Argentina created a shameful record by losing to Spain in the FIFA World Cup final. The team could not hit even a single shot on target. This is the third time after 1990 and 2014 that Argentina failed to do so in the finals.
New York: With the defeat to Spain in the FIFA World Cup final, Argentina has created a shameful record. In the last 60 years of World Cup history, Argentina has become the only team which could not put even a single shot on target at the opposing team’s goalpost in the final match. This is the third time that Argentina has repeated this shameful record in the World Cup final.
Despite playing 120 minutes in the 2026 final against Spain, Argentina’s forward line could not get a single shot to test Spain goalkeeper Unai Simeone. Messi and his team looked completely helpless in front of the Spanish defense. It was only the third time since FIFA began officially recording statistics in 1966 that Argentina failed to have a single shot on target in the final. Earlier, in the 1990 World Cup, Argentina had lost 1-0 against West Germany and in that match too, not a single shot of the team was on-target.
After this, Messi’s Argentina lost 1-0 in extra time against Germany in the 2014 World Cup final, and even then the team could not hit a single shot on target. This time the story did not change even against Spain. The Argentine team kept trying to stop the Spanish players by committing fouls throughout the match, but completely failed in attack. No other big team has been helpless in front of its opponent like this in the World Cup final.
Only 11 brilliant saves by goalkeeper Amy MartÃnez in the final saved Argentina from a major defeat. Despite having big names like Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez in the forward line, the team could not create any stir in the Spanish box, due to which the fans were also quite disappointed. While Spain took 11 shots on target, Argentina did not even score. Spain took a total of 20 shots in the match, while Argentina had only 3 shots, which were taken in extra time.
Spain completed 803 successful passes in the match, while Argentina could complete only 445 passes. Spain’s passing accuracy was 90%, while Argentina’s was just 78%. Even in ball possession, Spain left Argentina miles behind. Spain had the ball 68% of the time in the match, while Argentina had only 32%. Ultimately, a goal from Ferran Torres in the 106th minute gave Spain the title they deserved.