Argentina – France 3:3 (4:2 in the shootout): Lionel Messi leads Argentina to World Cup victory despite Kylian Mbappé's hat-trick....
Kylian Mbappé vs. Messi
Match report: Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria score in the first half. A last-minute Kylian Mbappé goal gives France the tie, sending the match into extra time. Messi's goal in the 108th minute was saved by goal-line technology before Mbappé's hat-trick was completed. Gonzalo Montiel scores the decisive penalty for Argentina.
Lionel Messi leads Argentina to a stunning World Cup victory, beating defending champions France 4:2 in the shootout after a thrilling 3:3 draw in 120 minutes.
World Champions 2022 In what will go down as one of the greatest matches in history, France came from behind twice to take the game to penalties. Messi stole the headlines while Kylian Mbappé became the first player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final since Sir Geoff Hurst for England in 1966. Argentina dominated the first 80 minutes and looked set to win their first World Cup since 1986. Messi gave his team the lead from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute after Ousmane Dembele brought down Angel Di Maria, but it looked like an easy decision
captain Lionel Messi
Juventus winger Di Maria scored Argentina's second after a great long move led by Brighton's Alexis McAllister, while France seemed to be struggling with the effects of an illness he developed during training camp that week.
But Les Bleus rallied back to square one, hurling a lifeline after substitute Randal Kolo Muani was brought down by Nicolas Otamendi in the 79th minute. Mbappe scored the first goal of the night from the penalty spot and then scored a stunning second just 90 seconds later to send the game into extra time.
Lionel tackled by Mauna
Messi thought he had secured victory for his team when a rebounded shot in the 108th minute was awarded by goal-line technical. But with minutes remaining, Gonzalo Montiel was penalized for handball, giving France an extra penalty.
Mbappe, coming on for the second time, beat Emiliano Martinez again to get France back in the game for the second time, sending the match to penalties. The 23-year-old scored the first shot of the shootout - his third goal of the night - before Messi could react.
Kylian Mbappe takes the lead
But France missed penalties from Kinsey Coman and Aurélien Chouameni, while Argentina had all three remaining players score, with Montiel scoring the decisive penalty to seal the 2022 World Cup victory. Captain Lionel Messi ready for penalty kick
"This team, these players, play for their people. They play for the Argentine fans," an emotional Lionel Scaloni said after the match. "I've always seen it that way. There's no rivalry, we all move forward in the same direction.
"Playing for your country is the greatest pride. We turned our backs and got this title because the players knew what they had to do on the pitch. We are very, very happy and proud.
"Today we are world champions. Although it ended in a penalty shootout, we deserved to win because we put in a great performance. They only gave us problems for a few seconds."
