Spain's 6-1 demolition of Argentina: Their last meeting revisited

Dubai: It promises to be one of the best World Cup finals in recent memory as Spain and Argentina prepare to battle for football's greatest prize.

But before the two heavyweights meet at the MetLife Stadium, it's worth looking back at the last time they shared the pitch, a night that ended in complete Spanish domination.

The nations last met in an international friendly in Madrid in March 2018, with Spain running riot in a stunning 6-1 victory at the Wanda Metropolitano.

The match had been billed as a clash between two of the favourites for that summer's World Cup in Russia, but Argentina were without Lionel Messi, who was ruled out through injury.

The then Barcelona forward had travelled with the squad but missed the game because of a hamstring problem, leaving the Argentina side without their captain and talisman.

Diego Costa opened the scoring after just 12 minutes, latching onto a Marco Asensio pass before calmly slotting past Sergio Romero.

Isco doubled Spain's lead in the 27th minute after another flowing move involving Asensio, although Argentina briefly gave themselves hope when Nicolas Otamendi powered home a header from a corner in the 39th minute to make it 2-1 before half-time.

Any hopes of an Argentine comeback disappeared after the restart as Spain produced one of their finest attacking displays in recent years.

Isco restored the two-goal cushion seven minutes into the second half before Thiago Alcantara added a fourth just three minutes later. Argentina simply had no answer as Spain carved them open at will.

Substitute Iago Aspas got in on the act in the 73rd minute, finishing clinically after another slick move, before Isco completed his hat-trick just a minute later to wrap up an emphatic 6-1 victory.

The defeat was Argentina's heaviest since 2009 and raised serious questions ahead of the 2018 World Cup, although Spain's own tournament ended in disappointment as they were knocked out by hosts Russia in the last 16 on penalties.

Eight years on, the stakes could hardly be higher.

Messi, who watched helplessly from the sidelines during that heavy defeat, now has the chance to captain Argentina to another World Cup title. Standing in his way is a fearless new-look Spain side led by teenage sensation Lamine Yamal.