How a Young and Cohesive Spain Took Down Argentina

Thirty-four days ago, Spain opened their World Cup campaign with a frustrating goalless draw against tournament debutants Cape Verde.

On Sunday, they ended it with the World Cup trophy in their hands, defeating holders Argentina in the final in New Jersey.

Luis de la Fuente’s young side improved by leaps and bounds as the tournament wore on, slowly shifting up the gears as they headed through the knockout stages before finally emerging as winners in the biggest game.

Spain conceded just one goal all tournament and maintained an unbeaten record, which has now stretched to an incredible 38 games.

It all culminated in a dominant final performance by La Roja, who controlled the match and nullified Argentina’s attacking threats.

Here’s a look at how Spain secured their second World Cup.

The kids will be all right

Spain went into this tournament with the sixth-youngest squad of the 48 teams competing, with an average age of 26.19 and just six players over 30.

Compare that with Brazil, for example, who had 11 players over the age of 30 and an average age of 28.65.

La Roja certainly opted for youth over experience, and it was the right call. Some of their best players are teenagers, with Pau Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal both 19.

Nico Williams, who assisted the winning goal in the final, is 24, while Barcelona midfielder Pedri is 23.

Dominating the final

Spain stuck with the same starting lineup for Sunday’s final, and who can blame them? They followed the same playbook as the semifinal, controlling possession and frustrating their opponents.

Argentina were restricted to just two shots in 120 minutes of football, with none of those efforts on target.

Spain enjoyed 65 percent possession and wore the South Americans down both mentally and physically.

Argentina’s frustration boiled over in second-half stoppage time as Enzo Fernandez went in late on Cubarsi, sending his opponent high into the air and earning a second yellow card.

Spain, who had brought the likes of Pedri, Williams and Torres off the bench, continued to dominate and finally made the breakthrough in the 106th minute, as Torres smashed the ball into the roof of the net.

- Author: Adam Hancock, Al Jazeera

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