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Lionel Messi’s Argentina overcame Kylian Mbappe’s France in a tense penalty shootout to be crowned FIFA World Cup winners for the third time in their history on Sunday, 18 December. After the game finished 3-3 at the end of extra time, Lionel Scaloni’s men won the shootout 4-2.
Argentina enjoyed an energetic start to the game, moving the ball around with intent. It took them five minutes to lodge their first shot on target, with Alexis Mac Allister testing Hugo Lloris’ gloves with a long-range effort. Twelve minutes later, Messi passed the ball to Rodrigo De Paul on the right and dashed to the middle for the rebound. De Paul, however, overhit the pass, and the ball went straight to Di Maria, who skied his effort.
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Having dominated the game, Argentina deservedly got the opener in the 23rd minute. Ousmane Dembele tripped Di Maria on the left side of the penalty box and the referee unhesitantly pointed to the spot. Argentina Messi found the bottom right corner of France’s goal with a confident penalty kick.
In the 36th minute, Messi flicked the ball onto Mac Allister’s path, kicking off a sweeping counter-attack. The Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder delivered an inch-perfect low cross to Di Maria on the left flank, and the Juventus man made no mistake in doubling his team’s advantage.
France were toyed around with for 33 minutes into the second half, but Nicolas Otamendi’s foul on Randal Kolo Muani inside the Argentine box gave Les Bleus a lifeline. Mbappe, who had not been himself until then, stepped up to take the resulting penalty. The Paris Saint-Germain superstar put his boot through the ball and found the bottom left corner of Emiliano Martinez’s goal.
A minute later, Marcus Thuram delightfully chipped the ball over the Argentine defense to find Mbappe. The PSG ace hit it on the volley and pierced the bottom-right corner of Argentina’s goal. The quickfire double breathed life back into France, as they spent the remainder of the 90 in Argentina’s final third. Despite their best efforts, however, the French stars failed to land a knockout punch and the game moved to extra time.
Having been under the cosh for a while, Argentina once again found their feet, with skipper Messi putting his team in front with a scrappy finish in the 108th minute. Just when it looked done and dusted, Mbappe pulled his team back into the game, scoring another scorching penalty. With the game level at 3-3, the match went into penalties.
Spot-kick specialist Martinez stepped up to the plate for La Albicelste, denying Kingsley Coman’s second penalty in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final. Aurelien Tchoumeni missed France’s third spot kick to give Argentina the advantage. Finally, substitute Gonzalo Montiel put away La Albiceleste’s fourth penalty kick to bring the FIFA World Cup back to his country after a 36-year hiatus.
Here are five Argentina stars who shone the brightest on a magical FIFA World Cup night at the Lusail Iconic Stadium:
#5 Enzo Fernandez
FIFA Young Player of the Tournament Enzo Fernandez acted as the metronome of the team. He kept the game moving with his smart exchanges, delivered long balls from deep, and always made himself available when needed. Fernandez was also colossal at the back and produced multiple decisive defensive interventions.
Against the 2018 FIFA World Cup winners France, Fernandez completed 77 passes (84.6% accuracy), pulled off a dribble, played a key pass, and created a big chance. Additionally, he won 11 ground duels, attempted a game-high 10 tackles, made a clearance, and performed a last-man tackle.
#4 Alexis Mac Allister
Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Alexis Mac Allister thoroughly dominated the left side of the midfield on Sunday night. His passes were crisp, he created openings, carried the ball into the French final-third time and time again, and held his own in duels.
Before being taken off in the 116th minute, Mac Allister played a key pass and created a big chance. He also completed 44 passes (84.6% accuracy), pulled off two dribbles, won eight ground duels, and drew three fouls.
#3 Emiliano Martinez
Argentina’s shootout hero against the Netherlands, Emiliano Martinez, once again proved his mettle against Didier Deschamps’ side. Martinez superbly kept out Coman’s penalty, lunging to his right and convincingly blocking it. Martinez also guessed Mbappe’s penalties correctly on two of the three occasions, but the Frenchman’s shots just had too much power.
The Golden Gloves-winning keeper made two saves over the course of 120 minutes, with both shots coming from inside the box. His block to deny Kolo Muani in the injury time of extra time kept Argentina alive in the contest. He also acted as a sweeper on one occasion, made a high claim, and delivered an accurate long ball.
#2 Angel Di Maria
Having not started a single knockout fixture at the 2022 FIFA World Cup due to fitness issues, Angel Di Maria was thrust into the XI by Lionel Scaloni. Extending his streak of stepping up in the biggest matches, Di Maria dropped a masterclass in wing play. He dazzled French players with his dancing feet, linked up flawlessly with teammates, and was instrumental in two of Argentina’s goals.
In the 23rd minute, he tiptoed into the French box from the left side of the box, and cleverly drew a foul from an unsuspecting Dembele. Messi put away the resulting penalty to put his country ahead. Thirteen minutes later, he applied the finishing touch to a lightning-quick counter attack. The way he lifted the ball over the incoming Hugo Lloris was a thing of beauty.
Before being taken off in the 64th minute, Di Maria played three key passes, completed four dribbles, won seven ground duels, and drew three fouls.
#1 Lionel Messi
The official Player of the Tournament, Lionel Messi, was at his magical best in the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, scoring two sensational goals. His first was a clinical penalty in the 23rd minute. He went right with his spot kick, giving Lloris no chance whatsoever.
Messi bagged his second goal of the night in the 108th minute, bundling in Lautaro Martinez’s rebound from point-blank range. The No. 10 was also crucial to Di Maria’s goal, as it was his flick to Mac Allister that kicked off the move. To top it off, he confidently put away his penalty in the shootout, rolling the ball past Lloris to give his team the start they needed.
The Argentine skipper ended the tournament with seven goals and three assists, deservedly winning the FIFA Golden Ball. He is now the only player in history to win the Golden Ball twice.
Against France, Messi played three key passes, delivered four accurate long balls, won five duels, and even attempted two tackles.
