By Abdulrahman Yahaya
Defending Champions Argentina will lock horns with European Champions Spain on Sunday in New Jersey for the coveted 2026 FIFA World Cup title, a match that will see two continental champions on opposing sides.
Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal
Lionel Scaloni-led Argentina simply refused to die on their way to a second successive final, starting from the 3-2 win against Cape Verde where they were forced into extra time.
They came back from two goals down defeating Egypt 3-2, to extra time 3-1 victory against Switzerland and coming back from a goal down to beat England 2-1.
Conceding six goals in the knockouts but still made it to the Final; Argentina roughed their way to the Final.
Captained by the wizardry Lionel Messi, fans say they will not be shocked at what Argentina can do and are set to witness another football magic on Sunday.
This time Argentina will be facing their biggest test. To perform football magic you need to possess the ball and that is what Spain will not allow. Spain have turned controlling games into arts.
They starve you so much of the ball that your attackers become ineffective. For an Argentine side that have benefitted from clutch moments to win games, beating Spain will be a herculean task.
If there is any team one can put his or her money on to do the impossible, it is Argentina. They have the passion and the energy to back it up.
Their zeal to win no matter what it takes was what gave them their third World Cup in 2022, after waiting for 36 years.
Four years after that hard-fought victory against France in Qatar, Messi and his men are here for their countries fourth title, they will give their all to achieve that.
This is why Spain must make no mistake; Argentina is not France. They are more rugged with winning mentality; possession is a task for them.
Argentina with 17 players from the squad that faced France in the 2022 Final are the more experienced side and this will count when both teams go to the pitch on Sunday.
On the other hand, Spain led by Luis de la Fuente will go into this game as a better coached team. A team that works as a unit, Spain have been unbeaten in their last 37 games.
This feat should scare any team, even a team with Messi. The Spanish team have scored 13 goals and conceded only one goal, making them the best defensive team of the tournament.
The torchlight will be on Spain’s Lamine Yamal who is hoping to get his hands on the World Cup trophy as a teenager, having won the Euro 2024 at 16.
Yamal will hope to join the likes of Brazil’s Pele and France’s Kylian Mbappe in the list of players that have won the World Cup as teenagers.
To achieve this, Yamal and his teammates must be at their absolute best to stop Messi and his men. A task that looks easy based on statistics but on the pitch, it will be like taming 11 hungry hounds.
With eight goals and four assists, Messi stands in the way of his fellow La Masia product, Yamal on Sunday.
The viral images of Messi bathing baby Lamine Yamal in a UNICEF programme when Messi was a young Barcelona star, make the battle on Sunday not just a La Masia heritage clash, but of a father and son.
Who wins it? The 39 year-old Messi or the dazzling 19-year old Yamal? Predictions seem to go the way of the younger player.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), a football enthusiast, Abdulaziz Opeyemi, said Spain will take the day.
“This is extremely close but I give Spain a slight edge because of their balance, defensive solidity and consistency throughout the tournament. My prediction is Spain will win by 2–1,” he said.
Another football enthusiast, Anas Hassan, who gave it to Spain, cautioned both teams to avoid mistakes.
He said that mistakes must be avoided in a high-stake game like this.
“Should Argentina let themselves get behind like they’ve done in previous games, I don’t see them being third time lucky against Spain.
“Should Spain give Messi room to dictate the play, he’ll hurt them.
“My final verdict is, I believe Spain will be victorious judging by their defensive structure, midfield dominance and high-flying fullbacks,” he said.
Argentina is the reigning South American champion, having won their record-breaking 16th title at the 2024 Copa América.
They secured the championship by defeating Colombia 1-0 in the final on July 14, 2024, at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Spain, the current European champion, won their record fourth title at the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament in Germany.
They defeated England 2-1 in the final held on July 14, 2024.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup Final will be played in the US at the MetLife Stadium (referred to during the tournament as New York New Jersey Stadium) in East Rutherford, New Jersey, just outside New York City at 8pm Nigerian time.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Joseph Edeh