Lionel Messi, on Sunday evening, proved he is the Greatest Footballer of all times when he capped his astonishing career with the World Cup.
Argentina won the World Cup for a third time, beating France 4-2 on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw in the 2022 final in Qatar – a contest pundits have tagged the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) in World Cup football finals.
Messi’s penalty and a goal from Ángel Di María appeared to have put Argentina in control, but two quick Kylian Mbappé goals turned the game on its head with 10 minutes to go. The French talisman converted a penalty then volleyed home 60 seconds later to send the final to extra time.
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Argentina rallied in extra time, with Dayot Upamecano twice denying substitute Lautaro Martínez before half-time. Early in the second half, Martínez broke through again and after Hugo Lloris parried his shot, Messi forced the ball over the line. Still France would not give in, and Mbappé converted a late penalty to level again.
Mbappé then stepped up first in the shootout, scoring before Messi rolled the ball past Lloris. Kingsley Coman saw his penalty saved and Aurélien Tchouaméni fired wide, allowing Gonzalo Montiel to convert the winning spot-kick and send his nation into raptures as Messi crowned his glittering career with the greatest prize of all.
The Albiceleste began the game on the front foot at Lusail Stadium in front of a crowd dominated by their supporters and took the lead with 23 minutes played in the first half. Ángel Di María drew contact from Ousmane Dembélé inside the area, and referee Szymon Marciniak pointed to the penalty spot.
Lionel Messi stepped up and sent the France keeper, Hugo Lloris, the wrong way to put Argentina in front. Thirteen minutes later it was two, as Lionel Scaloni’s side broke at speed after a rare French foray upfield. After Messi’s flick, Alexis Mac Allister played in Di María, who drilled the ball beyond Lloris to put Argentina in control.
This is a World Cup like no other. For the last 12 years the Guardian has been reporting on the issues surrounding Qatar 2022, from corruption and human rights abuses to the treatment of migrant workers and discriminatory laws. The best of our journalism is gathered on our dedicated Qatar: Beyond the Football home page for those who want to go deeper into the issues beyond the pitch.
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The France manager, Didier Deschamps, responded with a double change before half-time, replacing Olivier Giroud and Dembélé with Marcus Thuram and Randal Kolo Muani. Kylian Mbappé moved to the middle but made little impact as Argentina continued to offer more attacking threat early in the second half.
Just as time appeared to be running out, Nicolás Otamendi brought down Kolo Muani in the area and Mbappé fired past Emiliano Martínez from the spot. Moments later, Kingsley Coman took the ball from Messi in midfield and Mbappé volleyed home superbly to bring France level from out of nowhere, sending the game to extra time.
