Trump booed as Spain wins World Cup
US President Donald Trump was booed by crowds after a thrilling extra time win and a half-time show featuring Madonna.
Substitute Ferran Torres has scored in extra time to give Spain a 1-0 win over defending champions Argentina in the World Cup final.
The win coming after the first World Cup half-time show featured a sizzling cast including Madonna, the Muppets and Shakira – with a surprise appearance from Ted Lasso.
United States President Donald Trump was booed loudly by fans when he walked onto the field at MetLife Stadium alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino before taking part in the post-game trophy ceremony.
Trump, who watched the game alongside Infantino in a suite, waved to the crowd, but as cameras cut to him, boos and whistles began to drown out the music filling the stadium. They were audible on the television broadcast and reportedly even more so in the stadium.
In a game where Spain was absolutely dominant in terms of possession and shot attempts in in the title decider, Lionel Messi and Argentina found a way to hang on and force extra time – but barely.
And in the opening moment of the second 15-minute period of extra time, Torres pounced on a bouncing ball in the box and used his left foot to bury a shot just under the crossbar and into the back of the net.
You might like
Enzo Fernandez was sent off in second-half stoppage time after getting his second yellow card, meaning Argentina was forced to finish the match with only 10 players.
Fernandez was carded for a reckless play that sent Spain defender Pau Cubarsi cartwheeling into the air, and the card came out immediately.
Another foul about two minutes after play resumed gave Lamine Yamal a chance to win it from about 22 yards out on a free kick. Yamal’s strike was curling toward the right post, and Martinez dived to knock it away for his 10th save of the afternoon – the most ever in a World Cup final.
He leapt to his feet, punching the air and imploring the crowd to get loud. Not long after that came the whistle, sending the game to extra time.
Spain took 15 shots in regulation, Argentina none. Spain took nine corners, Argentina one. And somehow, 90-plus minutes of that sort of dominance was not enough.
With their victory, Spain became the first nation to simultaneously hold the World Cup crowns in both men’s and women’s soccer.
Stay informed, daily
The final between Argentina and Spain featured an 11-minute spectacle with stars from around the world including Justin Bieber and Burna Boy.
The show at the New York New Jersey Stadium also featured Korean pop group BTS and an appearance from Muppets characters Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy.
Madonna kicked off the half-time show performing in an underground-like warehouse full of dancers and rollerskaters.
And Jason Sudeikis made an appearance as his character from hit TV comedy Ted Lasso.
The sitcom follows the story of an American coach hired to manage struggling English football team AFC Richmond in west London.
In an earlier playoff, Jude Bellingham’s last-gasp goal handed England third place in the World Cup after a thrilling 6-4 victory on Sunday morning (AEST) over France.
After taking a commanding 4-0 lead in the first half, England faced some nervous moments when France mounted a dangerous comeback, led by Kylian Mbappé.
Mbappé made history in the process, surpassing Argentina’s Lionel Messi to become the all-time leading World Cup goalscorer with a staggering 22 career goals, but his record-breaking heroics failed to clinch his team victory.
It was Bellingham who stepped up in the final moments, individually firing home his side’s sixth goal to finally put the final nail in the coffin for the French side.
Want to see more stories from InDaily SA in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily SA as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily SA". That's it.
