Finalists set! Messi’s Argentina, Yamal’s Spain set for big showdown

The best offence. The best defence.

The World Cup final is set, and fittingly, a clash of styles awaits. Lionel Messi — the most prolific goalscorer in the tournament’s history — and defending champions Argentina will take on Spain’s defensive juggernaut on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey, to decide the title.

Spain beat France in one semifinal on Tuesday; Argentina, the comeback kings of this tournament, rallied to beat England 2-1 in the other semifinal on Wednesday.

Argentina are seeking their fourth title and looking to become the first back-to-back World Cup champions since Brazil pulled off the feat in 1958 and 1962. Spain are looking for their second title, after winning in 2010.

Argentina lead the tournament in goals scored — 19.

Spain lead the tournament in fewest goals allowed — one.

Something will have to give on Sunday, when the biggest World Cup ever — a 48-team, 104-match extravaganza spread out over the United States, Canada and Mexico — comes to an end.

It’s not Finalissima. It’s going to be better.

South American champions Argentina and European champions Spain were supposed to meet in Doha, Qatar, back in late March in Finalissima, a showdown between the teams that are led by Messi and Lamine Yamal in a prequel of the World Cup.

That game never happened. Security became an issue because of unrest in the Middle East, with Iran intensifying their attacks on neighbouring countries at that time in retaliation to the aerial attacks by United States and Israel in a war that is still ongoing. The game was called off.

So, instead of playing at Lusail Stadium, the site of the epic 2022 World Cup final where Messi and Argentina won on penalty kicks over France and Kylian Mbappé, they’ll play just outside of New York in soccer’s biggest game.

It’ll be a showdown of soccer’s present versus soccer’s future, not to mention a showdown of the teams that held the top two spots in FIFA’s world rankings entering the World Cup — Argentina at No. 1, Spain at No. 2.

There was a famous photo taken in 2007 when Messi was part of a UNICEF programme and posed with a baby.

Yamal was that baby. Like Messi (who now plays for Inter Miami), Yamal would become a left-footed star for Spanish club Barcelona. It is the most improbable of stories: from a photo together two decades ago, the two stars are set to be together again to end this year’s World Cup.

A picture-perfect finish.

HOW SPAIN GOT THERE

— Record: Six wins, one draw, zero losses.

— Goals for: 13.

— Goals against: 1.

— Group stage: drew with Cape Verde 0-0, beat Saudi Arabia 4-0, beat Uruguay 1-0.

— Knockout stage: beat Austria 3-0, beat Portugal 1-0, beat Belgium 2-1, beat France 2-0.

HOW ARGENTINA GOT THERE

Record: Seven wins, zero draws, zero losses.

Goals for: 19.

Goals against: 7.

Group stage: beat Algeria 3-0, beat Austria 2-0, beat Jordan 3-1.