Argentina falls 1-0 in what is widely expected to be Lionel Messi’s last appearance at the tournament
US President Donald Trump inserted himself into the awards ceremony, personally presenting Spain with the FIFA World Cup trophy after the European champions defeated defending champions Argentina 1-0 in extra time in New Jersey.
Trump joined FIFA President Gianni Infantino on the presentation stage at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Videos from the stadium showed the pair being greeted with a mixture of loud cheers and boos as they walked onto the field for the ceremony.
They handed medals to players from both teams before Trump presented the trophy to Spain captain Rodri.
The US president then remained at the center of the podium, where the players had gathered for the traditional trophy lift. Infantino appeared to gently steer Trump toward the side to give the team more space, but he stayed beside the players as Rodri raised the cup, creating a slightly awkward moment.
Spain dominated much of the final but saw their efforts repeatedly denied by Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who made 12 saves. Luis de la Fuente’s team registered the first 20 shot attempts of the match.
Argentina were reduced to ten men shortly before extra time after Enzo Fernandez was sent off for a second bookable offense.
Substitute Ferran Torres finally broke the deadlock with the only goal in the 106th minute, turning the ball in from close range after Nico Williams headed Pedro Porro’s cross into his path.
The victory secured Spain’s second men’s World Cup, 16 years after their triumph in South Africa in 2010. With the women’s team having won the 2023 tournament, Spain also became the first country to hold both the men’s and women’s world titles simultaneously.
The defeat denied Argentina back-to-back championships and brought what was likely Messi’s final World Cup appearance to a disappointing end. The 39-year-old struggled to make an impact against Spain’s defense after helping Argentina reach their second consecutive final.
Messi had fueled retirement speculation before the match by sharing an image of boots bearing the words “El Último Tango” – “The Last Tango.” After the final whistle, he could not hold back his tears as Argentina’s hopes of defending the title came to an end.
Trump became the first sitting US president to attend a World Cup final on American soil. Before the match, he hailed the expanded 48-team tournament as a major success and declared that the United States had become “a soccer country.”
Trump appeared to lean toward Argentina while declining to make an outright prediction. “I won’t pick sides, but I think it’s very hard to bet against Messi. He’s great,” he told Fox Sports, adding that he had “always liked” both Messi and his longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
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