Sports: None shall pass: Spain's defence ready to thwart Mes

Sports: None shall pass: Spain's defence ready to thwart Mes highlights Spain’s defensive performance as the key battleground for the final. The article says Lionel Messi and Argentina are set to seek back-to-back World Cup titles on Sunday, but must overcome one of the tournament’s stingiest defenses. It credits Luis de la Fuente’s system and, beyond midfield control, focuses on a back line that conceded only one goal in seven matches. The likely back four includes Marc Cucurella at left-back, Aymeric Laporte and Pau Cubarsi as center-backs, and Pedro Porro at right-back. A clean sheet at MetLife Stadium would set Spain’s record for fewest goals conceded in a World Cup-winning campaign, currently two, shared by France (1998), Italy (2006) and Spain (2010). Cucurella, 27, echoed that dominant play in both penalty areas improves the chances of winning.