Twenty-four years after the fifth star, the sixth: Spain 0, Brazil 1, after extra time, the goal scored by the man every knockout night of this timeline has run through. There has never been a month like this, in any version of events.
EAST RUTHERFORD — Write it in the record the way it happened: in the 106th minute of the last World Cup final of his life, Neymar da Silva Santos Junior took Vinicius Junior's cutback at the edge of the six-yard box and passed the ball into the net as if the occasion were a training exercise. Spain, who had controlled the ball for two hours, never touched it in a dangerous area again. Brazil are world champions for the sixth time.
The final was everything the neutrals feared and the Brazilians demanded: Spain's patterns against Brazil's patience, Alisson equal to everything Yamal designed, the game narrowing until only one moment of genius could decide it. Every team in this tournament defended the Spanish carousel; only one had Neymar to end it.
When the whistle came, the oldest man on the pitch sat down at the center circle and did not move for a long time. Casemiro reached him first, then all of them. The hexa arrives 24 years after Yokohama, through a knockout run — Norway, England, Argentina, Spain — that will be recited by Brazilian children the way 1970 is recited now.
'People asked me all month if this was a farewell,' Neymar said, the gold medal around his neck, the trophy waiting. 'It was. This is how we say goodbye where I am from.'
Down to Enzo Fernandez's strike with five minutes left, Brazil scored twice — Neymar assisting Vinicius and Casemiro's stoppage-time header — in the first World Cup semi-final ever played against Argentina.
The penalty against Norway, the extra-time rebound against England, the late storm against Argentina, the 106th minute against Spain. No champion has ever lived this close to the edge — and never fallen.
At 34, in his last World Cup, Neymar decided every knockout night — and ended the story with the trophy. 'The dream lives' has an ending now.
A penalty won by Lamine Yamal and converted by Oyarzabal, then Porro's one-two with Olmo on 58. France — so dominant all tournament — never broke through, and Mbappe's World Cup ends in Arlington.
Fabian Ruiz and De Ketelaere traded first-half goals at SoFi. After Courtois limped off on 71, substitute keeper Lammens spilled a routine shot and Mikel Merino pounced on 88 — Spain meet France in Tuesday's semi-final.
Spain edged Portugal 1-0 in Arlington. Cristiano Ronaldo leaves the stage after a fifth World Cup without the trophy.
The USMNT's home World Cup ended in a lopsided round-of-16 defeat.
Orlando Gill saved from Havertz and Woltemade as Germany lost a World Cup shootout for the first time in their history.
| Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | Morocco | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| 3 | Scotland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| 4 | Haiti | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
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