Argentina tried to kill the spectacle and make it a physical battle but Spain refused to take the bait and kept passing A worrying thought as a tepid first half drew to a close: was the half-time show going to be better than the football? This was a slog. Argentina could not match Spain’s posse...
Source: [Guardian International](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/19/patience-beats-overreliance-on-messi-how-the-final-was-won-and-lost)