# Nico Williams, Ferran Torres, and Spain’s adaptable World Cup excellence

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/nico-williams-ferran-torres-and-spains-adaptable-world-cup-excellence/
- Published: 2026-07-21T08:00:04+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-21T08:18:34+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/21/nico-williams-ferran-torres-spain-world-cup-final
- Topics: Europe, Football, Sport, World

## Key points

- Spain beat Argentina in extra-time to win the World Cup.
- Substitutes Nico Williams and Ferran Torres combined for the winner.
- Williams, injury-hit all tournament, set up Torres in the 106th minute.

## Summary

Spain won the 2026 World Cup final in extra-time against Argentina, with substitutes Nico Williams and Ferran Torres combining for the winning goal. The pair had only just come on when Williams, showing sharp awareness of space, headed on a cross to set up Torres, ending a tense and physical contest in which Argentina's disciplined defending had otherwise frustrated Spain's dominant possession play.

The decisive move came in the 106th minute, when full-back Pedro Porro delivered a lofted cross that Williams headed into the path of Torres to score. Williams, an Athletic Club winger who was central to Spain's Euro 2024 triumph, had struggled with injuries throughout the tournament and had not started a single game, his introduction against Argentina marking his longest appearance. Argentina, managed by Lionel Scaloni and reduced to ten men late on after Enzo Fernández's red card, had set up to deny space to forward Mikel Oyarzabal, pushing Spain to attempt eleven of their 20 shots from outside the box before the late breakthrough.

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