Argentina defeated France 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out to win the World Cup for the third time on Sunday.
If one were to script the World Cup final, the genre would fall squarely into absurdism.
At 2-0 on 80 minutes, it was Argentina’s game. For 80 minutes it was Argentina’s game… France were nowhere. Within four minutes Mbappe’s mercurial talent made it anybody’s match again.
It seemed for all of Messi’s magic, for Di Maria’s swan-song 60 minutes, Argentina’s greatest moment would become their deepest fear.
0-0 at half time of extra time.
Messi goal on 110 minutes.
Seven minutes later Mbappe is kissing the ball at the spot and the scores are level again.
How this game ever got to penalties is beyond imagination. But to imagine Messi would walk away without the World Cup in his arms was harder to conceive.
Martinez delivered between the posts as he has the whole tournament, and a spectacular penalty save followed by a French miss made it Argentina’s penalty shootout to lose.
They didn’t, and for the first time since 1986, the South Americans lift the FIFA World Cup.
LIONEL MESSI FINALLY GETS HIS WORLD CUP! 🐐🏆 pic.twitter.com/wVAl6C3xcb
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 18, 2022
For the first time in his life, to add the medal touches to a career unparalleled in football history, Lionel Messi holds the golden trophy.