Lionel Messi and Argentina take on Lamine Yamal and Spain in the FIFA World Cup final. (AP)

After a delayed start of six minutes, we finally have kick-off in the FIFA World Cup final between defending champions Argentina and Spain in the New York New Jersey Stadium (also known as the Metlife Stadium) on Sunday night. After over a month of breathtaking footballing action, we are finally down to two teams vying for the crown. Argentina are gunning for their fourth and Lionel Messi’s second World Cup title while Spain will be looking for their first title since 2010.

Argentina and Spain were supposed to meet in March for the Finalissima where the European champions take on the world champions in an exhibition match but the clash at Doha was cancelled after Iranian strikes on American bases in middle eastern countries. Now, finally the much anticipated contest is taking place in the biggest stage imaginable.

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FIFA World Cup: Every plan to stop Messi has failed. Spain has one more shot

Years later, it remains a regret for the legendary Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson. He couldn’t stop Lionel Messi in the Champions League finals, neither in 2009 nor in 2011. “You need centre-backs who are prepared to drop right on top of Messi and not worry about what is happening behind them,” he later wrote in his autobiography. “He’s less of a threat on the side than he is through the centre. When we play Barcelona next time in a Champions League final, I wasn’t going to let him torture us again,” he wrote. (READ MORE)

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