Argentina overcame France 4-2 on penalties to win 2022 FIFA World Cup after a dramatic 3-3 draw in a pulsating encounter.
Lionel Messi fired Argentina into a 23rd minute lead from the penalty spot after Angel Di Maria had been fouled by Ousmane Dembele.
Di Maria proceeded to add Argentina’s second goal just 13 minutes later as he finished a counter-attack move started by Messi, with Julian Alvarez and Alexis Mac Allister also involved in the build-up to Di Maria’s clinical finish.
France meeanwhile looked lifeless until Kylian Mbappe scored in the 80th minute from the penalty spot, after Randal Kolo Muani had been fouled one minute earlier by Nicolas Otamendi.
Mbappe one minute later completed his brace with a stunning right-footed volley which sent the final to extra-time for the eighth time in World Cup history.
Neither team managed to break the deadlock in the first 17 minutes of extra-time until Messi pounced on the rebound from Lautaro Martinez’s blocked shot, which saw the 35 year-old complete his brace.
Gonzalo Montiel’s handball though allowed Mbappe to equalise from a 117th minute penalty to send the final to a penalty shootout, as the Frenchman became the second man in history to score a hat-trick in a World Cup Final.
A save and miss respectively from Kingsley Coman and Aurelien Tchouameni during the shootout proved costly for France, as Montiel dispatched the winning penalty to secure Argentina a third FIFA World Cup title.
A lively start from Argentina saw the two-time champions almost take a third minute lead but Alvarez could only volley his close-range shot into Hugo Lloris’ arms, with the French goalkeeper back in action just two minutes later to save Mac Allister’s shot.
France meanwhile struggled to get going and were lucky to stay level in the 17th minute as Messi and Rodrigo De Paul played a quick move up the right, only for De Paul’s pullback to be rifled over by Di Maria.
Di Maria’s presence back in the starting line-up soon proved key as a 21st minute free-flowing move culiminated in Alvarez flicking a pass out wide to the 34 year-old, who cut in only to be fouled inside the box by Ousmane Dembele.
Messi two minutes later stepped up and calmly rolled his penalty into the bottom-right corner as Lloris dived incorrectly to his right side, which meant that France were behind in a World Cup Final for the first time in their history.
His fourth penalty of the tournament also meant that Messi has scored across each stage of the World Cup – Group Stage, Round of 16, Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Final – in a rare feat for any player.
Up the other end, France began to make strides with little luck in open play but a loose ball in the 36th minute found Messi, who via Alvarez played a long through ball for Mac Allister to chase on the counter-attack but he teed up Di Maria to rifle in unmarked beyond a stranded Lloris.
That two-goal lead provided the Argentineans with a morale boost because the South-American team have gone on to win in each of the two previous World Cup finals, in which they held a two-goal lead at one point during those matches.
France manager, Didier Deschamps consequently decided to make two changes as Dembele and Olivier Giroud were substituted in the 41st minute, with Kolo Muani and Marcus Thuram sent onto the pitch as the Les Bleus continued to feel the effects of a virus outbreak over the last week.
Both substitutes though weren’t able to make much impact as Argentina weathered increased intensity from the then-reigning champions to protect their lead into half-time.
France then weren’t able to quickly settle on the restart as De Paul volleyed Di Maria’s 49th minute cross straight into Lloris’ arms, as Argentina quickly looked to try and kill any threat of a French comeback.
Messi then fired wide on the hour mark from Di Maria’s pass but soon turned provider three minutes later as he unleashed Mac Allister to chase a long pass, which Lloris swept out and saved in time.
Kolo Muani and Mbappe then wasted chances as France slowly began to find their gears and ultimately lucked into a penalty, after Kolo Muani was tugged to ground by Nicolas Otamendi in the 79th minute.
Mbappe swiftly punished Otamendi’s reckless fouling with a clinical penalty into the bottom-left corner a minute later, which offered France hope of a late comeback to force extra-time.
The 23 year-old proceeded to complete the French comeback just one minute later, as he met Thuram’s short pass and smashed a right-footed volley across into the far-right bottom corner to send the final to extra-time for the fourth time in the last five World Cup Finals.
Mbappe however missed a chance to win the game in the fourth minute of injury-time as his shot was deflected over the bar, before Lloris saved Rabiot’s rebound shot following a scappy corner – albeit aided by Cristian Romero’s soft block to roll the ball back into his arms.
Argentina initially seemed to seize the early momentum back once extra-time commenced but Mac Allister fired wide in the 93rd minute.
Both teams then struggled to carve out clear-cut chances but France survived a late scare as Messi teed up extra-time sub – Lautaro Martinez to fire in unmarked, only for Dayot Upamecano to slide in with a last-gasp clearance ahead of half-time in extra-time.
Argentina though refused to let their confidence slip which paid off in the 108th minute as Martinez’s strike was blocked by Lloris but Messi fired in on the rebound, with referee – Szymon Marciniak awarding the goal despite an initial offside flag and clearance much to France’s furore.
Argentinean substitute, Montiel though offered the French a late lifeline as he handballed Mbappe’s 116th minute shot, from which the youngster dispatched the penalty to become the first man to net a hat-trick in a World Cup Final since England’s Sir Geoff Hurst in 1966.
His hat-trick also meant that Mbappe secured the Golden Boot with eight goals, just ahead of Messi who had scored seven goals at the tournament.
Neither team eventually found a last-gasp winner as the match became the third World Cup Final to go to extra-time, albeit the first final to do so without the involvement of Italy who failed to qualify for this tournament.
Mbappe and Messi scored the opening spot-kicks but a save and miss respectively from Coman and Tchouameni allowed Paulo Dybala and Leandro Paredes to put Argentina 3-1 up after the third round of spot-kicks.
Kolo Muani kept French dreams alive with the seventh spot-kick but Montiel dispatched Argentina’s fourth penalty to secure a 4-2 win on penalties, plus a third FIFA World Cup title for the Argentineans.
Teams
Argentina: Emiliano Martinez, Nahuel Molina (Montiel 90′), Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Nicolas Tagliafico (Dybala 120+1′), Rodrigo De Paul (Paredes 102′), Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister (Pezzella 115′), Angel Di Maria (Acuna 64′), Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez (La.Martinez 103′)
Substitutes: Franco Armani, Juan Foyth, Gonzalo Montiel, Leandro Paredes, German Pezzella, Marco Acuna, Geronimo Rulli, Exequiel Palacios, Angel Correa, Thiago Almada, Alejandro Gomez, Guido Rodriguez, Paulo Dybala, Lautaro Martinez, Lisandro Martinez
France: Hugo Lloris, Jules Kounde (Disasi 120+1′), Raphael Varane (Konate 113′), Dayot Upamecano, Theo Hernandez (Camavinga 71′), Aurelien Tchouameni, Adrien Rabiot (Fofana 96′), Ousmane Dembele (Kolo Muani 41′), Antoine Griezmann (Coman 71′), Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud (Thuram 41′)
Substitutes: Benjamin Pavard, Axel Disasi, Matteo Guendouzi, Randal Kolo Muani, Youssouf Fofana, Jordan Veretout, Steve Mandanda, William Saliba, Kingsley Coman, Alphonse Areola, Ibrahima Konate, Eduardo Camavinga, Marcus Thuram
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
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