How Argentina’s heel turn was cut short in the World Cup final against Spain
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Ferran Torres spent extra time lying on the pitch at MetLife Stadium, a privilege he earned after breaking the deadlock in Sunday’s World Cup final 106 minutes into the game. The Spanish striker was not the only one holding his breath, however, as he put his side on course for a second title, 1-0, at Argentina’s expense.
After all, the criminals of the World Cup had finally been killed.
Less than four years after the world lost its champion Lionel Messi, before he won the title that had eluded him, Argentina drew a line from one of film’s most famous villains — heroes didn’t die, instead they lived long enough to become villains. Their run to the finals of the World Cup on Sunday would not have happened because it was clear that the golden generation was falling apart. Messi, who was still smart, had passed 39 years of age. Argentina were not as deep as their other title contenders, Spain chief among them. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez played the entire tournament with a broken hand, refusing surgery despite receiving advice from doctors to do so.
They could have entered the plucky underdog scene and almost did, but the circumstances favored them in several ways they could have foreseen. Nine of the 11 goals in the play-off stage came after the 75th minute, which led to their comeback against Cape Verde, Egypt, Switzerland and England. Referee luck was in their favour, and Spain had a goal disallowed after extra time had started. They didn’t throw in the towel until the 117th minute on Sunday, a performance by a team that has benefited from Messi pulling a rabbit out of the hat on days he doesn’t show up.
In the end, it didn’t work.
It is Spain’s right that Argentina has lost its inexplicable magic. Luis da la Fuente’s side never abandoned Plan A and were the better team all afternoon. A tense first half, where they only took three shots, let loose in the second half to show their intent and skills with the World Cup trophy on the line. They took 12 shots in the second half alone, when they dominated and outscored Argentina. Rodri, who won the 2024 Ballon d’Or, was in top form. The opposition put a little pressure on him, and he was relaxed in midfield, which was never a guarantee at the age of 30 and after an ACL injury from which he slowly recovered – but in time for the World Cup.
Spain’s ability to nullify their opponents kicked in early. In what may have been his World Cup anthem, Messi managed to touch 54 balls in 120 minutes, well below his per-game average of 77.52 heading into Sunday’s game. There was no fairy tale ending from a star whose rise to fame felt inevitable, but who already has near-universal acclaim and appreciation. He missed out on a second World Cup title, the golden boot award and the tournament’s all-time goalscoring record in the blink of an eye.
Maybe it was a sad ending for Messi in particular, who had once again carried Argentina as far as he could reach, but it was a fitting ending for a team that might have entered the World Cup finals. They may have come close to the trophy but they didn’t play like World Cup winners on Sunday, conceding two shots in 120 minutes and producing just 0.17 goals against on the road. They may have limited Spain to an expected 1.94 goals from 20 shots, but even if the conversion rate was low, they played well enough to get at least one of those shots over the line.
Argentina chooses to criticize
The trajectory is amazing, if not all that amazing. Sceloni chose a funny strategy where Argentina struggled as much as possible, chose to go forward for the most part and tried to make the game more realistic to disrupt Spain’s momentum. It almost worked, but that was thanks to Martinez’s effort on goal. Argentina has been the most notable “vibes only” World Cup opponent in recent memory, especially when standing next to the sound and balanced, if sometimes unpleasant, Spain.
It’s not an unusual playbook for plucky underdog types, even if Argentina weren’t exactly made in that mold. As they chased the honor of the finals in the big competition that saw them win two Copa America titles and one World Cup in between, they came to this competition with the death of that type of team. The traditional Plan A between new world champions Spain was not an option for them. Underdogs tend to choose a grueling, disruptive game plan because that’s what works against opponents who are set to dictate the tempo of the game — and come away with a win to go along with it. This type of Argentina has almost always been automatic at that, especially since historically they have been a “vibes only” group even at best.
You cannot be underdogs even though you are the defending champions. Doubly so when you have the best player the world has ever seen.
But they are completely dependent on this World Cup, trying to defend the title as much as any team has done in a while. The good news for them is that they will reset once the dust settles and the confetti sweeps across New Jersey. Messi hasn’t announced his international retirement and Sceloni hasn’t officially retired, but both of those things seem likely, making this tournament a win-win situation for this team regardless. Scaloni talked a lot about the semi-final against England, trying to enjoy the moments last week as they tried to win the World Cup in the most difficult way.
Their villain arc is proven and complete, so much so that Messi’s song blared during the trophy presentation ceremony at MetLife Stadium. Messi looked overwhelmed by the event, perhaps for a number of reasons – there are probably less painful emotions than losing a World Cup final, but perhaps he was enjoying his last minutes on the World Cup pitch. The victory was not his on Sunday but his legacy has been established for a long time, in stark contrast to his last time in this building. Ten years ago, he left Argentina’s national team for a short time after losing their fourth major final, that time losing on penalties to Chile in the Copa America.
His last run wasn’t always great but ten years after he declared “this is not for me,” he proved as another better team won that the big stages were meant for him.
