Messi’s Last World Cup Ends in Heartbreak for Argentina

Argentina · World Cup

Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time, with Ferran Torres scoring in the 106th minute after Enzo Fernández's red card, as Argentina failed to register a shot on target.

Argentina’s month ended at MetLife with a red card, a 106th-minute goal and no shots on target. For a country that had bet heavily on a second straight world title — and for the foreigners who spent July living inside its football — this is what the ending looked like.

How it ended

Spain won 1-0 after extra time. Ferran Torres, a second-half substitute, scored from close range in the 106th minute, and Spain took their second men’s World Cup.

The decisive moment came earlier. Enzo Fernández was shown a second yellow for a foul on Pau Cubarsí in the third minute of stoppage time at the end of normal play, and Argentina spent extra time a man down.

A final Argentina never controlled

The statistics are stark. Spain held around 65 percent of the ball and had twenty shots, while Argentina did not manage a single shot on target across the whole match.

Their first attempt of any kind came in the 117th minute. For a side that had scored freely through the tournament, the ending was a shutout in every sense.

Messi’s farewell

Lionel Messi has indicated this was his last World Cup. He finishes the tournament with eight goals and four assists, having carried Argentina through the knockout rounds, including the late comeback against England in the semi-final.

A second title would have made Argentina the first back-to-back champions since Brazil in 1962. Instead the reign ends, and the country’s most decorated player leaves the tournament without adding to 2022 — a closing chapter our reporting has tracked from the 2021 Copa América breakthrough through the emotional Buenos Aires farewell against Zambia in April.

What the month meant here

For foreign residents in Buenos Aires, the World Cup was the organising fact of July. Fan zones ran through the tournament, the Plaza Seeber site drew crowds for the biggest games, and bars across Palermo and the centre filled on match days.

It shaped the practical rhythm too: transport was heavier on match evenings, restaurants booked out, and the working day bent around kickoff times. That rhythm now stops abruptly.

What comes next

The immediate effect for anyone living in Argentina is that normal service resumes. Streets, transport and restaurants return to their usual winter pattern this week.

The economic backdrop that framed the tournament has not changed. Inflation slowed to 1.9 percent in June, the first sub-2% reading since August 2025, but the market still expects a weaker peso by year-end.

More: Argentina news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

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