Why Spain won the World Cup

By Al S. Mendoza

THE world stops when football’s World Cup final is on.

All eyes are on it.

Even babies stop to cry to watch it.

It overshadows, wipes out, every sport action that crosses its path.

Everything takes the back seat, including the British Open.

Ryan Fox’s winning 12-foot birdie became merely an asterisk, on the very day Spain and Argentina were to battle for football’s most coveted piece of hardware.

It didn’t matter that Fox, the irreverent Kiwi, became only the third man from New Zealand to win the oldest golf tournament on its 154th edition at Royal Birkdale, England.

By one shot, that is, over American Cameron Young.

As in Spain’s 1-0 win over Argentina in a stunner that gave Spain only its second World Cup trophy since it beat the Netherlands in the 2010 final.

Thousands packed the Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, to watch the 104th game of the five-week tournament hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Global entertainers graced the game and performers included Madonna, Justin Bieber, BTS and many others even as President Trump braved boos by a sell-out crowd that bought tickets as pricey as $197,000 each.

Because of its smashing hosting success, organizers will again have three countries for the World Cup in Morocco, Portugal and Spain in 2030 for the greatest sporting show on earth next only to the Olympic Games.

About 1.5 billion more fans watched Spain defeat Argentina on TV in the quadrennial event, many feeling terribly dejected over Lionel Messi’s somewhat messy performance for Argentina.

But asphyxiating defense choked the 39-year-old Messi’s offense, literally transforming the game’s greatest player from a somebody to a nobody.

Palpably spoiled was Messi’s supposed spectacular farewell game after becoming the only man to play in three successive World Cup events.

Will Yamal Lamini, the 19-year-old sensation from Spain, surpass Messi’s feat?

If it were boxing, Spain was the aggressor, continuously pummelling Argentina right from the opening bell.

Argentina was always on the defensive end, not given even a decent inch to attack as it appeared endlessly cornered against the ropes.

One mistake, grievous to say the least, and Argentina was gone.

Ferran Torres, getting a pass from Nico Williams, thumped an eight-yarder on the 106th minute and Spain was champion again.

One pass.

One goal.

One glory.

The Spanish flag flew proudly as the world was applauding.

The beauty of Spain’s victory wasn’t merely highlighted by the brutal strangling of Messi but also by stifling Argentina’s windpipes.

Spain trusted its system the way a pilot leaned on his plane’s cruise-control mode.

And, yes, champions are at their best when under pressure.  That was Spain in this singular moment of truth.

As one sage puts it: To be under pressure is a pleasure.

Discipline defined Spain’s triumph as its winning goal summed up the champion’s classic courage from start to finish.

Stars, like Messi, lose their sheen over time.

No reign lasts forever.

Still, for Messi, blunted in his dream to make his country a repeat champion since Brazil in 1962, the loss was no reason to “cry for me, Argentina.”

For, the truth is, Spain never left the game. Never missed a beat for 106 minutes.  

THAT’S IT   Happy birthday to the July ladies of this deadline beater: Soly (July 23), Aya (July 9) and Malaya Sol.  Greetings, too,  New Zealand-based Danny “Sir John” Isla, who brought a bouquet of flowers for Malaya Sol the day she was born at St. Luke’s on July 21, also Sir John’s natal day.  Cheers!