Spain a worthy World Cup champion despite frustrating final

It was a ridiculous match, really, like watching 11 men in red desperately trying to pry the lid off a stubborn jar of jam. It was everything that American soccer haters have screamed about for decades.

Make the goals bigger! End the offside rule! Do something, dammit!

And then, at last, on Spain’s 20th shot of the game in the 106th minute against a man-short opponent, Ferran Torres roofed a left-footer into Argentina’s net to end one of the most painful, frustrating World Cup finals in history. Order was restored in extra time. The much-better team won. The European champs captured their second Jules Rimet trophy.

If only this game was as close, or compelling, as that 1-0 score. If only the Argentines had played the match as they had competed four years ago, in a beautiful victory over France.

Instead, this was 1990 all over again, when Argentina was hanging on in ugly fashion against West Germany during a final that looked a lot like this one. Eventually, the Germans won on a late penalty kick, also against a 10-man Argentina side. Nobody was happy with that game, including West German coach Franz Beckenbauer.

“You need two teams to play a football match,” Beckenbauer said, complaining about Argentina’s disruptive play.

It looked just that way again in New Jersey on Sunday. The only question, practically from the opening kickoff, was whether the Argentines could hang on until penalty kicks.

They didn’t quite make it there, though they did come close.

This was supposed to be Lionel Messi’s day, his triumphant farewell to international soccer. He was going to score a goal, or maybe a brace, or maybe even a hat trick. He was going to lead Argentina to its second straight title, the first repeat championship since Brazil, way back when.

Messi was going to be King of the World. Argentina was going to come back from the brink, one more time.

But in recent history, the Spanish national soccer team has repeatedly wrecked the plans of dreamers and screenwriters. The Spaniards have taken the air out of the balls, played keep-away, erected a flawless defensive fortress, and hijacked tournament brackets from far more direct teams like France and England.

Spain has spoiled more endings than the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“They take your spirit away,” said Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Fox commentator. “They take your hope away.”

So there it was again on Sunday at the Meadowlands, in a match that bore no resemblance whatsoever to the 2022 beauty, or to the delightfully wacky third-place game that took place on Saturday between England and France. This was a one-sided slog from the start, a disappointing show, no matter how many celebrities and FIFA Peace Prize recipients were in attendance.

There was only one team playing soccer. The other side was busy pushing, shoving, screaming at the referee. It was a bad advertisement for the sport, frankly, after a month of glorious competition.

If you paid $4,000 for a seat to this one, Gianni Infantino owes you about $3,975.

The last time there was such a bummer of a final, was the last time the final was played in America, at the Rose Bowl in 1994. That game between Italy and Brazil went scoreless for 120 minutes, before Roberto Baggio sailed a ball over the crossbar in the penalty shootout.

As it turned out, Messi hardly touched the ball on Saturday. He was vaguely dangerous in the final minutes of added time, but that was far too late. It wasn’t so much that Spain shadowed him, or double-teamed him, as it was that Argentina couldn’t get out of its half of the field for most of the game. Nobody passed him the ball, and Messi is no longer mobile enough to get it for himself.

Spain gave up a grand total of one goal in eight matches at this World Cup, a crazy, record-setting stat. The team did not feature a Messi, a Mbappe, or a Kane. But Spain is a worthy champion. The whole is better than the roster parts on this team, though those parts are very good indeed.

“We have grown together,” said Luis de la Fuente, the Spain coach. “We closed a very important chapter, thanks to their attitudes, their commitments, their values. We are already thinking what’s coming next.”

What comes next is another slate of crammed club matches for all these players, and enough friendlies to keep the Spanish federation profitable.

Then, in 2030, Spain will co-host the next World Cup — as if it needed any more help to hold opponents scoreless.