Argentina have been crowned World Champions after overcoming France on 4-2 post-match penalties in a pulsating final on Sunday evening.
Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe lived up to pre-match hype as they scored five of the six goals in the 3-3 draw.
Tension was high from the first whistle and it only took seconds for the first action; Tchouameni was penalized for fouling Alexis Mac Allister on the touchline.
Argentina quickly settled into the match and enjoyed possession in the final 3rd with Mac Allister testing Hugo Loris early on.
On the other hand, France struggled and were second-best in almost all attacking stats.
Their first meaningful attack came via a free kick in the 18th minute after Hernandez had been fouled on the edge of the box.
Antoine Griezmann found Giroud in the box and the AC Milan forward’s header went just over the bar.
The South Americans found their much-deserved goal in the 23rd minute. Di Maria, who had been lively thorough out was fouled by Ousmane Dembele inside the box, giving the ref no other option but point to the spot.
Man of the moment, Lionel Messi sent Lloris the wrong way. His sixth goal of the tournament.
Messi’s Penalty
The goal was a wake-up call for France.
They increased the speed of the ball but couldn’t get near a very tight Argentina defence.
It was not surprising when the Argentines doubled their lead in the 36th minute; Di Maria finished off a move which started from back to front. One of the team goals of the tournament. Angel Di Maria scores a delightful second for Argentina.
Angel Di Maria scores a delightful second for Argentina. Courtesy: Reuters.
France coach Didier Deschamps was forced into making early substitutions; hooking off Giroud and Dembele for Kolo Muani and Marcus Thuram.
The half-time whistle found France without a shot on target and having a mountain to climb in the second half.
Argentina came from the break on the driving seat. Benfica star Enzo Fernandez intelligently pulled strings from the middle of the pack.
Messi had a chance to put the game to bed in the 60th minute but his shot went just wide off the post. Good defending from Rabiot.
Deschamps brought in Kinglsey Coman and Eduardo Camavinga in his last-ditch attempt to salvage the match.
Mbappe got a sniff at goal in the 70th minute but his shot went over Emi Martinez’s goal.
France looked dead and buried as the clock ticked towards the 80th minute. But Mbappe had other thoughts. He first converted a penalty after Kolo Muani was fouled in the box.
The PSG forward, equalized just 97 seconds after his penalty; putting the ball beyond Martinez. What a dramatic turnaround!
Mbappe scores!
That goal was a thing of beauty. Courtesy: PA.
France’s second goal started with a move from Coman, who stole the ball from Messi in the middle of the pitch.
The Bayern forward created problems for tired Argentine legs with his direct runs. He was the catalyst of the French comeback.
Lloris had to be at his best to save Messi’s rapturous shot in injury time before the ref blew his whistle for extra time.
After being on the back foot for almost the entire match, France started extra time with momentum in their favour.
But they knew that they had to contain Messi, whose ability to create magic out of nothing is well documented. Contain, they tried, but not for long as the Argentina Captain restored their lead in the 108th minute with a scrappy goal. The stadium went WILD.
It looked like the game was headed for a fairytale ending, but France somehow found a way to pull themselves out of the hole again. With 5 minutes to go, they were awarded a penalty which Mbappe showed nerves of steel to convert.
The 23-year-old became the first player to score a World Cup final hat trick since 1966.
Both teams couldn’t win it extra time despite having great chances. The ref signalled for penalties.
Emi Martinez demonstrated why he has been one of the best goalkeepers in the tournament as he saved 2 penalties to ensure Argentina won their third World Cup title.
Source :Goalrush
