Mumbai, July 20 (IANS) Amitabh Bachchan has reacted to Argentine great Lionel Messi’s defeat in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, sharing a heartfelt note after Spain lifted the trophy.
Substitute Ferran Torres turned out to be Spain’s hero as he scored the decisive goal in extra time as La Roja edged defending champions Argentina 1-0 to lift the FIFA World Cup 2026 title at the New York New Jersey Stadium.
Taking to his blog, the octogenarian wrote that “the day comes for every champion,” as he spoke about Messi’s “tears of emotion” and urged the football legend to “accept the love that came your way” and “rest in that glory.”
An ardent sports fan, Big B, wrote on his blog: “the game .. over .. Spain the Champions and Messi lost .. tears of emotion .. sad .. but the day comes for every champion .. as you turn the corner , you find there are others better than you .. accept the love that came your way .. rest in that glory… (sic).”
After a tense and fiercely contested 90 minutes ended goalless, Torres finally broke the deadlock in the 106th minute. The forward latched onto Nico Williams’ headed knockdown before unleashing a powerful left-footed strike beyond Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez to seal Spain’s second FIFA World Cup triumph, their first since winning the title in South Africa in 2010.
Spain dominated possession for long spells and carved out the better chances throughout the final but found Martinez in inspired form as the Argentine goalkeeper repeatedly denied the European side. Argentina, meanwhile, struggled to create clear-cut opportunities, with captain Lionel Messi largely contained by Spain’s disciplined defence.
The defending champions suffered a major setback deep into stoppage time of normal time when midfielder Enzo Fernandez was shown a second yellow card, reducing Argentina to 10 men for extra time.
Spain continued to pile on the pressure and thought they had doubled their lead in extra time, only for the effort to be ruled out for a foul in the build-up. However, Luis de la Fuente’s men remained composed and comfortably saw out the closing stages to bring Argentina’s reign as world champions to an end.
The triumph capped a remarkable tournament for Spain, who went unbeaten throughout the competition and added a second World Cup crown to their historic 2010 success. Argentina, champions in Qatar four years ago, fell agonisingly short in their bid to retain football’s biggest prize.
–IANS
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