EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Sunday’s World Cup Final between Spain and Argentina played out like the extreme contrast in styles we expected.Watching the final felt like watching a tussle between two brothers. One brother a boxer and the other a dancer. It wasn’t clear what their form of battle would ultimately settle on, and that indecision gave us a final light on entertainment but heavy on tension.The Argentinians wanted to make it a fight, but their punches couldn’t come closer to threatening the nimble Spanish dancer, while Spain’s effortless moves led to some clear moments of superiority, but none that wound up really troubling its tougher-than-leather adversary.The thing about fighters is they can have tempers, and Argentina lost theirs in a wave of harsh challenges that eventually led to an Enzo Fernandez red card that made it that much together for the South Americans to keep up with their more skilled rival.A Spain goal felt inevitable from there, and that goal finally came in the 106th minute when Nico Williams headed a perfect long pass from Pedro Porro right to a wide-open Ferran Torres, who blasted home the winner to give La Roja a deserved 1-0 victory, earning Spain their second World Cup title.On a day that was billed as the clash between Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal, neither superstar was able to live up to the pre-match billing. Messi’s barely touched the ball as he watched his teammates chase Spain around the field, while Lamine Yamal regularly beat his man on the dribble, only to struggle to deliver a killer final ball.Spain didn’t need Lamine Yamal heroics on this day though. The Spaniards won by virtue of their unmatched ability to keep the ball and pass their way through pressure, turning that dominance into chances, and if not for Emi Martinez making several top-shelf saves, Spain would have put the match away much earlier.Just how dominant was Luis De La Fuente’s squad? They finished Sunday’s final with 996 touches, subjecting Argentina to a Death By A Thousand Touches. The dominance was so complete that Argentina’s first officially-recorded shot didn’t come until after 120 minutes had been played, and the South Americans finished the day without a single shot on goal.That stat is easy to believe on a day when Messi finished with the second-fewest touches of any player who played at least 90 minutes. The legend tried and tried to make the game, but Spain did well to keep him from having an influence, and save for a few brief flashes, Messi was largely invisible.And while Sunday’s loss may have brought an end to Messi’s incredible World Cup career, it felt very much like just a beginning for this Spain generation, with youngsters like Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Pau Cubarsi. After adding a World Cup title to the Euros they won in 2024, the Spaniards will head into the next cycle of international tournaments as favorites to dance their way to more titles in the years to come.