Emiliano Martinez, Argentina's goalkeeper, looked very calm between the posts, even as tension and frustration mounted among his teammates. Despite suffering a broken finger, the goalkeeper broke the record for most saves in a World Cup final.

But the brilliant goalkeeper ultimately could not hold out, after Argentina's fierce and continuous charges led to a red card and playing with ten men in extra time.

Spanish striker Ferran Torres fired the ball powerfully into Martinez's net, scoring his first goal of the tournament in the 106th minute, leading Spain to a 1-0 victory over Lionel Messi's Argentina and giving his country its first World Cup title since 2010.

Martinez, Argentina's 2022 World Cup-winning goalkeeper, once again used his towering frame to put in a heroic performance and set a new record in the final with 11 saves, keeping his country's hopes of retaining the title alive until the final moments.

Argentina's players spent most of the match chasing Spain's players across the pitch. Although their combative and aggressive style helped them come back in the scoreline more than once during the tournament, it backfired on them in the final.

The first signs of danger came when Leandro Paredes nearly received two yellow cards in one incident. The referee overlooked his push on Rodri from behind in the 52nd minute, but showed him a yellow card after he brought down Dani Olmo during the ensuing scuffle.

The cost of Enzo Fernandez's frustration was much greater. He received a first yellow card for arguing with the referee in the 82nd minute, then got a second yellow 11 minutes later for a reckless tackle that sent Spain defender Pau Cubarsi flying through the air, resulting in his dismissal from the pitch.

With reduced defensive support in front of him, Martinez could no longer stop the relentless Spanish attack.

Spain continued their attacks and shots until they found the back of the net, sending their fans in the stands into celebrations, dancing, hugging, and waving flags, ahead of the anticipated coronation.

The end of the match saw some altercations between players of both teams, with Paredes at the center of events after pushing Eric Garcia and Gavi on multiple occasions.

One Spain player had to separate Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni as he shouted at someone, while Nicolas Otamendi engaged in a verbal altercation with several Spain players, including Rodri.

Martinez is nicknamed 'Dibu' due to his resemblance to an Argentine cartoon character, and he became a national hero after his famous save from Randal Kolo Muani in the final moments of the 2022 Qatar World Cup final against France. Even with his hand injury, he may have performed even better in this year's edition.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said: "We should have sealed the match long before that; we created many chances, but Dibu was exceptional in every sense of the word. Thanks to his saves, the match remained open, and that shows how difficult it was to secure the win."

Suffice it to recall his save in the 92nd minute, which nearly gave Argentina a huge morale boost.

He also denied a powerful shot from Nico Williams with his hands in second-half stoppage time, from near the edge of the penalty area, to keep the score goalless.

Just one minute later, Enzo Fernandez was sent off.

Martinez put in a performance in the final that rivaled his showing in the 2022 edition.

After a series of corners for Spain, Rodrigo De Paul headed the ball towards goal in the 67th minute, but Martinez made a brilliant save.

On his tenth save of the match, he kept out a free kick taken by Lamine Yamal during extra time, leaving the young player covering his mouth in disbelief that the ball did not go in.

Martinez had suffered a broken finger on his right hand during a match with Aston Villa in the Europa League last May, but he decided to postpone surgery so he could participate in the World Cup, a decision that undoubtedly benefited the Argentine national team.

Martinez started in all of Argentina's matches in the tournament, keeping clean sheets in the 3-0 win over Algeria and the 2-0 win over Austria in the group stage.

Although Messi received the lion's share of attention, Martinez carried Argentina on his shoulders until Spain's 20th shot of the match, bringing his country close to retaining the World Cup title for the second consecutive time.