Argentina end 36 year wait for World Cup

Argentina won the World Cup after beating defending champions France 4-2 on penalties, following a dramatic 3-3 draw after extra time in Doha.

Argentina’s forward #10 Lionel Messi celebrates with teammates after Argentina won the Qatar 2022 World Cup final.
Photo: AFP

Argentina keeper Emiliano Martinez saved Kingsley Coman’s penalty and Aurelien Tchouameni fired wide to give Argentina their first world title since 1986, and third overall.

See how it unfolded here:

France had come from two goals down to level over 90 minutes with Kylian Mbappe netting twice in two minutes, including an 80th-minute penalty.

The France striker completed his hat-trick in the 118th minute with another spot-kick after Argentina’s Lionel Messi had tapped in for a 3-2 lead in the 109th.

Argentina had gone 2-0 up in the first half with Messi, making a record-breaking 26th World Cup appearance, converting a 23rd-minute penalty.

They struck again with a sublime four-pass counter-attack as Alexis Mac Allister’s cutback found Angel Di Maria and he finished well.

Thousands of Argentina fans in blue and white outnumbered the handful of French supporters, creating an electric atmosphere and effectively converting the Lusail Stadium into a home game for Lionel Scaloni’s side.

Messi, 35, became the first man in World Cup history to score goals in the group stage, Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and final.

Messi was named player of the tournament, while Mbappe won the golden boot with eight goals to Messi’s seven.

Argentina have now won six of their seven World Cup shootouts, including the quarter-final against the Netherlands a week ago when they also blew a 2-0 lead, while France have lost three of five, but with two of those defeats coming in finals.

It meant Messi finally claimed the trophy at his fifth world cup, lifting him up alongside Diego Maradona, the country’s first football God who carried them to their emotional second triumph in 1986 following their first in 1978.

It seems all the more incredible coming a month after his team began the tournament by suffering statistically the biggest upset in World Cup history when they were beaten by Saudi Arabia.

“I wanted to close my career with this, it was the one that was missing so I can no longer ask for anything else,” said Messi, who has played 172 times for his country.

“I was able to get the Copa America and now the World Cup that I had fought so hard for. I’ve got it at the end of my career. But I love football and I want to continue living a few more games being world champion.”

The victory seems all the more incredible coming a month after his team began the tournament by suffering statistically the biggest upset in World Cup history when they lost to Saudi Arabia.

“I cannot believe that we have suffered so much in a perfect game. Unbelievable, but this team responds to everything,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said.

“I am proud of the work they did. With the blows we received today. I want to tell people to enjoy, it’s a historic moment for our country.”

– Reuters