Spain Are World Champions Again, and Messi's Last Dance Ends in Tears

The clock had ticked past the hundred and fifth minute when Ferran Torres finally broke Argentina, and for a moment MetLife Stadium seemed to hold its breath before it exploded. Thirty-seven seconds into the second period of extra time, Spain had their goal, their lead, and eventually their second World Cup title, beating Argentina 1-0 in a final that took football's biggest rivalry of the decade all the way to the wire.

By the time the whistle blew on Sunday night in New Jersey, Spain had done something no side had managed since Brazil in 1962: denied the reigning champions a shot at back-to-back titles. Argentina, and Lionel Messi with them, went home with silver instead of the fairytale ending the entire sport had been quietly hoping for.

How did Spain beat Argentina in the World Cup final?

It was not a rout. For long stretches, Argentina looked the more dangerous side, pressing Spain into uncomfortable positions and testing a defense that had leaked chances all tournament. But Spain outlasted Argentina rather than outplayed them, grinding through a scoreless ninety minutes and extra time until Torres found the finish that mattered. It capped a run that had already seen Spain dispatch France 2-0 in the semifinal, a statement performance that made them favorites heading into the final even against a team carrying Messi's aura.

The win, according to Fox News' account of the extra-time winner, gives Spain their second World Cup title after 2010 and makes them the first nation ever to hold both the men's and women's World Cups simultaneously, a piece of history that will sit alongside the trophy itself.

What does this mean for Messi's international career?

Messi had said before the tournament that this would be his last World Cup, and at thirty-nine he played every minute of Sunday's final, still probing for one more piece of magic that never quite arrived. He finished the tournament with eight goals and four assists, a staggering return for a player in his late thirties, but ESPN's account of the final whistle described him in tears on the pitch, unable to will Argentina past a Spain side that simply would not break.