CORNERFLICK
Spain and Argentina face each other in a World Cup final on Sunday with the record between the two sides almost perfectly balanced. Across 14 previous meetings, both teams have six wins and two draws apiece.
The final also brings a second World Cup clash between them. Their only previous meeting at the tournament came in England in 1966, when Argentina won 2-1 at Villa Park in both teams’ opening match of the group stage.
That game was decided by Enrique Artime, who scored twice for Argentina. Spain equalised through Pirri, but Artime struck again to settle it. Spain later beat Switzerland but still went out in third place, while Argentina reached the quarter-finals before losing to England.
The cancelled Finalissima had been due to give the pair another competitive meeting in March, but the fixture was called off amid Argentina’s reluctance to play and issues involving AFA president Claudio Tapia.
Their other meetings have all been friendlies, stretching back to 1952. The most recent ended 6-1 to Spain before the 2018 World Cup, with Isco scoring a hat-trick.