The Spanish national team imposed its identity completely on the first half against Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final, presenting one of its best versions of the tournament, amid a clear inability by Lionel Messi's squad to impose its style or reach Unai Simón's goal.

Spain played its usual style based on possession and ball control, and managed to isolate Argentina's attacking third led by Messi almost completely, after closing all spaces and forcing the 'Tango' players to retreat for long periods.

Rodri was the secret to this superiority, after controlling the tempo of the game remarkably, constantly dropping between the two center-backs to start attacks, giving Pau Cubarsí and Aymeric Laporte freedom to build play, while opening continuous passing angles that helped Spain bring the ball out easily and break Argentina's pressure.

'La Roja' also relied on high pressing and a high defensive line, which prevented Messi and his teammates from receiving the ball in dangerous areas, with Spanish dominance reflected in the numbers as well, as Spain had 64% possession compared to just 36% for Argentina.

Read also.. Al-Ahli enters the race.. Morocco star ignites the transfer market battle in Jeddah

Spanish superiority was not limited to possession, but also appeared in the attacking aspect, as Spain players shot 3 times on target, compared to zero shots for Argentina, a clear indication of the dominance exerted by Luis de la Fuente's men during the first 45 minutes.

Faced with this superiority, Messi and his teammates found no gaps to break through the Spanish defense, forcing the Argentine team to resort to long balls behind the defenders, but goalkeeper Unai Simón played the role of 'libero' perfectly, coming out more than once to cut off the balls before they reached Argentina's forwards.

Despite Spain's clear advantage, the result is still open to all possibilities, especially since Argentina has proven more than once in the current edition its ability to turn matches around from half-chances, benefiting from the experience of Messi and his teammates in dealing with decisive moments.