Spain's second World Cup title will be remembered, in the record books, for Ferran Torres's extra-time strike against Argentina on July 19 at MetLife Stadium. But according to ONE, the moment that actually protected that lead came nearly fifteen minutes later, deep into a final that very nearly slipped away.

With Spain clinging to a 1-0 lead in the 120th minute, ONE reports that Argentina came desperately close to an equalizer: a cross from Giuliano Simeone found Marcos Senesi arriving at the back post, and only a full-stretch intervention from 19-year-old centre-back Pau Cubarsí kept the ball out — deflected over for a corner with, by ONE's account, as little as 80 centimeters to spare before it crossed the line.

That block, as ONE tells it, was the real title-winning moment of the final — the sort of play that rarely makes a highlight reel headline but decides where a trophy ends up. It has not been independently timestamped by other outlets consulted for this story, though it is consistent with a match that, by every account, went to the wire.

The broader shape of the night is beyond dispute. Torres put Spain ahead in the 106th minute of extra time, and Argentina spent the closing stretch chasing the game a man light: midfielder Enzo Fernández was shown a second yellow card, and with it a red, for a foul on Cubarsí himself in second-half stoppage time — reducing Lionel Messi's side to 10 men before extra time had even begun.

Cubarsí's block, whatever its exact margin, was the culmination of a tournament in which the Barcelona academy graduate barely put a foot wrong. He was named FIFA's Young Player of the Tournament immediately after the final, recognition for a run of performances that made him one of the most talked-about defenders at the World Cup.

The numbers back up the eye test. In the final alone, Cubarsí made more clearances — six — than any other player on the pitch and ranked third among Spain's players for duels won, according to match statistics from the game. Only Golden Ball winner Rodri completed more passes than Cubarsí across the tournament as a whole.

His semi-final display against France was similarly assured: four clearances, two ball recoveries and a 100% record in aerial duels as Spain reached the final. Marking Argentina's Julián Álvarez out of the game in the final itself — the striker managed just a dozen touches — was arguably his signature job of the tournament.

According to figures cited by ONE, Cubarsí's cumulative tournament numbers ran to 31 clearances and 27 successful tackles, with a top recorded speed of 34.1 km/h and more than 66 kilometers covered across Spain's run to the trophy — a workload that underlines how central he was to Luis de la Fuente's defensive setup, though these totals have not been independently corroborated against other statistical trackers.

Former Spain and Mallorca defender Miguel Ángel Nadal, quoted by ONE, was unequivocal about the final clearance: "The way he anticipated the striker and threw himself at the ball was simply brilliant." Pundit Paco Jémez added that Cubarsí is a defender without obvious flaws — "it's very difficult to find a weak point in him... he reads the game exceptionally well," he told the outlet.

Two years ago, Cubarsí was a teenager fighting for a place in Barcelona's first team; on the biggest stage in football, he ended the tournament as the player most credited with keeping the trophy in Spanish hands — Torres's name on the scoresheet, but Cubarsí's boot, ONE argues, the reason the scoreline held.