Veteran coach Muhsin Ertugral believes Argentina were simply beaten by the better team in Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final, with Spain’s tactical discipline and defensive organisation proving decisive.
The South Americans endured a difficult evening on football’s biggest stage, failing to register a shot on target across 120 minutes as Spain controlled the contest and limited their attacking threat. The performance attracted criticism, particularly given Argentina’s attacking quality and the possibility that it could be Lionel Messi’s final appearance at a World Cup.
However, speaking to Independent Media, Ertugral praised Argentina’s journey throughout the tournament, while acknowledging that they came up against a Spain side that produced the perfect gameplan.
“Argentina were near perfect defensively and in their structure, I love their mentality as players from that part of the world, they never give up and I’d love having three or four Argentinians in my team,” Ertugral said. “But they simply just didn’t have enough quality against Spain and they ran out of gas for the type of style they want to play.”
The former Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates coach highlighted Spain’s defensive record as evidence of their ability to frustrate even the strongest attacking teams.
Veteran coach Muhsin Ertugral broke down Spain’s tactical victory over Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, praising La Roja’s defensive organisation. Photo: Backpagepix
“Also they came up against a team that are defensively solid, Spain conceded one goal the entire tournament so that should tell you how difficult a job Argentina had on their hands.”
For Ertugral, one of Spain’s biggest successes was limiting Messi’s influence by preventing Argentina from building their attacks around their captain.
“Spain also neutralised the Messi factor with their rest defence and every time Argentina tried to find him. He was always isolated and supporting players had to cover a huge distance to be able to get to him.”
The veteran coach also felt Argentina’s numerical disadvantage after the sending-off further complicated their chances, as Messi’s reduced defensive responsibilities placed additional pressure on the rest of the team.
“Then you add on the red card, Argentina were playing with nine players because Messi doesn’t really do much defensively.”
While Messi still enjoyed a remarkable tournament individually, Ertugral believes the final showed the importance of having a balanced team capable of competing at the highest level.
Spain’s triumph, he suggested, was built on collective strength rather than reliance on one individual — a quality that ultimately separated the two finalists.
It was a Fifa World Cup in which football's biggest names sprinkled stardust over the tournament, yet in the end, the trophy deservingly went to a formidable if unspectacular Spain side who were simply too strong, even without Lamine Yamal being at his thrilling best.The 19-year-old winger was the focus of so much attention, but he initially struggled to find full fitness and finished with just one goal, in a […]
