Their tournament
how their World Cup unfoldedArgentina swept through Group J without conceding a defeat, but the final proves their undoing. Ferran Torres' goal in the 106th minute — a cruel blow deep into extra time — hands Spain a 1-0 victory and the World Cup. The Albiceleste exit having reached the last match of the tournament, falling just short in the most agonising of fashions: not outclassed, not overwhelmed, but undone by a single moment when it mattered most.
Results
Messi 17′Messi 60′Messi 76′
Messi 38′Messi 90+5′
Al-Tamari 55′Celso 19′Martínez 31′Messi 80′
Messi 29′Martínez 92′Borges 111′Duarte 59′Cabral 103′
Romero 79′Messi 83′Fernández 90+2′Ibrahim 15′Zico 67′
Allister 10′Álvarez 112′Martínez 120+1′Ndoye 67′
Gordon 55′Fernández 86′Martínez 92′
Torres 106′
Group J winners
Knocked out- R32Fri Jul 3 15:00PT🇨🇻Cape Verde3–2
- R16Tue Jul 7 09:00PT🇪🇬Egypt3–2
- QFSat Jul 11 18:00PT
- SFWed Jul 15 12:00PT
- FinalSun Jul 19 12:00PT🇪🇸Spain0–1
Group J standings
how the group finishedGroup J
Final| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts | Outcome | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇦🇷Argentina | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +7 | 9 | Group winner | |
| 2 | 🇦🇹Austria | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 4 | Runner-up | |
| 3 | 🇩🇿Algeria | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 4 | Best third | |
| 4 | 🇯🇴Jordan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -5 | 0 | Out |
Squad
starting XI from Argentina at Spain in boldGoalkeepers
- 23Emiliano Martínez33
- 1Juan Musso32
- 12Gerónimo Rulli34
Defenders
- 3Nicolás Tagliafico33
- 4Gonzalo Montiel29
- 6Lisandro Martínez28
- 13Cristian Romero28
- 2Marcos Senesi29
- 19Nicolás Otamendi38
- 25Facundo Medina27
- 26Nahuel Molina28
Midfielders
- 7Rodrigo De Paul32
- 20Alexis Mac Allister27
- 24Enzo Fernández25
- 5Leandro Paredes32
- 8Valentín Barco22
- 11Giovani Lo Celso30
- 14Exequiel Palacios27
- 16Thiago Almada25
- 18Nico Paz21
Forwards
- 9Julián Álvarez26
- 10Lionel Messi39
- 15Nico González28
- 17Giuliano Simeone23
- 21José Manuel López25
- 22Lautaro Martínez28