Argentina and Spain will face off in the World Cup final on Sunday, July 19, after defeating their respective semifinal opponents, England and France. While having top-notch players like Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martinez certainly helped, both teams' success can be attributed to their unwavering commitment to their playing styles.
For Argentina and Spain, their identities on the field are deeply ingrained, with coaches Lionel Scaloni and Luis de la Fuente having previously led their country's youth teams. This experience has allowed them to develop a system that works, and they've stuck to it, even when faced with adversity.
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England, on the other hand, abandoned its game plan in the semifinal against Argentina. After taking the lead in the 55th minute, the Three Lions fell back and bunkered in, leaving themselves exposed to counterattacks. This ultimately led to Enzo Fernandez tying the game in the 85th minute and Martinez scoring the winner in the second minute of stoppage time.
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Spain, meanwhile, resisted the temptation to craft a specific game plan to neutralize France's Kylian Mbappé. Instead, they trusted their midfield, which clogged up the middle of the field and prevented Les Bleus from getting their attack going. France didn't have a shot on goal until the 80th minute, a testament to Spain's effective strategy.
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De la Fuente attributed his team's success to their commitment to their playing style. "Simply being ourselves," he said. "Lionel Scaloni and I have a lot of (the same) concepts, values, some principles. With this equality, it's all down to details. We have to be faithful, loyal to our football style."
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This approach has served Spain well, as they've now knocked off France in a semifinal for three consecutive summers. As Spain captain Rodri noted, "I'm very happy with the development, individually and as a group. I think we can do it better. Against France, we had one of the best games we've had as a team."
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The World Cup final promises to be a thrilling matchup between two teams that have stayed true to themselves. As Rodri said, "It'll be a perfect test to see if we're able to lift the World Cup against the most in-form team." The stage is set for a captivating showdown between Argentina and Spain, with the world watching to see which team will emerge victorious.
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Source: Yahoo Sports
