Mbappe’s hat-trick not enough as Messi’s Argentina wins 2022 FIFA World Cup
Argentina defeated the Defending Champions France to become World Champions in Qatar after an intense penalty shootout!
Lionel Messi finally clinched the elusive World Cup trophy in his fifth attempt, breaking records along the way.
Messi converted a penalty for the first goal of the World Cup 2022 final.
Playing in a record 26th game at World Cup finals, Messi broke another record with the goal: no one had yet before scored in every round of the competition.
The penalty was also Messi’s sixth goal of the tournament.
Angel Di Maria was outstanding in what could be his last World Cup game. Di Maria doubled the lead for Argentina in the 36th minute after the Argentine’s had a swooping counter-attack.
Kylian Mbappe did the unthinkable in the second half by baggging a brace in two minutes to drag the game to extra time.
Lionel Messi was on hand again with a clutch goal that put Argentina in front but Mbappe netted his hattrick to equalise.
Mbappe is the first player since Geoff Hurst (1966) to score a hat trick in the Final of the FIFA World Cup.
The game then went to penalties with nerves crumbling and folks in despair around the world.
The game started with a number of little fouls stopping the game from getting any kind of rhythm. Dayot Upamecano made his presence known to Lionel Messi in the opening stages with a rogue arm when the pair jumped for a header, while Rodrigo De Paul pushed over Adian Rabiot.
Alexis Mac Allister had the first effort within five minutes – a long distance potshot that didn’t trouble Hugo Lloris too much, following Julian Alvarez deftly flicking the ball on.
Argentina had the better of the first 10 minutes, too. Another shot was deflected out for a corner, while Cristian Romero clattered into Hugo Lloris early on. France had the first major set-piece opportunity of the game though, when Antoine Griezmann got a free-kick within range to launch into Olivier Giroud.
Argentina went into this one having brought Angel Di Maria back into the fold for the final, just as they did for the Copa America win of 2021.
Only Messi remained from the side that lost the World Cup final of 2014, in which the Albiceleste lost 1-0 to Germany after extra time.
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