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Lionel Messi opened the scoring for Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final against France today (December 18). Angel di Maria earned a penalty for La Albiceleste midway through the first half.
Di Maria left Ousmane Dembele wrong-footed on the left side of Les Bleus' box and the Frenchman was deemed to have fouled the Argentine. While there was a lack of any evident serious contact, the referee awarded the spot kick, which Messi converted with conviction.
British journalist and broadcaster Piers Morgan, a known fan of Cristiano Ronaldo, reacted to the incident as he wrote on Twitter:
"That wasn’t a penalty."
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The penalty call was certainly controversial. La Albiceleste were also awarded a controversial penalty against Croatia in the semi-final which changed the course of the game.
Argentina, however, added a sumptuous second in the 35th minute. Di Maria finished off an exquisite team move after being brilliantly set up by Alexis Mac Allister.
Lionel Messi lifts the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina
In a glittering career, Messi has won it all and has now lifted the FIFA World Cup trophy with Argentina as well. La Albiceleste squandered a two-goal lead in normal time to make it 2-2.
The Paris Saint-Germain superstar scored in extra time before Mbappe added another goal. However, the south American side won the game on penalties.
Messi has now scored seven goals in the 2022 World Cup and ended one goal behind his Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) teammate Mbappe.
The penalty goal against France also marked the 12th of Messi's World Cup career before he added his 13th in the game.
France, meanwhile, looked toothless in the first half.
Didier Deschamps changed things up as he took off both Ousmane Dembele and Olivier Giroud. Randal Kolo Muani and Marcus Thuram were brought in as replacements. While they did help in bringing France back into the game, it wasn't enough.
Messi and La Albiceleste, meanwhile, finally achieved World Cup glory. This is the South American giants' first World Cup trophy since Diego Maradona led the team to glory in 1986.
