Miami – Spain climbed to the summit of world soccer again on Sunday when substitute Ferran Torres struck in the 106th minute to pry the World Cup from holder?Argentina with a 1-0 victory that crowned a new era but brought precious little beauty.
The biggest prize in soccer deserved a classic. Instead, the world’s two finest teams produced a suffocating stalemate that drifted toward?penalties before Torres finally found the extra-time breakthrough with Spain’s 20th attempt on goal.
It was perhaps fitting that the ?final whistle sparked the game’s liveliest moments, with players pushing, shoving and falling to the ground as Argentina’s frustrations finally boiled over into a brawl.
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