Image source, Getty Images
Lionel Messi is playing successful his 3rd World Cup last portion Lamine Yamal is playing successful his first
ByChris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician
Sunday's World Cup last pits holders Argentina against Spain. The South American champions against the European champions. How bash they compare? This is the communicative of the numbers.
Since 2 of their games went to other time, Argentina person played an hr of shot much than Spain astatine this tourney - truthful we person taken that into relationship by including the 'per 90 minutes' mentation of each statistic.
With 19 goals, Argentina broadside person scored the astir astatine the tournament, acknowledgment chiefly to immoderate objective finishing. They person present scored astatine slightest 2 goals successful each of their past 13 World Cup games, since losing 2-1 to Saudi Arabia successful their opening fixture 4 years ago.
Despite taking much shots, Spain person scored six goals less - arsenic they person been mean finishers truthful far, simply scoring arsenic galore goals arsenic expected fixed the fig and prime of their chances (13 scored, against an xG standing of 13.3).
Argentina person really lone scored 1 much extremity from wrong the container but person been acold much unsafe extracurricular it, scoring 5 times portion Spain are yet to people from distance.
Spain whitethorn person scored six goals less than Argentina but person conceded six goals less too, letting successful conscionable 1 truthful acold - successful their 2-1 quarter-final triumph against Belgium.
The South Americans tin possibly see themselves unlucky to person conceded seven, arsenic lone 3 sides person fixed up shots little often and lone Spain person a little xG against them per 90 minutes.
But adjacent if Argentina's defence has been amended than it looks, Spain's has been successful a league of its own.
Incredibly, contempt playing much games than 44 of the different teams, Spain inactive person the lowest antiaircraft xG wide astatine this World Cup (2.1), with Uruguay the second-lowest aft going retired successful the radical signifier (2.4).
France's formidable beforehand 4 had been successful good signifier earlier their semi-final - but Spain person hardly allowed absorption attackers to breathe.
Below is simply a representation of the shots faced by Luis de la Fuente's broadside truthful acold - the bigger the dot, the amended the chance. As you tin see, determination are nary large dots arsenic Spain person fixed up the hardest chances to score.
Image source, Opta
An representation displaying wherever Spain person conceded shots from astatine the World Cup
A large crushed is that, for each the praise they get for their method ability, Spain enactment hard too. While Argentina person covered 13.5 m much wide due to the fact that of those 2 stints of other time, Spain person tally and sprinted much per 90 minutes, portion lone Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay (7.7) person won possession successful the last 3rd much frequently.
In contrast, Argentina person been outrun by each of their opponents astatine this World Cup – totalling 17km wide – but emerged victorious each time. Their little aggravated attack means that portion they person played 60 much minutes than Spain, they should not person a large disadvantage erstwhile it comes to fittingness successful the final, having besides rested galore of their players successful their last radical signifier triumph against Jordan.
Both sides person dominated possession successful the bulk of their games truthful far, though Spain had lone 51% successful their semi-final triumph against France and Argentina conscionable 48% successful their 3-0 radical signifier triumph implicit Algeria, truthful neither person to predominate the shot successful bid to win.
While Spain person whipped successful crosses acold much often overall, it is thing Argentina person done much arsenic the tourney has gone on. After lone putting successful 13 crosses successful unfastened play successful their archetypal 4 games, the World Cup holders person attempted 51 crossed their past 3 games, with Lautaro Martinez astir precocious scoring the victor from 1 against England.
Spain person the champion aerial duel occurrence complaint astatine the World Cup, truthful should person an vantage successful the aerial - though fixed the 2 finalists' wide duel occurrence rates are precise similar, that people means Argentina person been somewhat much ascendant connected the ground.
Neither broadside person been immense dribblers astatine the tournament, with 25 teams attempting much per 90 minutes than Spain. Argentina person tried to dribble past their opponents adjacent little often, though lone Croatia (63%) person a amended occurrence complaint erstwhile they have.
However, portion the immense bulk of Spain and Argentina's players person not dribbled precise often astatine this World Cup, 2 astir surely have: Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi.
The 2 teams successful the last person attempted 209 dribbles betwixt them and their respective prima forwards relationship for 90 of those (43%). Spain's teenage winger has attempted the astir dribbles astatine this World Cup and lone helium and Brazil's Vinicius Jr (42) person tally astatine opponents with the shot much than Argentina's talisman.
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