Lionel Messi has led Argentina to World Cup glory after the most thrilling final in the 92-year history of the tournament.
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Argentina took the lead through Messi and Angel Di Maria, only for Kylian Mbappe to score a late brace. Messi restored Argentina’s lead in extra time, but Mbappe again hit back for France, completing his hat-trick and taking the game to a penalty shootout.
Argentina won the shootout 4-2, to claim the World Cup and victory in one of the sport’s all-time great games.
Argentina wins World Cup Final 2022 on penalties over France as Messi collects trophy
A World Cup final for the ages delivered a crowning glory for soccer icon Lionel Messi on Sunday as Argentina beat reigning men’s champion France on penalty kicks.
One of the most dramatic major sporting events in history saw the teams tied 3-3 after extra time, with the French ultimately missing twice in the shootout before Gonzalo Montiel converted to seal an exhausting and emotional victory.
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Argentina had dominated the bulk of the match, leading 2-0 with just about 10 minutes to go, but France suddenly burst into life with star forward Kylian Mbappé scoring twice in as many minutes. Both sides traded missed chances and then late goals again in the 30 minutes of extra time before the tension of penalty kicks.
The game capped a month of sporting drama and geopolitical controversy in Qatar. The tournament featured surprise results and fairy-tale runs, but the final saw two giants of the game compete for the title — headlined by a pair of diminutive stars.
Mbappé solidified his claim as the young pretender to Messi’s throne, with the speedy and skillful forward scoring a hat-trick as France came so close to being the first team to go back-to-back since Brazil in 1962.
But ultimately it was Messi who took the glory, securing the trophy that cements his status as perhaps the game’s greatest ever player as the 35-year-old bows out on the global stage by sealing a third title for his soccer-mad nation.
