Here are the starting lineups:
SPAIN (4-2-3-1):
GK: Unai Simon, Athletic Bilbao (ESP)
DF: Pedro Porro, Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)
DF: Pau Cubarsi, Barcelona (ESP)
DF: Pau Cubarsi, Barcelona (ESP)
DF: Aymeric Laporte, Athletic Bilbao (ESP)
DF: Marc Cucurella, Real Madrid (ESP)
MF: Rodri (Captain), Manchester City (ENG)
MF: Fabian Ruiz, Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
FW: Lamine Yamal, Barcelona (ESP)
MF: Dani Olmo, Barcelona (ESP)
MF: Alex Baena, Atletico Madrid (ESP)
FW: Mikel Oyarzabal, Real Sociedad (ESP)
ARGENTINA (4-1-3-2):
GK: Emiliano Martinez, Aston Villa (ENG)
DF: Gonzalo Montiel, River Plate (ARG)
DF: Cristian Romero, Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)
DF: Lisandro Martinez, Manchester Utd (ENG)
DF: Nicolas Tagliafico, Lyon (FRA)
MF: Enzo Fernandez, Chelsea (ENG)
MF: Rodrigo De Paul, Inter Miami (USA)
MF: Alexis Mac Allister, Liverpool (ENG)
MF: Alexis Mac Allister, Liverpool (ENG)
FW: Nicolas Gonzalez, Juventus (ITA)
FW: Lionel Messi (Captain), Inter Miami (USA)
FW: Julian Alvarez, Atletico Madrid (ESP)
As usual, Argentina has opened the game by teaching their opponents that if you have the ball, it won't be long before someone from Argentina crashes into you. Argentina hasn't bothered to do anything on offense yet. After 30 minutes, we have no score.
Yesterday, England won the Third Place Game -- a goofy 6-4 affair that had the energy of an NBA All-Star Game. So England finishes in the Top Three for the first time since 1966.
ReplyDeleteHere are the odds on Polymarket:
ReplyDeleteSpain: 41.4 percent
Draw: 36.1 percent
Argentina: 23.1 percent
Both teams are wearing their home uniforms, and they look great.
ReplyDeleteRob Smyth at the Guardian has a great line about Argentina: "They've got the collective will of Keyser Soze."
ReplyDeleteArgentina's Lisandro Martinez pulls something and has to leave the proceedings. He is replaced by Nicolas Otamendi.
ReplyDeleteEngland thinks that they want to win more than anyone else. But they don't want to win more than Argentina does.
DeleteHalftime: Spain 0 - 0 Argentina
ReplyDeleteLatest odds on Polymarket:
ReplyDeleteDraw: 40.13 percent
Spain: 39.63 percent
Argentina: 21.13 percent
50 minutes: Spain 0 - 0 Argentina
ReplyDeleteLatest odds on Polymarket:
ReplyDeleteDraw: 40.87 percent
Spain: 35.62 percent
Argentina: 20.63 percent
It feels very much like the first team to score will win the World Cup.
ReplyDeleteIn the 55th minute, a Spain attack results in a corner, as Argentina is forced to pound the ball over the back line. But Spain's attack goes nowhere, and Argentina soon has a goal kick.
ReplyDeleteSpain comes forward again, and now they have one of those free kicks from just outside the Penalty Box.
ReplyDelete60 minutes: Spain 0 - 0 Argentina
ReplyDeleteSpain's free kick fails, thanks to good defense from the Argentines.
ReplyDeleteLatest odds from Polymarket:
ReplyDeleteDraw: 46.13 percent
Spain: 36.63 percent
Argentina: 16.38 percent
Argentina is doing nothing on offense. They have yet to take a shot on goal.
ReplyDeleteSpain comes back down. A shot from Olmo is blocked by the keeper, but sets up another corner.
ReplyDeleteArgentina heads the ball over the line for another corner. Argentina takes control of that corner, and clears the ball.
ReplyDeleteSpain comes straight back down the field to force another corner. This one leads up to a dangerous-looking header, but that shot is caught by Argentina's keeper.
ReplyDeletePausa de hidratacion: Espana 0 - 0 Argentina
ReplyDeleteLatest odds from Polymarket:
ReplyDeleteDraw: 49.38 percent
Spain: 34.62 percent
Argentina: 15.50 percent
Reminder: Argentina is the defending World Cup champion. Spain is the defending European champion.
ReplyDelete70 minutes: Spain 0 - 0 Argentina
ReplyDeleteLatest odds from Polymarket:
ReplyDeleteDraw: 53.13 percent
Spain: 31.37 percent
Argentina: 14.88 percent
Spain still has most of the attack, and their shot in the 76th minute is caught by the Keeper. Then another shot is blocked, and now Spain have a corner.
ReplyDeleteI quickly bang out two Wordles, and miss no action of interest.
ReplyDeleteSpain has taken 10 shots, seven of which were on target. Argentina has yet to take a shot.
ReplyDelete80 minutes: Spain 0 - 0 Argentina
ReplyDeleteSpain forces another corner kick. If FIFA took my advice, and broke ties with corners instead of penalty kicks, the trophy would be heading for Madrid.
ReplyDeleteThat corner leads another save by the Argentina keeper.
ReplyDeleteLatest odds from Polymarket:
ReplyDeleteDraw: 60.62 percent
Spain: 29.63 percent
Argentina: 10.38 percent
Now Enzo Fernandez gets a yellow card for diving.
ReplyDeleteI know these are the two best teams in the world, but honestly I'd rather watch a noon kickoff between Louisville and SMU.
ReplyDeleteSpain has attacked Argentina to no effect for 86 minutes, and the English fans wonder why their team wasn't pressing forward with a 1-0 lead.
ReplyDeleteA long attack from Spain ends with a 35-yard shot being hoofed far over the cross bar.
ReplyDelete90 minutes: Spain 0 - 0 Argentina
ReplyDelete4 minutes of injury time
Messi gets the ball and starts running up the field. He crashes into a Spain player about 40 yards from goal, and Argentina will have a free kick in injury time.
ReplyDeleteArgentina presses forward, and takes their first shot of the game -- but it is saved. Spain races to the other end, but its shot is blocked.
ReplyDeleteThe ball bounds out to Cubarsi in the middle of the field. Enzo Fernandez rushes out to stop him, and Cubarsi goes flying. That's a RED CARD for Enzo Fernandez, and now we have a bunch of arguing in midfield.
ReplyDeleteTechnically, that was Fernandez's second yellow card, which is equal to a red. So he's gone, and Argentina are down to 10 men.
DeleteSpain really wants to win it now. They probe carefully, and eventually get one of those free kicks from right outside the penalty box. This is an ideal chance to win the World Cup.
ReplyDeleteSpain's free kick is online, but the keeper pushes it over the line for a corner kick. That kick goes nowhere, and we are headed for Extra Time.
ReplyDeleteFull Time: Spain 0 - 0 Argentina
ReplyDeleteSo the draw won on Polymarket. Here are the odds to win the match:
ReplyDeleteSpain: 71 percent
Argentina: 29 percent
To be honest, the amount of offense we've seen in the Meadowlands is pretty comparable to what you would expect from the Jets or the Giants.
ReplyDeleteSo, here we go: Spain will have 30 more minutes to score against Argentina's 10 men. Argentina will try to hang on for penalty kicks.
ReplyDeleteSpain has an excellent shot from a header, but the Argentine Keeper makes an excellent save.
ReplyDeleteThere's a scramble in front of the goal, and Nico Williams bangs the ball into the net for Spain. But the goal doesn't count because the referee had just called a foul on Spain. The game stops and we go back to the usual squabbling.
ReplyDelete100 minutes: Spain 0 - 0 Argentina
ReplyDeleteLatest odds from Polymarket:
ReplyDeleteSpain: 66 percent
Argentina: 34 percent
Mikel Merino has a great chance to put Spain on top, but his header goes just wide.
ReplyDeleteIt's impossible to imagine a team of Americans winning a game like this.
ReplyDelete105 minutes: Spain 0 - 0 Argentina
ReplyDeleteThat concludes the first half of Extra Time.
Latest odds from Polymarket:
ReplyDeleteSpain: 61 percent
Argentina: 40 percent
The Argentina fans can feel it now -- they love their chances in penalty kicks.
ReplyDeleteBut finally, justice has been done! Spain charges forward yet again. This time, Pedro Porro fires a long shot that goes across the goal. Nico Williams, at the goal line, heads the ball back in front of the goal, and then Ferran Torres pounds the ball into the net. SPAIN LEADS 1-0, and they are 14 minutes from winning the World Cup.
ReplyDeleteThis game is amazingly similar to the 2014 Final between Germany and Argentina. The Germans won that game 1-0 with a goal in the 113th minute.
ReplyDeleteThat shot was Spain's 20th attempt at goal and 12th on target. Argentina has no shots on goal.
ReplyDeleteLatest odds from Polymarket:
ReplyDeleteSpain: 91 percent
Argentina: 9 percent
This is probably the last game Messi will ever play for Argentina, and the team decided to spend the whole game hoping for a scoreless tie. I will never understand that.
ReplyDeleteUnleashed at last, Messi has one shot that hits the top of the netting, and another shot that smashes a Spain defender in the face.
ReplyDeleteIn the 119th minute, Messi takes a free kick that leads to a shot being pushed wide. Argentina will have a corner.
ReplyDelete120 minutes: Spain 1 - 0 Argentina
ReplyDelete5 minutes of injury time
The corner bounces to an Argentine player in front of the goal, but his shot goes over the crossbar.
ReplyDeleteSimeone had almost exactly the same type of angle that Messi converted to tie the game with Egypt. But you have to hit the ball exactly right. He hit the bottom half of the ball, which caused it to soar over the crossbar.
DeleteIT'S OVER! IT'S ALL OVER! SPAIN WINS ITS SECOND WORLD CUP BY THE SCORE OF 1-0 OVER ARGENTINA.
ReplyDeleteSpain are worthy champions -- they were never seriously threatened at any point during the tournament.
ReplyDeleteHere is the all-time record of World Cup Finals:
ReplyDeleteBrazil: 5-2
Germany: 4-4
Italy: 4-2
Argentina: 3-4
France: 2-2
Spain: 2-0
Uruguay: 2-0
England: 1-0
Netherlands: 0-3
Hungary: 0-2
Czechoslovakia: 0-2
Sweden: 0-1
Croatia: 0-1
The next World Cup will kick off on June 8, 2030.
ReplyDelete