Spain’s flair meets Argentina’s resilience in a historic World Cup final on Sunday, as the reigning champions of Europe and South America battle for football’s biggest prize.
In what is most likely the last World Cup game of captain Lionel Messi’s career, holders Argentina are hoping to become the first team in 64 years to successfully defend the championship.
After winning their first World Cup in 2010, Spain is hoping to frustrate their aspirations by winning their second World Cup.
As the biggest World Cup in history draws to a close, US President Donald Trump will be among a star-studded audience of little over 80,000 spectators at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.
Officials from the World Cup have stated that they are “monitoring closely” the air quality in the area surrounding the final, which begins at 3 p.m. local time (1900 GMT), due to Canadian wildfires.
A Super Bowl-style concert featuring artists like Madonna, Shakira, and Justin Bieber will take place during the final’s extraordinary 25- to 30-minute halftime break.
However, the actual action will take place on the field in a cross-continental match between titans of football that is full with subplots.
Argentina’s Messi, a 39-year-old genius who is widely regarded as the best football player in history, will be at the center of the drama. The seasoned superstar will match the accomplishment of Brazilian legend Cafu in 1994, 1998, and 2002, making him the second man in history to participate in three World Cup finals.
With eight goals throughout Argentina’s run to the final, Messi has had a classic World Cup campaign and is in the running for the Golden Boot. More importantly, the eight-time Ballon D’Or winner has saved Argentina numerous times when it looked like they would be eliminated.
In the round of 16, Messi led the South Americans to an amazing comeback triumph over Egypt, falling behind 2-0 with 11 minutes remaining before prevailing 3-2.
Then, in Wednesday’s semi-final in Atlanta, he contributed two assists to a thrilling 2-1 victory over England after falling behind. That triumph exemplified Argentina’s tenacious, never-say-die mentality, a tough fortitude developed under head coach Lionel Scaloni.
In Sunday’s blockbuster, Argentina’s incredible resilience will probably be put to the test in the competition. Before making it to the final with an outstanding performance to overcome favorites France 2-0 in the semi-finals, Spain steadily gained momentum in the early rounds.
With their signature style of skillful possession-based football, Spain’s coach Luis de la Fuente’s team neutralized France’s formidable attacking arsenal, demonstrating their strengths.
Spain’s outstanding midfield, captained by Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, and Dani Olmo, outplayed France and bided their time before creating the opportunities that resulted in the game-winning goals.
With six clean sheets in seven games and just one goal allowed, Spain’s defense has been the strongest in the competition behind them.
Spain would set a record for the fewest goals ever given up by a World Cup-winning side with a victory and another clean sheet on Sunday.
Lamine Yamal, the Spanish prodigy, has the potential to be pivotal in an assault. As he recovers from a hamstring injury, the 19-year-old Barcelona winger, who was the hero of Spain’s European Championship-winning campaign in Germany two years ago, hasn’t been at his explosive best in this tournament.
However, Yamal showed flashes of brilliance in the semi-final loss to France, winning the penalty that gave La Roja a vital lead and had a fantastic third goal disallowed due to a flawless offside call.
