“This goal belongs to whole nation”: Torres dedicates FIFA World Cup-…

New Jersey [US], July 20 (ANI): Spain forward Ferran Torres dedicated his World Cup-winning goal to the entire nation after his extra-time strike secured a 1-0 victory over Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final on Sunday (local time).

Hours after helping La Roja lift their second World Cup title, Torres shared pictures of his decisive moments on X and wrote, “This goal belongs to the whole nation." amunra.help

The 26-year-old’s only goal of the tournament proved to be its most significant. His clinical finish in the 106th minute settled a tense final at MetLife Stadium, ending Argentina’s hopes of retaining the title and delivering Spain’s first World Cup triumph since 2010.

Torres’ winner also evoked memories of Andres Iniesta’s iconic extra-time goal against the Netherlands in the 2010 final, which handed Spain their maiden World Cup crown.

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In a tournament where he featured in all eight matches, Torres contributed one goal and one assist, with his solitary strike becoming the defining moment of Spain’s campaign.

The final remained deadlocked through 90 minutes despite Spain dominating much of the contest. Emiliano Martinez kept Argentina in the game with a series of impressive saves, denying Dani Olmo, Torres and Pau Cubarsi as Spain searched for the breakthrough.

Argentina’s task became even harder in stoppage time when Enzo Fernandez was sent off after picking up a second yellow card for a late challenge on Cubarsi, leaving the defending champions to contest extra time with 10 men.

Spain thought they had found the winner early in extra time when Nico Williams tapped into an empty net, only for the goal to be ruled out for a foul in the build-up.

The breakthrough finally arrived six minutes later. Williams won the aerial duel and knocked the ball into Torres’ path, and the forward reacted quickest to smash his effort into the roof of the net from close range.

The goal sealed a 1-0 victory, earned Spain their second FIFA World Cup title, and extended Luis de la Fuente’s side’s unbeaten run to a European-record 38 international matches.

For Torres, whose tournament had largely been defined by hard work rather than goals, the final provided the perfect stage to make his decisive contribution–one that ensured his name will forever be etched alongside Spain’s greatest World Cup heroes. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

New Jersey [US], July 20 (ANI): Spain midfielder Dani Olmo celebrated his country’s FIFA World Cup 2026 triumph by paying tribute to the cities that defined his footballing journey, sharing a poignant message after La Roja defeated Argentina 1-0 in Sunday’s final.

Olmo posted a picture of himself holding the FIFA World Cup trophy on X alongside the words, “Terrassa. Barcelona. Zagreb. Leipzig. Barcelona. New York."

The six locations chart the remarkable path that took the 28-year-old from his hometown to the pinnacle of world football.

Born in Terrassa on May 7, 1998, Olmo began his football education at Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy before making the bold decision to leave Spain as a teenager for Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb. He made his senior debut there in 2015 and went on to make 124 appearances, scoring 34 goals while winning five league titles and three Croatian Cups.

His performances earned him a move to German side RB Leipzig in 2020, where he lifted back-to-back DFB-Pokal titles in 2022 and 2023, as well as the 2023 DFL-Supercup, memorably scoring a hat-trick in the final. Olmo returned to his boyhood club, Barcelona, in 2024 and has since added the FIFA World Cup to the UEFA Euro 2024 title he helped Spain win.

His final destination in the social media post — ‘New York’ — marked the city where he achieved the biggest honour of his career after Spain overcame defending champions Argentina at MetLife Stadium.

Olmo featured in all eight of Spain’s matches during the tournament, contributing two assists while playing a key creative role in Luis de la Fuente’s side.

The final itself was a tense affair, with Spain dominating possession but struggling to find a way past Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who produced a series of excellent saves to keep the holders in the contest.

Argentina’s hopes suffered a major setback in second-half stoppage time when Enzo Fernandez was sent off after receiving a second yellow card, forcing Lionel Scaloni’s side to play extra time with 10 men.

Spain thought they had taken the lead through Nico Williams early in extra time, only for the goal to be ruled out for a foul in the build-up. The breakthrough finally came in the 106th minute when Ferran Torres latched onto Williams’ knockdown and hammered the ball into the roof of the net.

The victory secured Spain’s second FIFA World Cup title after their maiden success in 2010, while extending their unbeaten international run to a European record 38 matches.

For Olmo, whose career has taken him across Spain, Croatia and Germany before returning home, the journey ended with football’s greatest prize in New York, a destination that now holds a special place alongside every city that helped shape his rise. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

It’s nothing short of depressing that a World Cup campaign in which Lionel Messi contributed eight goals and four assists at the age of 39 is not destined to be remembered for his performances, but for the appalling scenes towards the end.

Enzo Fernández’s second yellow card for a reckless challenge was bad enough, but Leandro Paredes’ behaviour after the final whistle, getting involved in an ugly confrontation with the celebrating Spain players, was deplorable. It brought to mind the title of the definitive book on Argentine football, Angels with Dirty Faces by Jonathan Wilson, which in turn took its name from the 1938 James Cagney film.

Argentine football has always had these two sides to it. When it flourished in the 1940s, it did so with a philosophy known as la nuestra (‘our way’). River Plate’s La Máquina ( the machine) featuring stars such as Adolfo Pedernera and Alfredo Di Stéfano, set the standard for beautiful football in South America.

However, as the country’s politics and worldview changed in the 1950s, a far more cynical approach also began to take root. By the late 1960s, when the Intercontinental Cup was contested between the champions of Europe and South America, the matches had often descended into glorified brawls. Argentine teams were frequently the chief culprits.

The 1967 clash between Jock Stein’s Celtic and Argentina’s Racing Club was marked by cynical fouls in both legs, while the play-off in Montevideo saw six players sent off as Celtic eventually retaliated against the constant provocation. The difference, however, was that the Argentine players who were dismissed were rewarded with bonuses and even sports cars, while the Celtic players were fined when they returned home to Scotland.

Estudiantes de La Plata, with Juan Sebastián Verón’s father Juan Ramón Verón among their ranks, took the violence to another level over the next two years. They first targeted Manchester United and then AC Milan in 1969, a match in which AC Milan’s Pierino Prati was knocked unconscious and Néstor Combin suffered multiple facial fractures after what amounted to little more than outright assault from Estudiantes players.

What Paredes did after the final whistle was a reminder of those dark days and something we should never want to see on a football pitch. Frustration or not, there is no place in sport for such behaviour.

Argentina had been spoiling for a fight throughout the 90 minutes and extra time, and the only surprise was that it took until the closing stages for a player to be sent off. The Slovakian referee was perhaps too lenient in the first half, keeping his cards in his pocket for far too long, and that only encouraged a more cynical approach to take root.

Amid all the chaos, a heartbroken Messi made sure he went over and shook hands with every single Spain player. The world will not remember him for having a dirty face. Instead, his composure and class should be the standard that Argentine football carries forward in the years to come.

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