WORLD CUP NEWS Viva Espana and the coronation of the "Fury" on the docks of New York

From the special reporter "Vijesti"

Y Viva Espana... blared from the loudspeakers of MetLife Stadium in New York at the end of the 23rd FIFA World Cup.

Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 with a goal from Ferran Torres in the second minute of the second extra time, when the big scoreboard read 106:22, and 39-year-old Lionel Messi handed over the trophy to his legitimate successor, Lamine Jamal, two decades younger, in his farewell World Cup match.

Not quite literally - because neither Messi was a tragic figure, nor Jamal was the hero of the final - but the real highlight of the final performance could (figuratively) sound exactly like that, like a message that went out of North America.

Y Viva Espana... sang the "Furious" fans, a famous (originally Belgian) hit from the 70s, a song that best describes the natural beauty of Spain, but also shows even better the kind of football Spain plays.

The legends of "la rohe" sang from the grandstand, the world leaders of 2010, celebrating their successors, the journalists in the media box sang, the old and young screamed in the stands, entire families dressed in red who flew across the Atlantic, paying thousands and thousands of euros for the most expensive tickets in the history of football to witness the world crowning of their national team in action.

The chorus of the song - Espana por favor; Espana lo mejor (Spain is the best) - is a fantastic and fairest ending to the 23rd World Cup, which has been played on the North American continent for the past almost 40 days, bringing a storm of emotions and excitement.

From Manhattan, through the Lincoln Tunnel under the Hudson River, all the way to the end of New Jersey, "on the docks of New York", the magnificent MetLife Arena gleamed like a tin can in the sun, where Luis de La Fuente's team succeeded in their mission to repair football history and with their second world crown, joined the Uruguayans and the French, who also have two world titles each.

Because Spain is a very strong and large football nation, it has produced too many masters of the game to be in the lower part of the list of eight national teams that have won the golden goddess in the 96-year history of the World Cup.

The Spanish "el matador" was Ferran Torres, the Barcelona striker, a guy who, after coming on in the second half, had both the freshness and strength to push, or rather, knock the ball into the net of an already exhausted, player-depleted Argentina, which played both extra time periods with ten men due to the second yellow card received by Enzo Fernandes.

The final performance brought spectacle in the stands, spectacle during halftime, with the first musical happening and show in the American style ever, but not a spectacle on the field.

The match lacked beauty and elegance, and not because of the Spanish, but not every final can be top-notch. The previous two, which ended in celebrations for France and Argentina, yielded a total of 12 goals - six each.

The fierce battle with the English in the semi-finals dulled the Argentine passion, probably consuming the best that adorned Lionel Scaloni's fearless team until the final performance.

The fact that the "gauchos" finished the 120 minutes of the final performance without a shot on target, with only two desperate attempts at goal and a shot on goal, shows that Messi and his teammates were running out of fuel.

Maybe they didn't want to wait for penalties from the start, maybe Spain simply forced them to. On penalties, through the game, in 90, 120 minutes, whatever - from the start, it felt over New York that the final was going to the Spanish side, there was no fire in the eyes of the Argentines like in all the previous knockout matches.

The "fury" patiently weaved a net around the Argentine goal and awaited the action of the reserves, Nick Williams and Ferran Torres.

In almost the same way as 16 years ago in Johannesburg, the Spanish defeated their rivals, then the Dutch - in the second extra time - with Ferran Torres being seven minutes faster than Anders Iniesta.

It was 6:45 p.m. local time in New York, a tear rolled down the face of football icon Leo Messi as Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump (to muffled whistles from the stands) presented the trophy to Spanish captain and conductor Rodri, and the sky above New Jersey was lit up by spectacular fireworks to mark the end of another World Cup that will be remembered. In many ways.