IT is easy to dissect Spain’s 1-0 win over Argentina.
It did it by strangling, choking and suffocating Argentina’s promise to deliver a repeat win in football’s World Cup on Monday, July 20, 2026 Philippine time, in New York/New Jersey Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, that is also known as the Metlife Stadium.
Ferran Torres scored the winning shot 39 seconds into the second half of extra time, thumping in an eight-yard shot against an Argentine 10-man team on the 106th minute.
“I just saw the ball coming to me, and I just shot it with the power of all the power of the Spanish people,” said Torres.
The pass came from Nico Williams’ header from the back post.
Torres’ winner duplicated Andres Iniesta’s extra time winner against the Netherlands for Spain’s maiden title in 2010.
A defensive specialist, Spain actually entered the game the slight favorite even as Argentina was the defending champion after prevailing in Qatar in 2022.
The loss prevented Argentina from becoming the first repeat winner since Brazil
in 1962.
Argentina really appeared ready to win as it was waving a total of 19 goals in seven unbeaten matches going into Monday’s game.
But against Spain, it had only two shots, and neither was on target.
Spain allowed Argentina to touch the ball only eight times in the penalty area, even limiting the defending champion to only one corner kick in 90 minutes.
Defense, indeed, is the best offense.
Didn’t Spain barge into its second final in 16 years by yielding only one goal to all its seven opponents in the entire tournament?
And look: Spain had 20 shots, 12 on target, and had 31 touches in the box in the 104th game of the five-week event held in the US, Mexico and Canada.
In short, Spain was dominating the game all afternoon, in the process literally silencing Lionel Messi, the Argentine star playing in a record third straight World Cup, as the Spaniards brutally barred the 39-year-old from touching the ball.
When her dearest Boy said Spain was truly controlling the contest as they were watching the game on TV, Pinky C. Colmenares, an avid Messi fan, hollered: “Keep quiet!”
Thus, as the reigning European champion, Spain’s win over Argentina didn’t surprise me at all, as it has now stretched its winning streak to 38 over the last two years.
“Our colonizers did it again,” said Malaya Sol M. Sadiwa.
To be honest, Spain was destined to win. Felt it.
