Spain were deserved winners of World Cup final: Argentina analyst
Manna, a member of Lionel Scaloni's coaching staff, said he had watched the final several times to study its tactical aspects but deliberately skipped the extra-time period because it offered little from an analytical perspective
Spain were the deserved winners of the 2026 World Cup final and were "very superior" to Argentina on the day, Matías Manna, the Argentine national team's video analyst, said in an interview after conducting a detailed review of the match.
Manna, a member of Lionel Scaloni's coaching staff, said he had watched the final several times to study its tactical aspects but deliberately skipped the extra-time period because it offered little from an analytical perspective, says TyC Sports.
"I watched the final two or three more times. The same thing happened to me in 2022. I didn't watch the extra time of that final and not this one either... It is very emotional, there aren't many tactical things there, which is what I try to look for. Spain was very superior," Manna said.
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Spain beat Argentina in the final with a goal from Ferrán Torres.
Despite the defeat, Manna said Argentina's footballing identity remained intact, describing it as a style based on combining through short passes that is also being developed throughout the country's youth teams.
"Argentina can do it. There is an Argentine style, a way of playing by coming together through passes that I hope in 15 years they are still playing the same way. The kids in the lower divisions are playing like that," he said.
Manna also praised the work of Scaloni's coaching staff and the squad.
"The way to say thank you is to try to work to the maximum, and I think all the members of the coaching staff led by Scaloni did it that way, and the players have formed a wonderful group," he said.
Addressing conspiracy theories that have circulated on social media since the final, Manna dismissed speculation over the result and said the outcome should be accepted based on what happened on the pitch, echoing previous comments made by Scaloni and assistant coach Roberto Ayala.
"These are things that happen when one loses, perhaps, or suspects there might be something. Especially on today's [social] networks, everything is filmed at all times... What happened on the field happened, congratulate the one who was better in that match and move forward," Manna said.
The referee for the final, Slavko Vinčić, has since retired from officiating.
