“Football’s greatest prize is up for grabs at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. It is Spain vs Argentina in the World Cup final. Europe’s champions take on their South American counterparts. Lionel Messi, 39, faces 19-year-old Lamine Yamal — perhaps the closest possible heir to his legend at Barcelona. It will be their first meeting on the pitch, but — incredibly — Messi helped bathe a five-month-old Yamal as part of a charity photoshoot back in December 2007. Spain, who have only conceded one goal in seven matches at the tournament, are looking to win the World Cup for a second time, 16 years on from their first success. Argentina, meanwhile, are defending the title they won in 2022 — their third in total — in a match that is widely expected to mark Messi’s farewell from the game’s biggest stage. We take a closer look at this mouthwatering tie, and where it might be decided… …”
NYT/ATH
Spain vs. Argentina mega-preview: Predictions, form guide, key players and more
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“By late Wednesday afternoon, the roads in Barcelona had begun to empty. I was still an hour from the place where I planned to watch the Argentina-England semifinal, checking the dashboard clock, afraid I would miss the beginning and more afraid that this beginning might be Lionel Messi’s last. On the indoor, air-conditioned field in Atlanta, under a roof closed against the Georgia heat, Messi wasn’t hurrying. The semifinal began as a rock fight: churning legs, desperate tugs, lunging tackles, the ball repeatedly disappearing beneath the urgency of reaching it. England’s younger players pressed and collided and chased. Inside all that motion, Messi walked. …”
Scissors Kick 