EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Ferran Torres scored the winning goal for Spain in world cup It’s a play made possible by two of the team’s best players and two substitutes in Sunday’s final against Argentina.
Up until that point, Spain had taken 11 shots, but none had been able to beat opposing goalkeeper Emiliano “Dib” Martinez.
“We had a lot of chances,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said. “But Dib was just exceptional.”
The teams played for 105 minutes and it looked like Spain would gain a huge advantage when Enzo Fernandes was sent off for a second yellow card in stoppage time.
Still, Spain, playing 11 men against 10 men, were unable to take advantage of any chances until the first half of extra time, with the goal being canceled after the referee ruled that Mikel Merino stepped on the foot of Argentine defender Nicolas Otamendi before Nico Williams put the ball into the goal.
Build up to the goal
In the middle of extra time, the score was 0-0, and Spain had the ball in midfield. Argentina played shorthanded and offered little resistance.
Pau Kvarsi passed the ball to Marc Cucurella on the field, then Eric Garcia and then Martin Zvimendi, who found Yamal on the right. Yamal made an early shot and had an early scoring opportunity, earning praise from his teammates and coaches as one of the best players on the field at just 19 years old.
“He’s been playing great soccer, and it’s going to help him grow and become an even greater soccer player than he is,” coach de la Fuente said. “He really sacrificed for the collective good, which is very important to our team.”
Yamal passed the ball to Pedro Polo, who touched it almost like any other player in the final.
Polo puts the ball deep for Nico Williams
This was the most important of Polo’s 130 touches and he made it count. His right-footed cross into the box went over the far post and almost went out.
Williams, who came on in the 75th minute, headed the ball back towards Torres rather than cross the goal line and leave the play.
At that moment, de la Fuente had flashbacks to Andres Iniesta’s goal in extra time to help Spain win the 2010 World Cup.
“That photo, that image is vivid in my mind,” de la Fuente said.
Torres, who came on as a substitute just after the hour mark, scored a perfect goal with his left foot. The shot was Spain’s 20th of the match for Argentina at the time, and it went past several defenders and Martinez to give Spain a 1-0 lead in the 106th minute.
“At the end of the day, I think this was a goal scored by 47 million people,” Torres said. “I feel very happy. During the World Cup I was criticized a lot, but I think it was written by fate or something. But I always have a chance, I always have the option to continue. God gives it to those who believe in it, to those who deserve it the most.”
The Barcelona star kicked down a corner flag as he was mauled by his team-mates and by the celebrating fans around him.
“I’m very happy that he scored this goal,” de la Fuente said. “He’s going to go down in history. He’s already made history and he deserves it.”
De la Fuente said Spain’s players and coaches tried to remain calm, knowing the game was not over.
Torres almost scored again but was ruled offside and Spain held off Argentina’s corner chance to defeat the defending champions and win their second World Cup title.
___
See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
