MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Spain are World Cup champions once again. Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in New Jersey to claim their second title. NPR's Jasmine Garsd was at the game and is with us now to tell us more about it. Good morning.
JASMINE GARSD, BYLINE: Good morning.
MARTIN: OK. You watched so many matches this World Cup. Was this what you were expecting for this final one?
GARSD: I'm going to be totally honest with you here. It was a little bit of a very slow sizzle between these two powerhouses. You know, there's that saying when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. Argentina's notoriously intense attack was stymied over and over and over again by Spain's impenetrable defense. It was a rowdy game. There were several yellow cards. Argentina player Enzo Fernandez got a red card. He left Argentina playing with just 10 men.
The game went into 30 minutes of extra time, and by the end, Spain had dominated completely. They made 20 shots on goal, compared to just two by Argentina. And one of those shots was the game-winner. Spain's Ferran Torres made a goal at the minute 106. Overall, I would say Spain was the better team, but Argentina really made them work for it.
MARTIN: You know, Argentina came in with so much hype. The defending champion. They've won World Cup three times. They were runner-up three times. Why do you think they fell short this time?
GARSD: I think Spain was just better. And, you know, listen, let's face it, Argentina had a tough go during the knockout games of this tournament. After the game, Argentina's coach, Lionel Scaloni, was asked what's next for him. He got really emotional.
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LIONEL SCALONI: (Non-English language spoken, crying).
GARSD: He said forming another group like this would be hard to recreate, and he says it just hurts his soul. And then he apologized and left the news conference in tears.
MARTIN: I have to say, though, Argentina provided some thriller moments with these come-from-behind victories, even if they didn't dominate throughout anyway. It was exciting. OK. Tell us more about Spain and this winning squad.
GARSD: Well, you know, Spain hasn't been as showy as other teams. They've been playing, like, this quiet, relentless tournament. They only gave up one goal across all their eight matches. That set a World Cup record, and it is a testament to just how solid that defense was. Here's Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente about what he told his players right before kickoff.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
LUIS DE LA FUENTE: (Non-English language spoken).
GARSD: He said, "there is a phrase we've used - gentlemen, we have a date with history. Let's be the first to arrive." I think Spain's story is really one of, you know, mind your own business. By that, I mean, don't be too flashy. Just do good work quietly, and it's going to pay off.
MARTIN: You know, if you follow the post-game analysis, a lot of the discussion was about how Spain has really managed to turn into a global force on the soccer field. Say more about that.
GARSD: Well, yeah. I mean, not only is the men's team now ranked No. 1, also they're joining the Spanish women, who are also ranked No. 1 and are the defending World Cup champions. This is the first time a country has held both titles simultaneously.
MARTIN: OK, Jasmine. Just give us a couple of words about Argentine superstar Lionel Messi. You followed him for years. What's next for him?
GARSD: He's been - he's hinted that he's going to be retiring. I mean, by the next World Cup, Messi is going to be 43. In soccer, that's getting up there. But Messi remains one of the greatest players in the world. Who knows? Maybe now he goes on to coach.
MARTIN: That is NPR's Jasmine Garsd in New York. Jasmine, thank you.
GARSD: Thanks for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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