Lionel Messi’s brilliant World Cup—and perhaps his international career—came to an end in rough fashion on Sunday, as Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the final.
“I feel sad, but I am aware that we played our hearts out,” Messi told reporters following the loss. “They were better, to be honest. We lost the game, and we accept that. That doesn’t mean that we will forget everything we’ve done so far, so I’d like to thank my people, my players and the country.”
Spain being better is an understatement.
The newly-crowned champions controlled 65 percent of possession, out-shot Spain by a 20-2 margin (12-0 on goal), had a 1.94-mark in expected goals (compared to a paltry 0.22 for Argentina) and had nine corners compared to just four for their opponents. Not only that, but they prevented Argentina from registering a single shot until the second half of extra time.
The Spaniards completely took Messi out of the game until the final moments, when 10-man Argentina had no choice but to go for broke and press forward in attack. Up until that point, the Argentines were forced into more of a retreat, as Spain adeptly kept possession and quickly pressed when they lost the ball, forcing Argentina into mistakes and keeping them trapped in the defensive half.
Messi was Argentina’s driving force during the World Cup, scoring eight goals and adding four assists. It was an impressive showing, especially considering he’s 39. If this was indeed his final hurrah, his Argentina career has been legendary—three straight World Cup finals, a World Cup title in 2022, two Copa América crowns.
And if he goes, an incredible period of Argentine football likely goes with him.
“I feel sadness but knowing that we left everything out there,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni told reporters after the loss. “I have a lot of things to say about how we got here but it’s not worth it. I want to thank these guys eternally for giving us another World Cup final and for competing until the end. They were better, that’s the truth. But I’ll cherish on to an enormous memory of this group and what they’ve done, of what it’s worth to get this far.”
