The World Cup final delivered a champion, but it did not deliver a classic. Spain beat Argentina 1-1 draw? No, that was the route to the title, and the decisive moment came when Ferran Torres struck in extra time to settle a final that had spent far too long fighting the weather, the delays and the gamesmanship. Yeremy Pino may not have been the headline act, but he belongs in the story of a Spain side that found a way through an exhausting, awkward night to lift the trophy for the second time.
This was the eighth match for both teams in a tournament that had already asked plenty of them, and the final looked as if it had asked too much before the football had even properly started. It kicked off six minutes late after a speech from Tom Cruise, then stumbled again when the first half ended and the second half began after a 27-minute delay. For a showpiece, it had an awful lot of waiting around and not enough football.
A final dragged down by everything around it
Weeks before the final, concerns had already been raised about the state of the New York New Jersey Stadium pitch. Those warnings did not disappear on the night. After Spain's 1-1 draw against Morocco, Vinicius Jr had said that because of the weather and the heat, the grass dries out quickly and the game ends up being very slow. That complaint felt relevant again here. Ian Wright called the pitch ridiculous, poor, terrible and bobbly and dry. Wayne Rooney was even shorter and harsher: crap.
They were not wrong to be irritated. Spain dominated possession and passing for long stretches, which was the right way to approach a final of this kind, but Argentina were happy to make the game ugly whenever they could. They relied on fouls and gamesmanship to break up play, and that only added to the sense that the match was being pulled in every direction except the one that matters most: actual football.
Even then, Spain kept their shape and kept moving the ball. That is where the real credit lies. This was not a final won by panic or luck. It was won by control, patience and the refusal to be dragged into chaos. Yeremy Pino was part of that wider picture, part of a Spain side that understood the assignment while the occasion around them kept wobbling.
Ferran Torres makes the difference
The decisive phase came late. Enzo Fernandez was sent off shortly before extra time, and that tilted the final further towards Spain, who had already looked the more composed side. Then Ferran Torres scored in extra time to put Spain ahead, and that was that. Argentina did not create a big chance until the 121st minute, which tells you almost everything about how hard Spain made the night for them.
That late spell also underlined the difference between control and desperation. Spain stayed organised. Argentina, after so much disruption and so many stoppages, never really looked like turning the match back in their favour. Leandro Paredes was then sent off after the final whistle, which felt like a last ugly footnote to a final that had already lost the plot long before the trophy ceremony.
So yes, Spain are the World Cup winners. Ferran Torres gets the decisive goal and the headline. But the broader verdict is less flattering to the occasion itself. This final had colour and drama available to it, but too often it settled for delay, frustration and noise. Spain deserve credit for winning it anyway. Yeremy Pino and the rest of La Roja will remember the title. The rest of us may remember how hard the final worked to hide the football.
