Expect some goals in the World Cup final. At least, that\u2019s what history says.<\/p>\n
In the 22 previous World Cup men’s finals (which would include the 1950 match between Uruguay and Brazil that technically wasn\u2019t a final, but decided who won the World Cup), the winning team has averaged 2.6 goals in the title matchup. The losing team has averaged 1.1 goals.<\/p>\n
The two most recent World Cup finals have been offensive slugfests, with a combined 12 goals. France beat Croatia 4-2 in 2018, while Argentina and France tied 3-3 in 2022 (before Argentina prevailed in a penalty shootout).<\/p>\n
Teams scoring at least two goals have won the World Cup title 17 times; there have been eight instances of a team scoring at least two goals in the final and still falling short.<\/p>\n
There have been three 1-0 wins: West Germany over Argentina in 1990, Spain over Netherlands in 2010 and Germany over Argentina in 2014. And there was one 0-0 tie in a final; Brazil wound up winning over Italy in a penalty shootout the 1994 final, which had been the only one played on U.S. soil before now.<\/p>\n
If Argentina wins Sunday, Lionel Scaloni \u2014 who led the team\u2019s push to the 2022 title \u2014 would be just the second person to coach two World Cup championship clubs.<\/p>\n
Italy went back-to-back as World Cup champions in 1934 and 1938, with both those clubs coached by Vittorio Pozzo.<\/p>\n
Nobody else has two titles as a coach. There are three men \u2014 Brazil\u2019s M\u00e1rio Zagallo, West Germany\u2019s Franz Beckenbauer and France\u2019s Didier Deschamps \u2014 to have won World Cups as both a player and a coach.<\/p>\n
When he takes the field Sunday, Argentina star Lionel Messi will be the oldest field player to appear in a World Cup final.<\/p>\n
Messi is 39. Sweden\u2019s Gunnar Gren was 37 when he played against Brazil in the 1958 final.<\/p>\n
The only player older than Messi to play in a final was Italy goalkeeper Dino Zoff \u2014 who was 40 when his club beat West Germany for the 1982 crown. But among field players, Messi will stand alone as the oldest after Sunday.<\/p>\n
Messi is also in position to join Brazil\u2019s Cafu as the only person to play in three World Cup men\u2019s finals. And since Cafu was a reserve in one of his appearances, Messi would be the first to start the title game on three occasions.<\/p>\n
Youth may be served by Spain in this World Cup final. And if La Roja prevails, experience would also have paid off.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an interesting mix.<\/p>\n
Spain is slated to have two teenagers \u2014 Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, a pair of 19-year-olds \u2014 play Sunday against Argentina in the World Cup final, and no team has ever had more than one teen in the lineup and won the title.<\/p>\n
So, that’s the power of youth.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the flip side of that: If Spain wins, coach Luis de la Fuente \u2014 who is 65 \u2014 would become the oldest World Cup-winning sideline boss, passing Vicente del Bosque, who was 59 when Spain won its first title in 2010.<\/p>\n
For the record, teenagers enter Sunday unbeaten in World Cup finals, according to FIFA, which says only three have ever played in soccer\u2019s biggest game. Pel\u00e9 was 17 when he helped Brazil win the final over Sweden in 1958, Giuseppe Bergomi was 18 when Italy beat West Germany in 1982, and Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 was 19 when France beat Croatia in 2018.<\/p>\n
Spain is 28-0-9 in its last 37 matches, which has tied Italy for the longest unbeaten run by a European men\u2019s national team.<\/p>\n
Italy also went 28-0-9 from October 2018 through September 2021 \u2014 before losing to Spain 2-1 on Oct. 6, 2021 in Milan.<\/p>\n
How Spain Built A Foundation That Produced Its Current World Cup Stars<\/p>\n
Lionel Messi And Argentina Once Again Find Their Way Back From The Brink<\/p>\n
Expert World Cup Predictions For The Spain-Argentina Final<\/p>\n
Argentina has a streak worth noting as well. It has won seven consecutive World Cup matches, tied with Italy for the second-longest such run in men’s tournament history. Only Brazil, which won 11 straight spanning 2002 and 2006, has a longer World Cup winning streak.<\/p>\n
The game is just the second head-to-head meeting in a World Cup between Argentina and Spain. Argentina won 2-1 in the 1966 group stage.<\/p>\n
Across all competitions and friendlies, the sides have played 14 times. Each has won six times and they tied twice.<\/p>\n
Reporting by The Associated Press.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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