FIFA World Cup 2022: Mesmerising Messi’s Argentina fulfill the dream by beating France on penalties in final

It was Lionel Messi’s last dance on the World Cup stage, in one of the most thrilling finals ever. It was a grand finale to the tournament coinciding with the Argentine star’s last World Cup. And if the start against Saudi Arabia was as anticlimactic as they come, the end was just as romantic, thrilling and visceral as it could have been.

Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties after the match ended 3-3 at the end of extra time at the Lusail International Stadium in front of a majority Argentine crowd that never once let its voice down.

A spectacular save from Martinez to deny Aurélien Tchouaméni and a miss from Kingsley Coman allowed Argentina to clinch the WC trophy after going through a plethora of emoting through the course of the match.  

Two goals from Argentina’s talisman Messi and one from Angel Di Maria were not enough for Argentina to get ahead as Mbappe smashed a first World Cup hat-trick to take the game to penalties. 

A bundle of narratives were weaved prior to the match, none as bigger and often asked as Messi or Mbappe? The answer, though, should have been a no-brainer from the get-go. It was merely the passing of the baton from one generation to another. Both players complete in their own styles and capable to take their team to victory shores fought hard and shone bright but it was Messi that came out on top. 

France were pinned back within the first 10 minutes as a powerful goal-inbound shot from de Paul in the eighth minute hit a French defender and crashed across the byline.  Prior to it, a thumping effort from Alexis Mac Allister hit straight to Lloris was pouched by the Tottenham keeper. 

Argentina with their buccaneering attitude kept coming back and managed to earn the well-deserved advantage in the 23rd minute via a Messi penalty. 

The penalty was earned by none other than Angel Di Maria who had Dembele on tenterhooks since the beginning of the game. With France tucked in a compact shape, the winger was forced to do the defensive work but came up short against the Argentine. 

In football, especially, these moments come around every time there is a World Cup, for these are tournaments that are often decided by the barest of margins and leave absolutely no room for error. Di Maria and his selection and later his substitution proved to be that moment. 

After the goal, one would have thought that Deschamps’ men would pick up the pace and counter-attack. However, it was Argentina that dictated the play and through sustained pressure managed to double the lead in the 36th minute. 

A swift move started by Messi with an outside-of-the-boot touch in the right-side half-space to Alvarez who guided it to Mac Allister. The Brighton player charged across the turf and calmly placed the ball at the feet of Di Maria who had no trouble in finding the back of the net from that distance. 

After the two goals, Deschamps was forced to make quick substitutions around the 40-minute mark as Giroud and Dembele were hooked and replaced by Marcus Thuram and last-match goalscorer Randal Kolo Muani.

With Argentina firmly in the driving seat, Scaloni opted for defensive changes in the second half as Di Maria was replaced by Acuna. And that turned the game on its head. France jumped to life in the 80th minute when Kolo Muani drove at full tilt in the opposition box and got Otamendi to foul him. 

Mbappe covered from the spot and nearly 97 seconds later, rifled a half-volley past Martinez to bring France right back into the competition. 

The game ended level after 90 minutes and the first quarter of extra time went without much development. However, in the second half of the extra time, Messi produced another moment of brilliance to beat Lloris and bring Argentina to the cusp. 

Just when it looked like France were dead and buried, Mbappe, the 23-year-old youngster brought another special trick from his drawer and managed to stun the full-house Argentine crowd. 

Scaloni’s tactical masterclass

The French camp had a tumultuous 48 hours leading into the World Cup final. A serious bout of illness and minor injuries meant that several players were having a race against time to get fit for, arguably, the biggest game of their careers. 

Deschamps decided to make two changes to the lineup from the one that played against Croatia. Defender Dayot Upamecaon and midfielder Adrien Rabiot replaced Ibrahima Konate and Youssouf Fofana. 

As for Argentina, Scalnoi brought his big match player Ángel Di María in place of Leandro Parades as the only change. With Ousmane Demble not tracking back and Tchoumaeni expected to be loitering high up the pitch, Scaloni’s plan was to overload the left side with Mac Allister and Di Maria teaming up. 

The ploy worked like a charm as Di Maria, along with Messi remained one of the most influential players on the field for the men in blue-and-white stripes.

A fairytale comes to draw

The WC triumph by Messi and his men is all the more memorable because it comes in the backdrop of the start they had to endure. Argentina were flattened by Saudi Arabia in the opening league game and many believed that it was the end of the road for Messi. 

“It’s a very hard blow for everyone, we didn’t expect to start like this. Things happen for a reason. We should prepare for what’s coming; we have to win, and it depends on us,” said Messi after the game. 

However, after the Argentine victory, the World Cup has come to its fitting culmination after the grand spectacle began 26 days ago. It may have passed in a blink of an eye but has given fans across the world, memories, to be cherished for a lifetime. 

Fairytales are often conjured in this game and fans had none but one that they wanted to come true more than anything. Lionel Messi, the trailblazer of the sport lifting the shining golden WC trophy. It came true on Sunday.