Maradona Moment of an Argentine Supergiant: What Has the World Learned about Messi During his World Cup Final?
The South American side was expected to brush aside its opponent, ranked 48 places below them in the world standings, and fans had come in droves to watch Messi put on a masterclass in what he says will be his last tournament.
But the Argentine captain was overshadowed by arguably the biggest upset in World Cup history and, as Saudi Arabia celebrated its win, Messi trudged down the tunnel with a face of thunder.
As many of his teammates stormed past reporters on the way to the team bus, Messi was one of two players to speak to the media – the other being goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez.
In the grand scheme of the tournament, a loss in the opening match isn’t necessarily the end of the world – after all, Spain won the 2010 World Cup after losing its opening match of the tournament to Switzerland.
Argentina will probably make it into the knockout rounds, but the loss was hard to bear, and it’s likely that it will be in Poland and Mexico.
Thousands in blue and white shirts sang Messi’s name as they made their way to the game and continued to celebrate their hero as he graced Qatar 2022 with a penalty in the opening 10 minutes.
“But in Argentina, many people loved this new image of Messi,” Ardiles added. It was not normal for him. It was more of a Maradona reaction, which means the people love him even more.”
Messi’s heroics have helped drag Argentina from the depths of a disastrous opening day defeat to Saudi Arabia to the summit, a journey that has sparked delirium in his native country.
An unbelievable game for Lionel Messi and the rest of the world: Argentine keeper lvarez’s heroics in the extra time final
Jubilant fans leaving the stadium took the Metro back into downtown Doha where celebrations continued, many singing until their voices started to break.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud subsequently ordered a national public holiday for Wednesday as the world came to terms with such an unexpected result.
Lionel Messi will continue his quest for World Cup glory until the final day of the World Cup in 2022, as he led Argentina to a three nil victory over Croatia in the semifinals.
Leading 2-0 with just eight minutes remaining thanks to goals from Nahuel Molina and Messi, the Netherlands staged a stunning comeback as a Wout Weghorst’s brace ensured the game went to extra time.
After Messi and Mbappé scored their attempts, Argentina keeper Martinez stepped to the plate and won the game for his country.
In the 32nd minute, Julián Álvarez went one-on-one with Croatian keeper Dominik Livaković who brought Álvarez down – winning a penalty kick. Argentina star Lionel Messi then stepped up to do what he seemingly always does. He punched the ball high and to the right and gave his side a lead.
The players of Argentina stayed on the pitch for long after the shootout was over, taking in the adulation of their fans who will no doubt be celebrating all night in the Middle East.
We are breathless up here. It was just an unbelievable final. It was a pleasure to be here. I’ve never seen anything like it I don’t think I’ll see anything like that again. It was staggering,” former England international Alan Shearer said on the BBC.
The Uruguayan national team that won the Copa America cup (1986) and lost to Saudi Arabia in the semi-final first round by a ten-loop penalty
It was difficult to find out which players received yellow and red cards as Lahoz disciplined them but according to the world’s governing body, 18 yellow cards and one red card were brandished.
There were no less than three mass brawls throughout the 120 minutes and penalties, the first one sparked by Leandro Paredes smashing a ball straight into the Netherlands dugout at the side of the pitch.
This match will surely be remembered as a great World Cup game, but Argentina will need to come back to earth quickly if they want to advance to the final.
The 35-year-old Messi has done everything within his powers to ensure Argentina had the best chance possible to win a first World Cup title since 1986.
Argentina would be the favorites at the tournament if not for Messi but even so, anything is possible with the captain in charge.
Under head coach Lionel Scaloni, a former Argentine international, the team is in a better place than it has been for some quite some time and in 2021 won the Copa America, the national team’s first major trophy since 1993 and Messi’s first in the famous blue and white shirt.
It is almost impossible to believe that this is the same team that lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia just three weeks ago in its opening group stage match – a performance so insipid and devoid of inspiration that it left some wondering whether Argentina would even make it out of the group.
The Dutch were somewhat poor in the group stages but rebounded nicely in the second round, beating the United States Men’s National Team and Memphis Depay’s opener, which is considered one of the best goals of all time.
The World Cup meeting between these two teams has been going on for many years and has provided a lot of history. From a Mario Kempes-inspired victory in the 1978 final to Dennis Bergkamp’s stunning goal in the 1998 quarterfinals, this rivalry was ready for another player to write their name in soccer folklore.
Running towards the left side of the penalty area, the Argentina captain played an absurd reverse pass perfectly into the path of Molina who took one touch and poked the ball past Andries Noppert.
Replays showed Messi didn’t once look up to see Molina’s run; how he saw the pass, let alone played it, only he will know. When you think you have seen it all in the career of Messi, he still leaves agape.
When Messi scored from the penalty spot after 75 minutes, it appeared as though the game was over. However, if there’s one thing the World Cup in Qatar has shown, it’s that these matches are never over until the referee blows for full time.
Having offered so little for more than 80 minutes, the Netherlands opted to hammer long ball after long ball towards the Argentina penalty area, aiming for the 6 feet 6 inch substitute Weghorst and Virgil Van Dijk.
It looked as though either Cody Gakpo or Teun Koopmeiners were going to take a shot at goal, but the latter played an ingenious pass into Weghorst, who turned his defender and slotted the ball past Martinez.
World Cup Finals Revisited: When Luka Modri and Diego Maradona Meteorized lvarez in Argentina
That goal sparked wild scenes as the entire Netherlands bench emptied to celebrate by the corner flag, silencing the thousands of Argentina fans that had been so boisterous throughout the game.
It was an almost inconceivable turn of events with Weghorst, who struggled to make an impact at Burnley and is currently loaned out to Besiktas, temporarily putting a halt to Messi’s seemingly inevitable march towards a World Cup title.
lvarez was not done. In the 39th minute, he led a counterattack and dribbled all the way from midfield, sprinted through three Croatian defenders, and lofted the ball past Livaković to give Argentina a 2-0 lead at the half.
You wouldn’t have believed that Messi was still sore after he created Argentina’s third goal by bamboozling Joko Gvardiol, another of this tournament’s best defenders.
As he plays into the twilight of his career, the magician Messi has the ability to deliver moments of genius, even when his country needs him most.
It was 36 years ago that Diego Maradona guided Argentina to the World Cup, and he is still considered the greatest player of all time.
Argentina has a fanatical group of fans, and many will travel to attend the World Cup final in order to cheer on their team.
The Argentina bench and coaching staff started to listen to the songs and chants that were being sung from the stands as the clock continued to tick deeper into injury time.
In Messi and Croatia’s Luka Modrić, both captains have led their countries in losing World Cup finals and this would be the last chance for both to get their hands on football’s most coveted prize.
Neither side featured among the tournament favorites ahead of Qatar 2022, but Croatia stunned the world four years ago in reaching the final and did so once again in the previous round in Qatar, eliminating pre-tournament favorite Brazil on penalties in a display of sheer grit and determination.
Modri and the rest of the Croatia squad are battle-hardened in big matches and have been part of one of the best middles of the field in the tournament.
Argentina, similarly, has also improved as the tournament has gone on – though it was hardly able to get any worse after that stunning defeat to Saudi Arabia.
Lionel Messi’s 1986 World Cup Final against Argentina in a Dressed-in-Gravity Final at the Pk-Marathon Field
The script was written for Lionel Messi to dance on the pitch on Sunday and the team that took to the field that day seems to have been altered in some way.
Modri, Gvardiol and other Croatia players gave the ball away in the center of the pitch, which led to a one-on-one against the Manchester City forward.
Borna Sosa’s poor cross into the box sparked an Argentina counterattack, with Alvarez running three-quarters of the length of the pitch and, after two fortuitous ricochets in the box, buried the ball past Livakovic.
It would take something special for the team that is used to making footballing miracles to come back from this one.
Croatia was held in check by a combination of tired attacking play and stout Argentine defense for the rest of the game.
This was a final that had superstar rivalries, penalties, iconic goals and goalkeeping masterclasses, culminating in Lionel Messi’s crowning as world champion after Argentina beat France on penalties.
Argentina has played in the World Cup semifinals five times, three of which were victories: defeating the USA in 1930, Belgium in 1986 and Italy in 1990. And it is the sixth time it has advanced to a final. Argentina won the World Cup in 1986.
Messi and lvarez had a great moment against Croatia. In the 69th minute, Messi had a flash of unbelievable ballhandling against Croatia defender Joško Gvardiol on the right side of the goal. Messi then found Álvarez who powered it in for the 3-0 lead. Two of Croatia’s twelve shots were on target.
Despite not being enough to inspire France to successive World Cup titles, Mbappé’s third goal secured him the Golden Boot – given to the tournament’s top scorer, after he netted eight goals in Qatar – and he becomes only the second player, after Geoff Hurst in 1966, to score three times in a final.
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France and Morocco will play on Sunday, while Argentina will play on Wednesday. Croatia’s World Cup tournament is not done yet. It will play in the third place match on Saturday against the loser of tomorrow’s semifinal.
There have been at least three deaths of journalists at the World Cup. ITV sports director Roger Pearce died last month. Khalid al-Misslam, a photographer with Al Kass TV died suddenly this past weekend.
There were three books with pictures of each journalist in the media center at Lusail Stadium. NPR’s Tom Goldman took the time to honor the people who died. It’s empty.
There are 64 matches at the World Cup, and this final game on Sunday is the most meaningful of them all.
After a month of unpredictable results, we are left with two World Cup heavyweights going head-to-head in a mouthwatering final as reigning champion France faces two-time champion Argentina Sunday.
France is the defending champion and no country has won back-to-back World Cup titles in 60 years (Brazil, in 1962, was the last). Les Bleus enter this match on a roll and stocked with talent.
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At the last World Cup, Mbappé became the first teenager to score a final goal since Pel in 1982.
But soccer is a team sport with ten other players on the field. While most attention goes to Mbappé or Olivier Giroud (France’s all-time goal leader), one of France’s most important players in Qatar has been Antoine Griezmann. Formally an attacker, but sent to the midfield after a bevy of French injuries, Griezmann has shined – charging forward to create scoring opportunities and dropping back to defend. The team has remained together with his creativity and ingenuity.
Despite both Argentina and France possessing all four of the top scorers at the tournament – Messi, Mbappé, Olivier Giroud and Julián Álvarez – both teams have been defined by their defensive doggedness.
Argentina’s coach Lionel Scaloni said that he saw lots of people back home watching the semifinal and celebrating.
“No one has expressed a desire for the World Cup quite like him. That would be the objective for him and he would accomplish it in his own mind.
Marouane Mbappe returns to the Argentine national team after the World Cup semi-finals against Morocco and Qatar at the Tevatron
The build-up to the game was not ideal, and France will look to Mbappé to spark the team on Sunday. The French camp has been hit by a virus that affected several players, including central defensive pair Ibrahima Konaté and Raphal Varane.
Konaté, Varane and winger Kingsley Coman all missed collective training on Friday, and Deschamps said there was no further update to give on the eve of the game.
While he has not scored in the previous two games, his influence has been felt. Against Morocco, despite not scoring, his mere presence was instrumental in both France goals in the 2-0 win.
At the World Cup, the two teams played each other. They played a fantastic game in the round of 16 where France came out on top with a 4-3 win.
Argentina had a higher percentage of possession than other teams, but it preferred to have less of the ball.
Les Bleus looks at its best when playing direct, counter-attacking football. Using Giroud’s strength and Mbappé’s speed, the French can dominate any defense on the transition.
Argentina started the match against France with aggressiveness and relentless attacks. The French, who looked so dominant all tournament, struggled to find their rhythm, cohesion and energy it had showcased in Qatar.
Both teams will dominate the ball for periods of the game, but at other times, they might be happy to cede possession of the ball.
Both Messi and Mbappé seem too good to stop once they have the ball and so the game will be won or lost on each team’s capacity to stop either superstar from receiving the ball.
God hasn’t done enough: The 2011 Argentina game against Croatia in Santa Fe is a perfect day for Messi and his wife Mauricio Macri
What is often overlooked in those discussions, however, are the players’ intangible achievements – how they make fans feel and the emotions they stir up when they take to the pitch.
One journalist from national broadcasters TVP in Argentina gave a message to Messi instead of asking him a question after Argentina beat Croatia in the semifinals.
Messi has become a godlike status in Argentina because of his performances for the national team and her words will more than likely be appreciated by the majority of the population.
“There is no child that doesn’t have your jersey, be it authentic or a fake, truly you have touched everyone’s lives and that, for me, is bigger than winning a World Cup. Nobody can take that away from you.
Three defeats in major finals in just three years resulted in Messi announcing his retirement from international football.
The key word I think is minority is Bauz. “But the truth is that there was a time in which there was a group of people here in Argentina that thought Messi was probably not fit to wear the shirt of the national team because they felt he was not Argentine enough.
The most likely moment in which that feeling would be present is the 2011, as it was held in Argentina. There were a lot of hopes for that team and specifically for Messi, who had just come off winning the Champions League in emphatic fashion for Barcelona – and in the quarterfinals they were playing in his province in Santa Fe.
The fans organized marches and demonstrations in the streets, trains and road signs to plead with Messi to return, and Mauricio Macri phoned Messi to try and get him to change his mind.
“At this point he owes nothing to no one,” Bauzá adds. “He even broke that 28-year drought with Argentina when they won the Copa America, which already has cemented him at a very important place in the country’s history by helping, being crucial towards winning finally an international title with the national team.
“But by winning the World Cup, that would put him on another level … that would mean he would complete his career at that point. It’s the one trophy that he has always been looking for.
Lionel Messi: the Uruguayan superstar of the 1978 World Cup. After so much controversy in 1978, what did Ardiles say about Messi?
Ossie Ardiles was in the Argentina team that won the 1978 World Cup and he says the comparisons are unavoidable.
“And yet they were very different in terms of personality. Diego was both charismatic and aggressive. Messi wasn’t very vocal and wouldn’t say much. People were always looking for a leader, like Maradona or Messi.
If you ask them, they will tell you that Messi isn’t going to reach that level because they feel like he was never as close to the people as Maradona was.
There was no doubt who was going to take it. Lionel Messi walked up to the penalty spot, 12 yards away from the French keeper, in the 26th game of his career in the World Cup. With a deep breath and calm strike, he powered it low and to the right. 0-1.
He was also named goalkeeper of the tournament, after a string of good performances in the tournament.
He was brilliant on Sunday, producing a stunning save in the final moments of extra time when it looked certain that Randal Kolo Muani would score the winner.
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The sound of the trophy being lifted by Lionel Messi could not be captured by anything. Or the calmness of Kylian Mbappé when he scored a penalty to equalize?
“My god, #FIFAWorldCup. The game is an evil curse. After Messi scored a goal to make it 3-2 in Argentina’s favor in overtime,Ryan Reynolds wrote on his website that he loved it so much he wanted to make it stop.
“What a game man. If someone is still unconvinced that this is the best sport on Earth, they should stop watching.
It was France who saw their spot kick saved by the tournament’s best goalkeeper, and Aurélien Tchouaméni pulled his effort wide, but Gonzalo Montiel secured Argentina’s third World Cup title and a first since 1986.
As he described Argentina as the world champion, his voice was cracking with emotion and he hugged his co-commentator.
Michael Owen was a forward for England. Incredible game. Surely the greatest final ever? Messi puts the top hat on for an unbelievable career but don’t think about the hat trick by Kylian Mbappe in the World Cup final.
France’s Prime Minister lisabeth Borne also thanked Les Bleus. We were trembling with you all until the end. Thank you for this journey, thank you for making us dream, thank you for this exceptional game.”
It was a final for the ages, with momentum swinging both ways throughout a pulsating 120 minutes before Gonzalo Montiel scored the winning penalty after the game had finished 3-3 after extra time.
Argentina started the game better of the two teams, pressing France and forcing it into mistakes.
Messi looked sharp from the off, picking up pockets of space and instigating attacks, while Mbappé did not have much of the ball during the opening stages.
France manager Didier Deschamps wasted no time in changing things, substituting Olivier Giroud and Dembele before half-time, but it initially made little difference as Argentina continued its domination into the second half.
When it looked like the trophy was going to Argentina, France got a lifeline in the 80th minute when captain Mbappé converted a penalty after Muani was brought down in the box.
Argentina got the early advantage. The keeper for Argentina stopped the attempt by France’s Coman after they scored their penalty kicks. Aurélien Tchouaméni missed his attempt. It was Argentina’s Gonzalo Montiel who scored the winning penalty kick. There were tears and hugs and smiles for Messi.
This is the French team everyone expected to see in the final. It was finally Messi vs. Mbappé. The 35-year-old, one of the finest to ever play the game, against the 23-year-old, who continues to add to his impressive soccer pedigree.
A penalty shootout is arguably unlike anything else in sports – it’s a modern day duel and a World Cup final with so much at stake only heightens the tension and drama.
An unforgettable moment of history: Lionel Messi’s 2022 World Cup with a win in Argentina, and his first World Cup victory with France
The 2022 World Cup belongs to Argentina. It’s Argentina’s third title and the first for Lionel Messi. He can now call himself a World Cup champion. It was his last chance. Now his resume is full.
The game will be remembered for Messi’s moment of history and the fact that there was a seesaw nature to the game.
The image of Messi lifting up the World Cup trophy on the shoulders of his teammates is an unforgettable one that will live on for a long time.
Two players demonstrate the beautiful game in vivid, glorious technicolor over two hours of soccer.
Previously at Qatar 2022, one team had already experienced the intensity of that pressure cooker atmosphere and emerged the other side, and one which had not.
It was in the 35th minute, when Messi picked up the ball from Allister and rifled a right-footed shot towards the goal, which gave Argentina some hope.
Mac Allister, who had the presence of mind, was able to place the ball to ngel Di Mara, who clinically finished off a brilliant break to put Argentina up 2-0.
He was able to score from the edge of the penalty area after Marcus Thuram had a good one-two with him.
In 1950, West Germany became the first country to win a World Cup title when they beat Hungary.
Geoff Hurst scored the first World Cup final hat-trick in the 1966 final between England and West Geramy. The question is still being posed 56 years later: was the ball crossed the line? The officials said that it did and England won 4-2.
In 2010 the host team won the World Cup after coming back from behind to win against a star-laden Netherlands team.
Diego Maradona almost single-handedly drove his team to a second title in eight years, as they beat West Germany 3-2 in the final.
In 1998, France hosted and won its first World Cup, mainly down to the genius of Zinedine Zidane, who scored twice in the final, to beat a formidable Brazil side, composed of Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Cafu, Bebeto and Roberto Carlos.