Finally, Lionel Messi and Argentina triumph against France and claim the title of World Cup winner.

AL DAAYEN, Qatar — Argentina had a terrible start to their 2022 World Cup campaign. The devastating opening defeat against Saudi Arabia, and the rumors started flying almost immediately.

Will Lionel Messi’s illustrious career come to a close without the trophy of a World Cup victory?

The figures bared everything out. If you are playing in a group and you lose the first game, it is very difficult to make it to the knockout stage. Not only would Argentina progress, but it would win the group, keep winning, and never stop winning.

Lionel Messi earned the right to call himself a World Cup winner when his team defeated the reigning champion France in a penalty kick shootout, 4-2; the final score was 3-3. This encounter was likely Messi’s last in the World Cup. Those early murmurings have been replaced by weeping and cheering as Argentina has won their third championship.

Lionel Messi wants to be recognized as one of Argentina’s best players and win the World Cup.

Argentina’s encounter with France

The first half of Argentina’s encounter with France was marked by a number of strong and persistent assaults. The French, who had such a commanding presence throughout the competition, struggled to regain the rhythm, coherence, and intensity that they had shown in Qatar.

The shadow of a soccer deity has long cast itself over Lionel Messi. Will he eventually be able to overcome him?

Around the middle of the first half, Argentina’s offensive started to pay dividends. Argentine striker Angel Di Mara was able to go by French defender Ousmane Dembélé, who then tripped him inside the penalty area and gave Argentina the opportunity to take the penalty kick.

There was no question as to who would accept it. Lionel Messi, who was competing in his record-setting 26th World Cup game (the most ever in the men’s competition), approached the penalty spot, which was located 12 yards out from the goalkeeper for France. He took a long breath before striking calmly, and then he powered it low and to the right. 1-0.

With the goal, Messi became the first player in the history of the World Cup to score in every game in a knockout phase during a single tournament (round of 16, quarterfinal, semifinal, and final).

Angel Di Maria

Angel Di Maria, number 11 for Argentina’s midfield, celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the final football match of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, which took place on December 18, 2022, at Lusail Stadium. The match was between Argentina and France.

There was still work to be done against the South Americans. In the 36th minute of play, Argentina was successful in penetrating the French defense across the middle. Di Mara was the one who created the opportunities once again. With only two flawless passes, he streaked into the area with a shot that was raised over diving French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. 2-0. Di Mara returned to the Argentina side of the pitch while wiping away tears.

The state of France seemed to be disorganized. Didier Deschamps, France’s head coach, did the unimaginable and substituted two of his starters during the first half of the game. These starters were Dembélé, who committed the foul that led to the opening goal, and Olivier Giroud, who is the all-time scoring leader for France.

France, the reigning champion, seemed stunned during the halfway break. The first half and a half of the match did not showcase much of Kylian Mbappé’s talent as a player for France.

During the last match of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, which took place on December 18, 2022, the striker for France, Kylian Mbappe, and the midfielder for Argentina, Enzo Fernandez, battled for possession of the ball.

Mbappé, then just 19 years old, had a breakout performance in the 2018 World Cup. Many people saw parallels between him and Pelé, another young player who came from a distinguished soccer family. (During the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Mbappé made history by being the first teenager to score at a World Cup final since Pelé in 1958). Mbappé continued his success from the previous event in the 2022 competition.

Mbappé

With his total of 12 goals, he broke another World Cup record, breaking Pelé’s mark for a player who was less than 24 years old. Mbappé entered the last match in Qatar level with Messi for the overall goal lead after both scored eight goals in Qatar. Mbappé, though, had been mostly muted in the match against Argentina. Which should tell you something. It wasn’t until the 71st minute that we saw him take his first shot on goal.

Roughly all of the nearly 89,000 spectators who were present inside Lusail Stadium supported Argentina, with the majority of them donning the team’s iconic white and sky blue jersey. It gave off a charged vibe. They applauded each and every touch, pass, and shot that was made.

Mbappé scored a goal from the penalty spot in the 80th minute, cutting Argentina’s advantage in half and making the score 2-1. France had been underwhelming for the whole of the encounter. Quiet. Unsure. When France finally started showing signs of life, the momentum of the game shifted.

Unbelievably, Mbappé performed it once again 93 seconds after the first time. He leveled the score with a scorching right-footed strike that sailed past the Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. 2-2.

The Champion Game

This is the French squad that everyone anticipated seeing in the championship game. The match between Messi and Mbappé had finally arrived. The 35-year-old, widely regarded as one of the best to ever compete in the sport, will go up against the 23-year-old, who is steadily enhancing his already-impressive reputation as a soccer player.

The sides battled it out for an additional eight minutes of stoppage time and nine more minutes of normal play. Both teams were unable to score, therefore there was a period of thirty minutes of overtime.

Argentina has been here previously. It was unable to win the 2014 World Cup final, which Germany won 1-0 thanks to a goal scored in extra time.

In the end, it was Argentina who scored the winning goal in extra time. And was there ever any question as to who would score the winning goal? Lionel Messi, without a doubt. Messi was able to score by kicking the ball in after it ricocheted in front of the French goal. After 109 minutes have passed. This was his second goal of the match. 3-2.

It seems to reason that score wouldn’t be maintained. Another attempt at a penalty kick for France came after a handling call inside the penalty area for Argentina. And without a doubt, that player would be Mbappé. In addition to that, his goal came in the 118th minute. A hat trick for the up-and-coming sensation from France. 3-3.

The last minutes saw fierce fighting on both sides. However, the game would be decided by a penalty kick shootout, which is likely to be remembered as the most important World Cup final in the tournament’s history.

The advantage was quickly taken by Argentina. Following the successful kicks from the penalty spot by Mbappé and Messi, the goalkeeper for Argentina made a save against Kingsley Coman of France. After that, Aurélien Tchouaméni was unsuccessful in his endeavor. Gonzalo Montiel of Argentina converted the game-winning penalty kick when it came down to the wire. In all seriousness, tears, hugs, and happiness go out to Messi and every one of Argentina.

It had not been since 1986 that Argentina had won a World Cup, and Diego Maradona was the one who brought the team to victory. Maradona is the guy whose shadow has hung enormous over Messi.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup will take place in Argentina. It is Argentina’s third championship, and it is Lionel Messi’s first ever. This is the first time he can officially refer to himself as a World Cup winner. It was his last possible opportunity. His résumé is now completely up to date.

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