EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) Ferran Torres’ first goal of this year’s World Cup was the goal of his life, and it put Spain back atop the soccer world.

Denying Lionel Messi a second straight title in what he has indicated would be his final World Cup match, Torres came off the bench and scored in the 106th minute and Spain – in a match it simply dominated – ended Argentina’s reign with a 1-0 win on Sunday.

Torres pounced on a bouncing ball in the box and used his left foot to bury a shot just under the crossbar and into the back of the net.

It was Spain’s second title, this trophy getting added to the one claimed in 2010. And there’s no question about the center of the soccer universe now, not after this display.

Spain allowed only one goal in eight matches at the tournament, setting a World Cup record for fewest goals allowed by a champion. And this title, combined with the World Cup won by Spain’s women in 2023, makes the European nation the first to hold both the men’s and women’s titles simultaneously.

The score indicates this match was close, but only one team was in command.

Spain took the game’s first 20 shots on goal before Argentina – desperate for an equalizer – got its first attempt off in the second half of extra time. Spain took nine of the game’s first 10 corner kicks, and only a World Cup final-record 12 saves by Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez gave the 2022 champions a shot at going back-to-back.

Spain is now unbeaten in its last 38 matches – 29 wins, nine draws – and now is the outright holder of the longest such streak by any European team ever. Italy went 37 matches (28 wins, nine draws) from October 2018 through September 2021, before Spain ended that streak.

And for the last two-plus years, nobody has beaten Spain. Not even Messi. An Argentina team that was the kings of the late-game rally in this tournament had no answer this time.

Messi took a corner kick with about four minutes left before the final whistle and the ball took a fortunate skip toward reserve Giuliano Simeone – who sent it high and over the crossbar, holding his head in disbelief afterward.

The win made Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, at 65, the oldest coach ever to lead a team to the World Cup title. There was some pushing and shoving after the final whistle, which was quickly cleaned up and Spain commenced its celebration as most Argentina players sat on the turf in disbelief.

Enzo Fernandez was sent off in second-half stoppage time after getting his second yellow card, meaning Argentina was forced to finish the match with only 10 players. Fernandez was carded for a reckless play that sent Spain defender Pau Cubarsi cartwheeling into the air, and the card came out immediately.

It was the 104th and last match of the biggest World Cup ever, a 48-team event that played out over the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Because there were more matches than any previous World Cup, it was no surprise that there were more goals than all other editions.

The spectacle was not limited to simply soccer.

Celebrities – from all walks of life – were there. Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Matt Damon, Will Ferrell, Cillian Murphy, Daniel Craig, Jennifer Connelly, Jennifer Hudson, Jon Hamm, Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker were among the actors at the game.

The NBA had enough talent there for a full All-Star Game, with the list of players attending including Stephen Curry, Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Bronny James, Cade Cunningham, Cooper Flagg, Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, Draymond Green, Jalen Brunson, Jalen Williams, James Harden, Jaylen Brown, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kevin Durant and Tyrese Haliburton.

Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz were among the tennis royalty watching, the NFL had names like Eli Manning, Patrick Mahomes, Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley in attendance, two of the greatest U.S. skiers ever in Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn were at the match – and, of course, there were soccer royalty with the likes of Kaka, David Beckham, Didier Drogba and Zinedine Zidane.

They came to see a show. So did 80,000 other people, not to mention perhaps as many as 2 billion watching around the globe.

Spain didn’t disappoint.

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Caitlin Clark’s slump is officially over.

The Indiana Fever star reminded everyone what she’s capable of with a historic performance on Friday night to lead her team to a thrilling 110-107 win over the Seattle Storm. Clark finished with a career-high 45 points and 10 assists to set the Fever’s franchise scoring record and become the first player in WNBA history with a 40-point, 10-assist game.

“I just thought I was aggressive from the start,” Clark said. “Missed a shot, came back and made the next. I knew my team needed me to step up with [Aliyah Boston] out. Just proud of this group. We were down eight with four minutes to play. Just some true resiliency, but we got another one tomorrow. So this is great, but let’s move on.”

Clark, who shot 11 of 18 from the field, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range, and 17 of 19 from the free throw line, also added four steals and two blocks, including one late in the fourth quarter that was arguably the biggest play of the night until she hit a go-ahead 3 on the ensuing possession.

With less than a minute to play and the score tied at 102-102, Makayla Timpson turned the ball over and Flau’jae Johnson raced the other way. Clark sprinted back with her, and with a perfectly timed swipe knocked the ball out of Johnson’s hands and off her leg out of bounds.

Down on the other end, Clark went one-on-one with Johnson and buried a deep step-back 3 from the left wing to give the Fever a 105-102 advantage. She then sealed the game at the free throw line to tie A’ja Wilson for the second-highest scoring game this season.

“I mean, it’s cool. I don’t really care,” Clark said, when asked of her record-setting scoring output. “I know what I’m capable of and I know what this team is capable of, and it’s my job to help us win and be the best team in the WNBA and I don’t think we’re there yet. It’s my responsibility to help us get there. We’ll keep working.”

Highest scoring games in Fever history

Clark, whose 10 assists led to 21 points for the Fever, also set a WNBA record by accounting for 66 points. Furthermore, she played just 29 minutes and her 45 points are the most ever by a player in fewer than 30 minutes.

“Some nights, like, you know you have it — even before the ball tips,” Clark said. “I felt like it was going to be one of those for me.

“I feel like you just have to believe you’re going to have those type of nights, and you have to visualize having those types of nights. And I feel like that’s what I did.”

Friday’s performance ended a frustrating stretch for Clark, who has had a roller coaster season.

After an early slump, she bounced back to win Eastern Conference Player of the Month in June, but toward the end of the month was on the receiving end of what Fever coach Stephanie White called “two cheap shots” in a controversial loss to the Phoenix Mercury. One of them was a fist to the throat by Alyssa Thomas, which was retroactively upgraded to a Flagrant 2 and became a flashpoint, and the other was a landing space foul that jarred Clark’s back and forced her to the sideline for two weeks.

Entering Friday, Clark was averaging 11.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, five assists and four turnovers on 35.1/15.8/71.4 shooting splits in 21.9 minutes in the three games since her return. During that stretch she had publicly complained about the team’s return-to-play plan for her and lashed out at the officials during a frustrating loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday.

But against the Storm, Clark was back to her best to help the Fever get a key win without Boston, who was sidelined due to a leg injury.

“It’s incredible,” White said. “I mean, it’s special. She does things that we haven’t seen. She had a lot of bounce early. You could tell she was feeling better. She was feeling good, and in the moment, sometimes it’s surreal to see.

“I look down at the stat sheet at the end of the game, and it’s like, holy s—, 45 and 10.”

Now 15-10, the Fever are in sixth place, but tied for the fifth-best record in the crowded middle of the playoff race. They are only one and a half games behind the Dallas Wings for a top-four seed.

Let’s take a closer look at the top-five plays from the best performance of Clark’s career:

5. Lefty backdoor feed

Early in the first quarter, Clark came down in semi-transition and went behind her back to get the defense off balance, then drove to her left toward Kelsey Mitchell. As Clark got to the elbow, Mitchell cut backdoor and Clark found her with a sweet left-hand feed for an and-one.

4. History-making 3

Clark entered Friday with 198 career 3-pointers, and added six more — her second-most of the season. Early in the second quarter, she made her second of the night off a feed from Tyasha Harris to reach 200. With that shot, she became the fastest player to 200 3s in WNBA history, doing so in 74 career games.

3. Clutch deep 3

The Fever trailed by eight in the fourth quarter, but had cut the deficit down to four with less than three minutes to play. They got even closer when Clark drove right, took a bump from Jade Melbourne and pulled up for a deep 3 to make it a one-point game. That shot gave Clark 38 points and a new career-high.

2. Clark can play defense, too

Clark has never been known for her defense, but she made a number of big plays on that side of the ball on Friday; her four steals and two blocks were both season-highs. With less than a minute to play, she came up with one of the best defensive moments of her career when she sprinted back in transition to turn a likely go-ahead basket for the Storm into a turnover by stripping Flau’jae Johnson on the way up.

1. Go-ahead 3

After Clark forced Johnson into a turnover, the Fever had the ball with a chance to take their first lead of the fourth quarter. The Fever went to a pick-and-roll with Clark and Monique Billings, which the Storm blew up with a hard hedge. Clark had to retreat to midcourt, and with the shot clock winding down, decided to go one-on-one with Johnson.

She drove and went for one of her patented step-back 3s to the left, which caught nothing but net from 26 feet. The shot not only gave the Fever the lead for good, but gave Clark the first 40-point game of her career.