Argentina 3-3 (4-2 on pens.) France
Argentina are World Cup champions after a sensational 120 minutes ended in a penalty shootout… and Lionel Messi has written his way into world football folklore.
It was the World Cup 2022 final we all wanted to see and one which the players and fans of Argentina will never, ever forget. Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot and Angel Di Maria rounded off a brilliant move to make it 2-0 at the break. It looked like the Albiceleste were coasting to a comfortable victory but a two minute brace from Kylian Mbappe changed all that.
Messi thought he’d won it in extra time but Mbappe levelled again with his second penalty of the game, before Argentina keeper Emi Martinez did his business in the sudden death shootout.
Highlights of the game
France made two changes, bringing in Dayot Upamecano at the centre of defence while midfield ace Adrien Rabiot returned from illness. Argentina made one change, bringing in Di Maria for Leandro Paredes in what looked like an attacking move from Lionel Scaloni, and his team started on the front foot as Brighton star Alexis MacAllister tested Hugo Lloris with a sweet strike from distance and Rodrigo de Paul had a fierce shot deflected wide.
Argentina were the better, more ambitious side and when they went ahead on 22 minutes no-one outside of France would say they didn’t deserve it, but there was a hint of controversy around the award of the penalty as Di Maria fell under the lightest of touches from Ousmane Dembele. But once given there was no doubt who would take the spot-kick and, when Messi sent Lloris the wrong way as he fired the ball into the bottom right corner and the stadium erupted.
Messi’s goals will be one of the enduring World Cup 2022 highlights and a moment in history. But in pure football terms Argentina’s second was better, a thing of real beauty, a break of precision, pace and brilliant teamwork. Messi set MacAllister free with an outrageous flick and the Brighton man raced away before sliding a pass across to Di Maria who fired low past Lloris for Number Two.
As brilliant as Argentina were in the first half, France were awful, second to every ball and with very little attacking intent as Kylian Mbappe was virtually invisible. And the Albiceleste continued to dominate, and could easily have had a second penalty when Julian Alvarez was nudged off the ball as he prepared to pull the trigger at the end of another sweeping move.
Mbappe finally had a shot, on 70 minutes, but it flew over the bar as Argentina still looked the more likely at add another goal, MacAllister and Messi constantly stretching the France defence. But then, with 12 minutes to go, the game took a wicked turn. In a rare France attack Les Bleus got their own soft penalty, very similar to the opener. Kolo Muani got the wrong side of Nicolas Otamendi and the Argentine defender leant on the striker who went down. Mbappe slammed home the penalty and it was game on.
Amazingly, after being totally dominated for 80 minutes Les Bleus were level a minute later. This time it was a stunning finish by Mbappe who swept home a first time volley and the match turned on its head. In a breath-taking end to the 90 minutes Argentina were hanging on, but Lloris made a superb last minute stop to keep out a fierce drive from Messi.
Argentina came close to retaking the lead in the first period of extra time but Upamecano made a fantastic block to deny Argentine sub Lautaro Martinez, who had another chance when clean through but he fired wide. Lloris made a near post save to deny Messi but then…another moment from the great man had the Argentine’s dreaming again. It was Martinez again who broke through and Lloris made a brilliant save but Leo the Legend was there to bang in the rebound.
Was that it? No of course not… and there was more controversy as the referee gave his third penalty of the night when Mbappe’s bullet of a shot struck Gonzalo Montiel on the arm and then the PSG man converted to complete his hat-trick.
This was the best final in history and it could only be decided by penalties.
Argentina were the favourites with specialist Martinez in the nets and it was fitting that Montiel earned his redemption by slotting home the winning penalty.
Key statistics
The World Cup 2022 betting odds backed these two teams to make the last four from the outset of the tournament, and once Brazil were dispatched by Croatia this final became increasingly inevitable.
And what a final…breathless.
Lionel Messi became the first player to score a goal in the group stage, Round of 16, Quarter Final, Semi-Final and Final of a World Cup and he has been voted Player of the Tournament – what a player!
And hats off to Mbappe; the first player to score a World Cup final hat-trick since Geoff Hurst for England in 1966, and the winner of the Golden Boot with eight goals to Messi’s seven.
What’s next?
Well, there will be wild celebrations in Buenos Aires that’s for sure.
Messi and Mbappe will, of course, re-unite when they return to the Parc des Princes as Paris Saint-Germain team-mates where the tension is high and a power struggle is never far away. The Parisiens resume their Ligue 1 campaign with a home game against Strasbourg on Wednesday 28th December.
Here at SBOTOP we’re getting ready for the return of domestic football across all Europe’s big leagues, starting with the Premier League on Boxing Day and, La Liga from the 29th, while Serie A and the Bundesliga take a break until the New Year. The world class action just keeps on coming and the winter period can be crucial in sorting the winners from the also-rans, but the players of Argentina will return with a spring in their step for sure.
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