The End of Miracles

ANTONIO SERPA, TyC Sports

We fell short at the final hurdle. Spain proved too formidable an opponent, even considering the respect we held for them. Nevertheless, the silver medal is a testament to all the celebrations along the way and the pride an entire nation feels for this national team.

To win a World Cup, you need more than miracles. And under these circumstances, only a miracle could have made us champions again. Spain are deserved champions, or at least deserved winners of the final, despite a few tense moments in the dying minutes following Simeone's sharp pass leading to a corner, Messi's shot that struck Merino's face, or Giuliano's high strike.

For 118 or 119 of the 120 minutes, Spain controlled the match. Far more than the 65% possession statistics suggest. The truth is, this time, the national team wasn't close to anything. Not to the opponent's goal, not to fighting for victory, not to contesting possession, nor to imposing their terms. We were consistently outplayed, often overwhelmed, and only Dibu's saves prevented a larger, much larger defeat. Spain stayed true to their style, while Argentina did what they could, what they were allowed – which wasn't much. And if we look at the squad that finished the match, it's clear that Scaloni's team ended the tournament with the remnants of his side. Dibu; Molina, Otamendi, Senesi, Tagliafico, Medina; Giuliano, Paredes, Mac Allister, and Messi. Ten men who first resisted, and after Ferran Torres's goal, tried to achieve an impossible equalizer. Already without the starting center-backs (both injured, Licha – while correcting a De Paul error), with the immense Tagliafico exhausted to the limit, and with little strength left in everyone else.

Despite everything, Spain only managed to break our resistance in the 106th minute. The national team had been defending with ten men since the end of regular time, when Enzo Fernandez was sent off for a foul after a misjudgment. He was late, received a second yellow, and then a red. This was quite symbolic, as the same thing was happening to the team throughout the match. We were always one or two seconds late in pursuit of a ball that was no longer there. Right from the start. Plan A with Nicolas Gonzalez (conceived out of a sense of inferiority) didn't work, nor could we fight for the midfield when Paredes came on. We suffered on the right flank, and the goal came from there.

Messi's tears, face-to-face with the fans, silently watching the chants one after another, the unwavering support despite everything, foreshadow what we all know: the end of a cycle that will surely take others with it. A brilliant, successful cycle that filled us with pride, thrilled us, and represented us far better than any other national team in history. And this is beyond Leo's decision of whether he will play one, two, or ten more matches: we must think about a new era.

They were right not to take off their silver medals: reaching the final is a reward for a team that never gave up, that fought until its last breath. A team that achieved epic victories in circumstances where others would surely have succumbed.

Keeping the medal around your neck is not only an appreciation for second place, which we have denied all our lives, but also a lesson: we lost because Spain was better, but no one can take away the heart-stopping joys along the way, and no one will stop recognizing Argentina as a great champion. For FIFA, which loves to fill armbands and flags with slogans it preaches but then tramples upon, there is a signal they will hardly pay attention to: giving the "Golden Ball" to Rodri is almost an insult, a display of zero sensitivity. Not because the Spaniard is a bad player, but simply because Messi was the body and soul of Argentina and the World Cup. He watered the pitches with football and tears, filled the nets with goals and the stadiums with fans of all nationalities who came to see this phenomenon of all time live. If the criterion is to give awards to the winners, we should inform Infantino and his boys that football is won with goals, not with passes. Rodri not only did not score a goal in this World Cup, but he also made two billion passes, none of which were assists. But that is probably a longer discussion for another time.

The World Cup of feats, of epic battles, of incredible comebacks, is over. Everything is too fresh to conduct a thorough analysis of why we always live on the edge of the abyss. Whether there were errors in the squad selection, whether it was mandatory to respect all veterans, or why so many players who earned their place never got a chance. It's not the time for reproaches, except for one: Lautaro Martinez should not have remained on the bench without playing a single minute of the final, regardless of injury problems. We will see what the future brings. Today, we surrender to the grief of this loss. And we say thank you: for the illusions and for the reality. For making us happy during this month and a half and over the past five years. Thank you, always thank you.

In a few months, we will meet again with new dreams.