Best attack power. best defense.
of world cup The finals have been decided, and a fitting clash of styles awaits. Lionel Messi, the most prolific goalscorer in the tournament’s history, and defending champion Argentina will take on the Spanish defensive giants on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Spain defeats France One of Tuesday’s semifinals. Argentina, the come-from-behind champions of this tournament, They bounced back and defeated England 2-1. In the other semifinal on Wednesday.
Argentina are aiming for their fourth title and become the first to win back-to-back World Cups since Brazil achieved the feat in 1958 and 1962. Spain is aiming for its second title after 2010.
Argentina leads the competition in terms of goals scored (19).
Spain leads the competition in terms of the fewest goals conceded (1).
Something will have to give up on Sunday when the biggest World Cup in history, with 48 teams and 104 games played in the United States, Canada and Mexico, concludes.
it’s not finalissima. It’ll get better.
South American champion Argentina european champion spain They were scheduled to play in Doha, Qatar in late March in the Finalissima, a showdown between Messi and Lamine Yamal’s team as a prelude to the World Cup.
That match never happened. Security became an issue due to unrest in the Middle East, and at the time Iran was stepping up attacks on neighboring countries in retaliation for airstrikes by the United States and Israel in the ongoing war. The match was called off.
So instead of playing at Lusail Stadium, The epic final of the 2022 World Cup Messi and Argentina’s penalty shootout win over France and Kylian Mbappe will see soccer’s biggest match take place near New York.
It will be a showdown between the present and the future of soccer, and of course, it will be a showdown between the teams holding the top two spots in the FIFA world rankings entering the World Cup: No. 1 Argentina and No. 2 Spain.
A famous photo was taken in 2007 when Messi participated in a UNICEF program and posed with a baby.
Yamal was that baby. Like Messi (currently playing for Inter Miami), Yamal will also become a left-footed star for Spanish club Barcelona. That’s the most unlikely thing. From a photo taken together 20 years ago, the two stars are set to be together again to finish this year’s World Cup.
The finish looks like a picture.
How did Spain get here?
— Record: 6 wins, 1 draw, 0 losses.
— Goal: 13.
— Opposite goals: 1.
— Group stage: 0-0 draw with Cape Verde, 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia, 1-0 win over Uruguay.
— Knockout stage: 3-0 win over Austria, 1-0 win over Portugal, 2-1 win over Belgium, 2-0 win over France.
How did Argentina get here?
Record: 7 wins, 0 draws, 0 losses.
Goal: 19.
Goals conceded: 7.
Group stage: 3-0 win over Algeria, 2-0 win over Austria, 3-1 win over Jordan.
Knockout stage: 3-2 win over Cape Verde, 3-2 win over Egypt, 3-1 win over Switzerland, 2-1 win over England.
streaking
Both teams will advance to the finals with impressive undefeated records.
— Spain entered the final with an unbeaten streak of 37 matches in both official matches and friendlies, winning 28 of them and drawing nine. Their last loss was 1-0 against Colombia in March 2024.
— Argentina remains unbeaten in its last 13 World Cup matches, with 11 wins and two draws, since losing to Saudi Arabia in the opening group stage of the 2022 tournament.
odds
Spain (+120) is set as the early favorite against Argentina (+275). The odds for a draw are immediately set at +200, and it’s reasonable to think that all of these numbers could change significantly before the title fight.
___
See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
