Argentina 3-3 France (Argentina win 4-2 on penalties)
If Copa America wasn’t enough, Argentina has added the World Cup to its collection and now being one of the best teams in the World these days.
It’s been a long time of 36 years since the last time Argentina was able to raise the World Cup trophy in celebration. Its Argentina’s third time with the other one in 1978.
Lionel Messi led the way with two goals and an assist in the final that was decided on penalties 4-2 on Sunday. That after both Argentina and France played through 120 minutes being tied 3-3.
“I won the Copa America and the World Cup in a short time,” Messi said. “I love what I do, being on the national team, and I want to continue living a few more games and being a world champion. I’m going to take the Cup to Argentina to enjoy it with you “
Messi for a long time had a childhood dream to help Argentina win again, since it was the last world title going back to when Maradona lifted the trophy in Mexico in 1986.
“It’s anyone’s childhood dream,’ Messi said. ” I was lucky to have achieved everything in my career, and this one that was missing is now here. It’s madness, look how she is (the World Cup), she’s gorgeous. I wanted her so much. I had a vision that this would be the one as she was getting closer. We suffer but we already have it (the World Cup). I wanted to close my career with this, I can no longer ask for anything else, thank God, he gave me everything.”
In the penalty shootout, Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who won the Golden Glove award, was asked to save the match once again. Martinez stopped Kingsley Coman’s penalty kick and saw another one from Aurelein Tchouameni go wide of the post.
“Two crappy shots and (France) levelled,” Martinez said. “They gave them another penalty, they scored. Thank God later I did my thing, what I dreamed of. There couldn’t have been a World Cup that I’ve dreamed of something like this. I was calm during the penalties.”
Argentina was able to score on each of their four kicks with Gonzalo Montiel kicked the final one into the net.
“I cannot believe that we’ve suffered so much in a perfect game,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “Unbelievable, but this team responds to everything. I’m proud of the work they did. It’s an exciting group. With the blows we received today, with the draws, this makes you emotional. I want to tell people to enjoy, it’s a historic moment for our country.”
Kylian Mbappe who was the Golden Boot winner tried to carry France to be a back-to-back champion for the first time since Brazil did it 1962. Mbappe scored all three goals and had tied the match up 3-3 with his second penalty kick in the 118th minute. Montiel was given a yellow card in the penalty area with a hand ball that awarded the penalty in the 116th minute.
Messi had given Argentina the lead at 3-2 in the 108th minute with a kick of a loose ball near the goal and that the France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris had an initial save on the ball.
“We came back from the brink, that’s what gives us so many regrets,” France coach Didier Deschamps said. “We’ve got a World Cup ball in the last minute, but it wasn’t meant to be. If we’re 2-0 down and then we lose 3-0, it’s different. You say ‘bravo’ to Argentina and that’s it. I still congratulate them, they played a great game, with a lot of gamesmanship, but we were expecting that, and it doesn’t take any merit from their victory.”
In regulation, Messi scored Argentina’s opening goal on a penalty kick in the 23rd minute. That after Angel Di Maria was pushed down from behind Ousmane Dembele of France in the 21st minute in the penalty area.
Argentina off the transition with a combination of one-touch passes caught France as Di Maria scored off a pass from Messi in the 36th minute for a 2-0 advantage.
France got a goal back in the 80th minute, when Mbappe found the back of the net on a penalty kick that made the score 2-1. Argentina’s Nicolas Olamendi had pulled down Randal Kolo Muani in the box a minute earlier.
Mbappe tied the match 2-2 two minutes later off a one-touch pass from Marcus Thuram and found an opening for a shot past Argentina keeper Martinez.
