Doha, Qatar (The Hawk): On Sunday at Lusail Stadium, Argentina overcame a few tense moments to defeat France in a dramatic 4-2 penalty shootout, fulfilling Lionel Messi's lifelong dream of winning the FIFA World Cup.
Both sides were tied at two goals each at the completion of regulation play, and they each added a goal in extra time to make it three goals each, forcing the final match into a penalty shootout.
Kylan Mbappe scored the first goal for France in the tie-breaker, but after that, the French players were unable to defeat Martinez in the Argentinian goal, with one kick being saved by the keeper and one being off-target.
Kolo Mani scored for France, but it wasn't enough because their competitors made all four kicks.
Messi opened the scoring for Argentina, and then his three teammates did the same, giving their captain the ideal send-off gift. The 35-year-old has declared that the World Cup in Qatar will be his final.
Messi and Mbappe were the main topics of conversation leading up to the game because of their significant roles in the final, and they did not dissapoint. Mbappe scored a hat trick while Messi scored twice.
The roughly 90,000 spectators were kept on their toes by six goals, three penalties, and a lot of drama in extra time, which forced a penalty shootout.
Messi gave Argentina the lead for the second time in the game with a goal in the 109th minute, but Mbappe tied the score with his third and second penalty kick in the 118th minute to make it three all.
The defending champion's game included two distinct facets in the championship match. They were essentially passengers in the first half until roaring back late in the second half to match their opponents.
Both teams started the scoring from the penalty spot, and the important players for each squad made no mistakes in slamming the ball home from a distance of 12 yards.
Messi gave Argentina the lead in the 23rd minute, and Angel Di Maria scored a second to make the score 2 -0 at the break.
The Les Blues rallied to tie the score and added a second goal, both of which were scored by Mbappe in the 80th and 88th minutes.
Argentina were not the same team against the Asian side despite playing in the same stadium where they started their tournament campaign and shockingly lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia.
The Argentinians were all over France's defence after playing six matches and developing communication and fluency with one another.
The fact that thousands of their fans were yelling, singing, and beating drums to motivate their players gave Argentina an additional advantage.
Argentina made a strong start and sent a few attempts directly at goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. In the first half, France only managed one shot on goal at the other end.
With Antoine Griezmann not playing the crucial role in the midfield for the French team, Argentina had made sure to shut off the supply line to Mbappe in the first half.
On the other hand, Argentina made good use of Angel Di Maria on the left flank. Messi frequently squared the ball or floated it to send some probing crosses deep inside the French defence.
Attended by 89,966 viewers Through the successful conversion of a spot kick, Argentina took the lead. When Di Maria was hauled down within the box, the Polish referee pointed to the location.
To make it 1-0, Messi, who stepped up to take the penalty, sent Lloris the wrong way.
Argentina added a second goal, which was initiated by Messi on the right after a few passes found him there again. The mercurial left-footed magician then skillfully released Di Maria to make it 2-0 for Argentina.
Close to halftime, French coach Didier Deschamps made two substitutions in an effort to turn the tide after falling down by two goals.
Despite Argentina's continuing dominance, Lloris stopped a few chances that were headed for the net, preventing them from adding a third to end the game.
The first of Mhappe's two goals sparked the action.
He scored twice from the penalty spot, making it 2-2 after the first conversion.
When France requested a second penalty kick, the referee instead issued the French striker a yellow card, adding to the tension on both sides of the field.
In injury time of the second half, Lloris was had to make a spectacular stop to deflect Messi's graceful drive for a corner kick.
Argentina stopped a couple dangerous efforts to force extra time by stopping more goalmouth action at both ends.
Argentina and France did not play as well in the extra period, engaging in numerous sloppy tackles that required the Polish referee to repeatedly maintain control of the situation.
Messi was denied by Lloris in the second period of extra time after he unexpectedly created an opportunity.
But it did not take long for Argentina to score after the French goalkeeper had first blocked a shot; in the 109th minute of the game, Lloris' defence gave way.
(Inputs from Agencies)
