After over a month of exciting World Cup matchups, a champion was crowned, as Spain completed its impressive run through the tournament thanks to its intense defensive efforts against opponents.
Weeks of games culminated with a matchup involving the defending champions, Argentina, and their all-time great, Lionel Messi, battling against the new contenders, Lamine Yamal and Spain.
Yamal and Messi were both scoreless in their final game of the World Cup, with impressive performances from teammates, including Argentina's Emiliano Martinez, who recorded 11 saves during the game. Spain's Ferran Torres was his side's hero, scoring at the 106-minute mark to give Spain the 1-0 lead, and ultimately, win the World Cup.
Following the matchup, Fox Sports analyst Zlatan Ibrahimovic shared his honest assessment of Spain after they'd completed their brilliant run to win the World Cup in the United States.
"[Lamine Yamal] didn't have his best tournament, and still Spain dominated every game. That says how good they are as a team, even if Yamal didn't perform. And they won the World Cup without this guy performing like he normally does," Ibrahimovic said.
The 19-year-old Yamal is considered one of the world's best soccer players, but came into the tournament at less than 100%. He scored just one goal in the entire World Cup, which came against Saudi Arabia in the Group Stage last month, and then seemed unable to score, although he had multiple chances.
Still, Spain had enough depth that they didn't need Yamal to score goals like Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe, who powered many of their team's wins.
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"When they start to play, and they start to do those passes, they take your spirit away. They take your hope away," Ibrahimovic told his Fox Sports co-stars.
"I know as a player, when I don't touch the ball, if I have an opposite opponent that always keeps the ball, I get crazy, I lose patience. You just want to run up to them, and you start kicking. That is what they did with every team in this tournament, and in the end, they're the best nation in the world," he said.
During their run, Spain defeated the world's best teams and players, demonstrating why they are extremely deserving of all the glory of claiming this year's World Cup.
They reached the final by holding Kylian Mbappe and France scoreless, in a 2-0 victory in the semifinals. Before that, it was a 2-1 win over Belgium in the quarterfinals, a 1-0 victory against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal in the Round of 16, and a 3-0 win against Austria in the Round of 32.
Spain's World Cup Final win over Argentina was the ultimate example of their dominance. They had possession for 68% of the game, compared to just 32% for Argentina. In addition, they had 11 shots on goal, while allowing Argentina zero. That took Messi and the reigning champions completely out of the game.
Now they'll have some time to celebrate before starting UEFA Nations League, where they'll take on World Cup third-place team England on Sept. 26 in a Group Stage matchup.
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