner, he would have seen his name in the light. Instead he fired a half-volley over the bar.

Marcos years – 5

Senesi made a few decent tackles, but his introduction instead of Alvarez was straight out of the Thomas Tuchel playbook. This criticized Argentina for trying to hang on before conceding, and perhaps it would have been better to have kept one more striker.

Best Player: Ferran Torres

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