Final show, penalties decisive: Argentina world champion
Argentina world champion
Argentina world champion after an unforgettable final against France, decided on penalties. The Albiceleste lifts the cup for the third time in its history after a pyrotechnic 3-3 draw that puts the spotlight on the stars on the field: a double for Lionel Messi, even three goals for Kylian Mbappé. Useless, however, in the final lottery that concludes Qatar 2022.
The first half seems to tell of a one-sided challenge, even beyond the two goals scored by Argentina. It is De Paul and Di Maria who build the first goal chances for the Albiceleste, while France struggles to react. It then comes in the 23rd minute, when El Fideo himself deceives Dembélé in the box and earns a penalty that Messi converts. His goal comes in the minute the Argentine captain becomes the most present player in World Cup history (2217 minutes, one more than Paolo Maldini).
The Albiceleste advantage does not shake France, which fails to build any meaningful chance to equalize. So much so that the goal comes, but Argentina scores it again: it’s the 36th minute, Molina conquers a venomous ball in the middle of the field, serves it to Messi, who launches Mac Allister. The latter’s service for Di Maria is perfect, and the Juventus midfielder dumps the ball into the net.
It seems over, but it is not: Deschamps even orders the first two substitutions at halftime yet to come (Thuram and Kolo Muani take over from Giroud and Dembélé). For a long time, however, it does not seem to pay off, so much so that De Paul and Alvarez come close to scoring the third (careful Lloris). Then the game suddenly opened again: in the 80th minute Otamendi knocked down Kolo Muani in the box, and Mbappé from the penalty spot scored. But in the 81st minute even comes the equalizer, signed by the same Mbappé after a triangulation with Kolo Muani and a bolide that pierces Martinez.
It goes to extra time, dominated by fatigue and inaccuracy. At least until the 109th minute, when Messi put Argentina back in the lead by flinging over the line a ball that Lloris had rejected on Lautaro Martinez’s shot. It was Mbappé again, however, who signed the new equalizer, procuring and converting a further penalty in the 118th minute. And in the penalty shootout it was Montiel who gave the World Cup to Argentina, after transformations by Mbappé, Messi, Dybala, Paredes and Kolo Muani: decisive errors from the penalty spot by Coman and Tchouameni.
