Key eventsTell you what, bet there’s some regret among that England squad having watched that final. A tiny soupçon of courage – which sounds like a oxymoron but in this case is not, so minute is the amount about which we’re talking – was all it took to stop them losing to a side they ought really to have beaten with something to spare, and they were incapable of finding it. The players will, I imagine, be feeling extremely poorly with it and rightly so – but is the manager still blaming them, or will he have gone under the duvet when the night got dark and accepted his role, first in creating the environment, then making the changes largely responsibly for the subsidence?ShareEd Aarons was on player ratings…Is there a number less than zero to describe Argentina’s collective effort?ShareAnd the match in pictures…ShareLet’s begin by reliving the great Rob Smyth’s MBM report…ShareThanks Jo and, for the last time – sniff, snivel – greetings greetings one and all. “Dizguzting” – emphasis mine – is exactly the word I used to describe this abomination to my wife, with particular reference to Argentina spending the first 117 minutes of the final taking a grand total of zero shots at goal – far fewer than the cheap shots they took at the Spanish players. The trophy has gone to the correct place, so I guess we can sort of celebrate that – and, of course, a tournament which, though it phutted at the end, was a ridiculous amount of fun, love and joy. Please feel free to send in your analysis, reflections, best, worst and all of that. It’s over, but it’s in us.ShareWorld Cup DailyI’ll leave you with the latest episode from the team at World Cup Daily. Daniel Harris will be here take you through the rest of the news from the final.And “it was a disgusting final,” according to Jonathan Wilson.
double quotation markI think it would have been hilarious if Argentina had equalised and then won it on penalties.
I think Argentina’s performance today was a consequence of the indulgence they’ve been shown throughout the tournament.
ShareAs Nick Ames writes, after a “tournament that has wrenched, tweaked and torn at the sport’s very fabric, the football itself appeared to be a sideshow for much of the afternoon”.
double quotation markIt concluded with a disorientating fever dream beneath a bright blue American sky … Through it all Infantino and Trump sat abreast, absorbing the spectacle behind reinforced glass.
Melania Trump, Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino watch from their position in the stands. Photograph: Alex Livesey/Danehouse/Getty ImagesShareBack to the action on the field, or rather slightly adjacent to it. A lacklustre “closing ceremony” in which Tom Cruise was drowned out by the crowd got proceedings under way in New Jersey. A half-time show no one asked for filled the gap in the middle that didn’t need to be plugged. And finally, having kept his physical distance all tournament, US president Donald Trump tried to steal the show just as the curtain was falling.Gianni Infantino managed to pull Trump to the side of Spain’s celebrations on the podium. Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty ImagesShare“I think I heard a match commentator say that the last team that beat Spain was Scotland. Does that mean Scotland have won the World Cup?!” asks Peter Oh.I don’t think that’s how it (unofficially) works sadly. The Knowledge took a look at the old winner-stays-on format earlier in the tournament, when Australia were unofficial world champions. But then the USA beat Australia, and then Turkey beat the USA … so I think it’s Turkey. But I could definitely be wrong.ShareUpdated at 02.36 EDTWhat happened to Argentina’s talismanic captain? Was that the last we will see of him on the World Cup stage? Quite possibly.Pablo Iglesias Maurer puts it simply: The world’s greatest player will not see his legacy sullied by this defeat but his team’s display destroyed the game.Messi watches the ceremonial proceedings unfold after the match. Photograph: Marvin Ibo Guengoer/GES Sportfoto/Getty ImagesShareWith their process and craft, Spain subdued “an Argentina team built on faith, devotional energy and a belief in the frankly irrational magic of your lone scurrying 39-year-old genius,” Barney Ronay writes.
double quotation markWell, sometimes that magic will forsake you. The deus ex machina will refuse to appear. And he is perhaps gone from this stage now for good, a Prospero giving his final address to the crowd from a clanky metal bowl outside New York.
ShareDe la Fuente on the victorySpeaking after the match, Spain’s manager, who is a deeply religious person, said: “It was written, and we deserve it.”
double quotation markThis team and this wonderful fanbase deserve everything. We had a date with destiny and we wanted to make it count.
The players have asked me what we have left to win. Together we’ve figured out that it’s the next match in September [against England in the Nations League] because this team is tireless.
Luis de la Fuente celebrates at New York New Jersey Stadium. Photograph: Hannah Peters/FIFA/Getty ImagesShareIn their calm, Spain were still relentless, Sid Lowe says.
double quotation markAgain and again they had come, again and again they had been halted but they would not be denied. A dozen different players had taken aim at Emi Martínez’s goal but somehow he was still standing and time was slipping away, yet Spain refused to do so, so they came some more.
Ferran Torres eventually broke through in extra time. Photograph: David Ramos/Getty ImagesShareThe post-match altercation was a sad reflection of Argentina’s foiled attempt to use their physicality against a very patient Spain. And that patience ultimately paid off, Jacob Steinberg writes, with Argentina just become more frustrated as Spain refused to take the bait.The stats tell the story, too: Argentina’s xG was 0.00 until conceding forced a desperate late flurry. Even then, though, the threat increased only to 0.22.Allow Instagram content?This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click ‘Allow and continue’.ShareAs Spain began to celebrate their second World Cup victory, Leandro Paredes decided to continue his game after the final whistle, making sure the ending was as sour as it possibly could be. The Argentina player initiated a melee just seconds after the whistle blew when he charged at Eric García and pushed him in the neck. Paredes then threw Gavi to the ground, receiving a red card for his troubles.Leandro Paredes gets violent with Gavi after the final whistle. Photograph: Marvin Ibo Guengoer/GES Sportfoto/Getty ImagesShareDavid HytnerIt was the triumph of an idea, an identity. Of an unshakable and patient faith. And when it was over, Spain’s new generation having emulated the one from the 2010 World Cup, all of those legendary names, there was simply delirium for them.SharePreambleJo KhanIt’s over. 104 matches later and Spain have been crowned world champions after defeating Argentina 1-0 in extra time. In contrast to the goal-fest that was England’s third-place win over France, the final was a somewhat less exciting affair – and that’s with a closing ceremony and half-time show! (That’s another story, we’ll get to it.)Luis de la Fuente’s side prodded and poked until the reigning champions could hold them back no longer and Ferran Torres slammed it into the net in the 106th minute. The Guardian had a veritable swarm of journalists at New York New Jersey Stadium to cover the final action on the pitch and off.So, let’s get into it … there’s a lot of it!Share