00:01the day a planet stops for a game for every nation for two nations nine o'clock at the end
00:09of a steaming hot sunday in madrid four o'clock on a dark winter's afternoon in buenos aires
00:15three o'clock on an idyllic day by the banks of the hudson river where new jersey meets new york
00:22match 104 the final of the 23rd world cup spain for their second star argentina to defend their
00:30trophy with all their might montreal starting his first game at this competition since the opening
00:38day the man of course who famously had the final kick of the last world cup final
00:46dani olmo oh lovely feet from him
00:51aimed in towards olmo and now jamal and emi martinez left a foot behind to make the save
01:01well as soon as jamal gets the ball there's three shirts going towards him and that frees up a
01:06little bit of space just behind which jamal sprints into a bit of good fortune there for argentina
01:13oh rodrigo depaul has let it get away rodri lamal very important block by lissandro martinez
01:29spain first to get their teeth into it but argentina can break and mess is on his way here
01:36and unai simon had judged his dash off his line to perfection well yeah i mean he was way out
01:44to goal
01:44he started way out of golf
01:53laporre roger
01:54roger
01:56roger
01:58roger
02:14roger
02:16he's trying to turn the screw last few minutes spain stepping it up trying to move the ball quick up
02:21launched on by gonzalez hoofed away by kubasi
02:36martinez mccallister has given it to lamal and you don't want to do that
02:39ruiz lamal rogerie kukureya kubasi
02:55ruiz
03:00kukureya
03:01dragged it right across the face
03:05i was asking a lot
03:08sometimes though you drag it so much and coming forward can get the foot on it but
03:15he's been
03:17very busy in this first half
03:20kukureya a lot has come down his side
03:22been a threat he was a winner on this ground this time last year in the cup world cup final
03:28with
03:29chelsea
03:32and in the aftermath of his strike there is evidently a problem here for argentina at center
03:38half nissandro martinez is indicating he has to come off here
03:43and that for a player who has played from the start in every game bar
03:49the dead rubber third game of the group stage that is a
03:55really unfortunate turn of events for leonor scaloni
04:03those noughts for argentina
04:06have certainly got a change and you would expect them to the longer this game goes on
04:12romero away as far as olmo here for the first time is pedri lovely ball user
04:17kukureya
04:18kukureya
04:19beiner
04:23molina tight
04:25kukureya
04:25pedri allowed to go
04:28pedri
04:30olmo
04:32martinez spilt
04:35and spade have a corner
04:38he'd have expected him to collect it just bounced up in front of martinez i don't know if it moved
04:42a bit as well
04:43from danielmo i think it did actually not an easy one
04:57and so a lumina mole corner for spain
05:06an hour and more with nothing to show
05:11ever increasing jeopardy
05:15frayed nerves
05:24lamal flat to the near post away from there by mccallister
05:29poro
05:31lamal
05:32flicked away behind for another corner
05:35paredes
05:36he certainly wouldn't have been fully in control
05:39of this little flick terror paredes
05:42but it was an important one
05:45couple of spain players lurking behind
05:52in by biner martinez has lost it
05:56romo was battling for it
06:09lamal away by mccallister
06:12down again by poro
06:16lamal he's got between a pair of them
06:17lamal
06:18torres
06:23into the waiting arms of
06:25the argentine goalkeeper
06:26it's the best chance of the match
06:29by some distance this one
06:30lovely wing play
06:31torres gets enough behind it but
06:33it's not the direction
06:45looking at that little shove more of a short shirt
06:48to perhaps than a push
06:54a little bit awkward for marino
06:55but he's got it back here
07:02rodri
07:04Williams
07:06pedri
07:10cucurea
07:12pedri
07:14ferran torres
07:16cucurea
07:18rodri
07:19pedri
07:24martinez is behind it again
07:25yeah just shoved off balance a little bit as he went to shot there pedri but
07:29he offers more creativity in these areas than fabian ruiz
07:36rodri again
07:38pedro poro
07:40lamina mal
07:41away from talia fico
07:44ferran torres
07:46lamal that's smart
07:47lamal's pull back
07:49and getting across for argentina was for kendo
07:52madina
07:54argentina got to be so careful when
07:56lamal gets in that penalty area
08:00kubasi
08:02martinez
08:04it's still alive
08:09Williams
08:11corner
08:13well again
08:14martinez can't hold it
08:16there's plenty behind it
08:22yeah
08:24awkward for him
08:25he'd have got long odds on pal kubasi to score the first goal of the world cup final
08:31almost as if argentina
08:33they're just trying to get to 90 minutes
08:37looking towards extra time
08:39because there's precious little ambition
08:41at the moment
08:46Williams
08:48Pedri
08:51Williams
08:52and laporte was flying in
09:00Martinez got rid in a hurry
09:01kukurea can watch that back to simon
09:10Simeone
09:11clashed with the centre half
09:14and it's ost to be calm
09:22and the fact Loteo Martinez hasn't come on off the bench
09:27tells you
09:29Scaloni's tactics I think
09:30try and see it through now
09:33two extra time
09:34Lamal
09:37Lamal
09:37Rotri
09:39Marino
09:41Ferro Torres
09:42still low
09:47oh it's a difficult attempt that
09:53worth a swing of the right boot
09:55but
09:55as it bounces up
09:57it's hard to swivel and
09:59get a clean connection
10:02and also get it on target
10:10a glorious soundtrack to the event
10:16Messi goes wide for Simeone
10:22Messi again
10:23Fernandes
10:25Lionel Messi
10:26couldn't tiptoe through
10:31stoken back by Medina
10:34Simeone across goal
10:35and
10:36simon can fall on it
10:39and get rid of it in a hurry
10:41Porro
10:43has come to Williams
10:48who's had a hit
10:49parried by Martinez
10:56well that's a fair collision on halfway as well
10:58Enzo Fernandes went through him
11:00and Enzo Fernandes
11:03is walking
11:10there's no good waving your hand
11:12you've got to get off
11:13no matter what
11:16anybody thinks
11:17it looked late
11:20it looked a little vindictive
11:22interesting to see the replay
11:28trying to get there
11:30he's not far off
11:33getting the ball
11:36it's not a
11:37cynical challenge
11:38but the way Koubasi goes up and over
11:40it looks
11:41it looks bad
11:47trying to get those
11:48Spain lads back a little bit
11:54La Minha ball
11:56oh what a save
11:58Emi Martinez made quite a journey
12:01and turned it behind for a corner
12:05we could argue it's half of the goal
12:09it's the best save he's made so far
12:11quickly on with it
12:13quickly on with it
12:13Pedri Williams
12:15in when Koubasi
12:17the final whistle
12:19it's the final whistle
12:21it is merely a moment to pause for thought and reflect on a match saving stop for Argentina
12:58from their brilliant maverick goalkeeper
12:59out comes McAllister
13:02I don't know how much of a touch he got on it
13:05Nico Williams
13:05he feels it's a
13:08a chance spurred
13:09Pedri with a little dink
13:11oh he virtually gets nothing on it
13:14doesn't change the direction
13:25Porro
13:27Ferran Torres
13:28Merino
13:30Williams
13:36Celebration cut short
13:45well he was quick to make the decision the ref
13:48didn't hesitate
13:51gave the foul straight away
14:05Merino tread on
14:06who's it Otamendi's foot
14:08well there
14:13not sure what he's given here
14:17can't be that
14:18cannot be that
14:26what
14:28Williams is certainly perplexed
14:31bemused
14:31well
14:32I'm bemused
14:34looking at those replays
14:36there was nothing obvious there
14:37when Merino went on
14:39Martinez
14:41just to follow
14:42there's nothing there
14:48there's nothing there
14:51Ferran Torres has a touch
14:53oh just
14:55inadvertently
14:56treading on
14:58Otamendi's toe there
14:59Merino
15:03Supermendi
15:05he should be fresh as a daisy
15:07he should be fresh as a daisy
15:38moment
15:50well just when you thought it wasn't going to happen he must have felt it De La Puente they'd given
15:57everything
15:58they had given everything
16:00they had given everything
16:00and then seconds
16:02seconds
16:02into this second half of extra time
16:05it finally arrives
16:09what a moment for these players
16:11it's not over yet
16:12it's certainly not over yet
16:14but the mountain to climb now for Argentina
16:18Nico Williams
16:19Niko Williams does ever so well to keep it alive and that's easy
16:22that's an easy one to miss
16:24he's got time to think about it
16:25Ferran Torres
16:26it's easy to knock it over the bar
16:28and he finds the move for the net
16:31purposefully I think
16:33it's a clinical finish this one
16:36lovely clean contact
16:39no doubt about it
16:40this time Martinez in goal
16:42no chance whatsoever
16:46what a moment
16:48the boy from Barca
16:50has taken Spain to within view
16:54of the World Cup
16:55and Messi now must conjure something
17:05a 25th international goal for Ferran Torres
17:08none, none to lay alongside that one
17:15he has tournament goals before this
17:17a couple at Euro 2020
17:19a couple at the last World Cup
17:20against Costa Rica
17:22one at the last European Championships
17:24against Albania
17:29Messi works it
17:31and now Messi wriggles
17:33it's Simeone
17:34oh
17:35it's so mighty mighty close
17:39Salese threw in his frame
17:45well some absolutely heroic defending in there
17:49not sure who got that clearing touch
17:51but
17:52clever working of the free kick
17:56and there's all sorts going ahead of this corner now
18:04five minutes to add on at the end of extra time
18:09that is time aplenty for Argentina
18:13Messi's delivery
18:16is smuggled behind
18:17for another one
18:21chaos in there
18:22absolute chaos
18:26Argentina thrive on chaos
18:29they've proved that multiple times
18:38they pray just for one break of the ball
18:43that's all it needs
18:52Messi to the near post
18:54and it is lifted up
18:56and over
18:57and out of play
19:00in a breathless moment
19:02of hope that vanishes
19:05loaded in by Martinez
19:07Spain made first contact
19:10Ferran Torres away
19:12Spain are the champions
19:16Spain have seized their second star
19:21the kings of Europe
19:23have conquered the world
19:26and who would dispute
19:29that they are worthy
19:33this time
19:35Messi is beaten
19:36Argentina
19:39the most defiant of footballing nations
19:41is itself defied
19:44it's reign
19:45it's reign is over
