Argentina defeated France in a thrilling final on Sunday in Qatar, winning on penalties to win the World Cup for the third time. Lionel Messi led the Copa America champions to victory. For the best sports betting casinos stay tuned at CasinoDaddy!
Messi’s two goals in the game were eclipsed by Kylian Mbappe’s three goals in the World Cup final. Despite his goals giving France a 3-3 tie after extra time, Kingsley Coman and Aurelien Tchouameni’s misses in the shootout gave Argentina the victory in Lusail.
The outstanding career of Lionel Messi is finally over. In addition to the Champions Leagues, domestic championships and trophies, and the Copa America he won with Argentina in 2021, the Argentina captain has now added a World Cup winners’ medal.
And he did it elegantly. Messi did everything he could to bring long-awaited gold for Argentina with two goals in a thrilling championship game and a successful penalty in the shootout. He was also named the tournament’s top player and received the Golden Ball award.
Is the GOAT discussion finally over? Most likely not. There will always be people who prefer Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Maradona, and Pele above the 35-year-old, but with a World Cup victory under his belt, you can guarantee that Messi won’t give a damn about the never-ending discussion over who is the best player ever was.
The fact that no one has ever been able to identify the significant title that Messi’s career is lacking is what matters most to him. Just as Maradona did in Mexico in 1986, he not only succeeded in lifting it today but also encouraged and motivated Argentina to victory.
Messi’s event has been Qatar 2022. With the exception of the group stage victory against Poland, where Wojciech Szczesny saved his penalty, he has scored in every game and stepped up every time Argentina has needed him to make a difference.
He scored significant goals against Mexico and Australia, provided outstanding assists to Nahuel Molina and Julian Alvarez against the Netherlands and Croatia, respectively, and, in the championship match against France, helped Argentina win by scoring a penalty in the first half.
For Messi, it has been the ideal tournament in every way. The ideal finishing touch for an unparalleled career.
Kylian Mbappe has already helped France win one World Cup, and against Argentina, he came close to winning it all by himself.
After falling behind 2-0 in the first half, his two goals in 97 seconds in the game’s closing 10 minutes gave France hope. The Paris Saint-Germain player then added a third goal to complete his hat trick in extra time. However, France was unable to become the first side to win back-to-back World Cups since Brazil in 1962, despite Mbappe’s heroics (he also converted his penalty kick in the shootout).
It was an incredible feat for Les Bleus to come back from two goals down and force a shootout despite the France team contracting a sickness in the days leading up to the match. Three of the players who missed Friday’s practice—Raphael Varane, Dayot Upamecano, Adrien Rabiot, and Kingsley Coman—started the match. The others were Ibrahima Konate, Raphael Varane, Dayot Upamecano, and Adrien Rabiot.
Up until Mbappe gave them hope with a penalty in the 80th minute, the team’s lack of enthusiasm was obvious for the majority of the game. Deschamps replaced Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele at the break because they were playing so poorly in the first half, and things didn’t get much better in the second. Even one of the tournament’s stars, Antoine Griezmann, was replaced by Deschamps with 20 minutes remaining when he was unable to finish the game.
A championship game is where the elite players emerge and make a difference, but France’s top talents were conspicuously absent until Mbappe suddenly came alive in the 80th minute. Mbappe nearly led his side to victory, but he was unable to lead France to victory. He currently holds the unfortunate distinction of scoring a hat-trick in a World Cup final while still losing.
Argentina’s victory over the incumbent champions France in Qatar put an end to South America’s 20-year World Cup winless streak.
Argentina became the first South American team to win the World Cup since Brazil in 2002, ending Europe’s long-standing domination of the competition. Since South American country has won the World Cup, it has been won by Italy, Spain, Germany, and France. Since 2002, only Argentina has reached the championship game.
But having a new world champion is a great morale booster for the continent of South America, where the majority of the top players in the sport are from. These countries include Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Colombia.
And because the hosting rights for the 2030 World Cup are still up for grabs, Argentina’s influence in Qatar, both on and off the field, should support South America’s bid to host the event in eight years.
The majority of South American soccer fans are currently in Qatar. The prospect of Argentina and Uruguay hosting the centenary World Cup together in 2030, 100 years after the latter defeated the former 4-2 in the inaugural final as hosts in Montevideo, can only have benefited from Messi’s team winning this competition. This region is extremely passionate about football.
