Lionel Messi added the only feather missing in his cap as Argentina won 4-2 via penalties over France in the final of FIFA World Cup 2022 on Sunday. In the sensational final which saw a lot of twists and turns, the scoreline was tied at 3-3 after extra time. Argentina were leading 2-0 over France till well into the second half as Messi scored a goal via penalty in the 23rd minute and Angel Di Maria found the back of the net in the 36th minute. But in a dramatic turnaround, France’s Kylian Mbappe scored via penalty in the 80th minute and struck again in the 81st minute to make the scoreline 2-2. Mbappe’s double strike sent the match into extra time. But Messi put Argentina on the driving seat again as he struck in the 108the minute to make the equation 3-2. Some Argentina fans were over the moon thinking it be the nail in France’s coffin but France had other plans. The match turned on its head again as Mbappe completed his hat-trick with a goal in the 118th minute.
In the penalty shootout that followed, France missed the second and third penalty kicks of the four that they took while Argentina converted all four into goals to win the match and the coveted trophy. A video of the penalty shootout went viral on social media and you can watch it here.
Meanwhile, Mbappe scripted history by becoming the first ever player to score a hat-trick in the World Cup final. He scored a total of eight goals in this edition of the World Cup and was awarded the ‘Golden Boot’ award for being the leading goal-scorer. On the other hand, Messi received the ‘Golden Ball’ award for his all-round performance in the tournament.
With the incredible win, Messi fulfilled his dream of winning the World Cup for the first time and he bid adieu to playing for Argentina on a memorable note. Argentina lifted the World Cup title for the third time in the history of the tournament and joined the exclusive club alongside Brazil, Italy and Germany who have three or more titles in their name.