Argentina won the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 on penalties, defeating reigning champions France 4-2 after a thrilling 3-3 draw over 120 minutes.
France bounced back twice to force a penalty shootout in a match destined to be remembered as one of the greats. Although Lionel Messi will get the most attention, Kylian Mbappe is the first player since Sir Geoff Hurst for England in 1966 to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final.
Argentina monopolised the first 80 minutes and appeared to be on their way to their first World Cup title since 1986. Messi scored from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute after Ousmane Dembele was adjudged to have knocked down Angel Di Maria – albeit a squishy decision.
Furthermore, Argentina’s second came after Di Maria finished a fine sweeping move started by Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister
But Les Bleus came back in force into the tie in the 79th minute when the spectacular Randal Kolo Muani was bumped by Nicolas Otamendi. Mbappe ended up scoring from the penalty spot for his first goal of the night, then added a breathtaking second 90 seconds later to send the game into extra time.
In the 108th minute, Messi believed he had won it for his team when his rebounded strike was awarded by goal-line technology. However, with only a few minutes remaining, France bestowed another penalty after Gonzalo Montiel was reprimanded for handball.
Mbappe stood up for a second time and beat Emiliano Martinez, bringing France back into the tie and issuing the match to penalties. The 23-year-old scored the first penalty of the evening, his third of the evening before Messi responded.
Regrettably, Kingsley Coman and Aurelien Tchouameni both missed their spot kicks for France. On the other hand, Argentina netted all three of their remaining penalties, with Montiel scoring the game-winning penalty.