Lionel Messi: The last chance to win a World Cup championship in Argentina? A tribute to the late champion Cristiano Ronaldo
The 2022 World Cup belongs to Argentina. Lionel Messi was the first to win a title for Argentina. He can now call himself a World Cup champion. His last chance was this one. Now his resume is full.
After winning seven Ballon d’Ors, lifting 38 trophies and playing over 1,000 games in his career, the World Cup was the only title missing from Messi’s collection.
Pedestrian’s nightmare: Messi’s first international goal in the World Cup finals against Argentina, France and the Argentine
Lionel Messi got Argentina on the board first. Messi threaded the ball through the three Dutch defenders to Nahuel Molina. Molina poked it with his right foot beyond the towering 6-foot-8 Netherlands goalkeeper Andries Noppert. It was Molina’s first international goal.
With both side’s feeling the effects of the scintillating finale, Messi looked to have scored a winner in the 108th minute but Mbappé, yet again, replied with an equalizer from the spot to take the game to penalties.
Despite being down 2-0, the Dutch did not give up. In the 83rd minute, substitute Wout Weghorst dissected the Argentine defense and pierced the goal to keep the Netherlands close 2-1.
It was a bruising, physical match. The referee called 48 fouls and gave 17 yellow cards. There was a fight after Argentina’s Paredes fired the ball into theNetherlands bench after committing a foul on a Dutch player. Substitutes stormed the field with lots of pushing and shoving. Then the play continued with yellow cards.
The score was 2-2 before the referee whistled the end of regulation to start the 30-minute extra time, but Weghorst’s beautiful set piece goal in the waning moments of the game was the difference. You wouldn’t be able to decide a winner.
The United States was defeated in the tournament by the champion of Africa. They could not get past the South American titleholders. The game was more of a home game. The Lusail Stadium had a capacity of almost 90, 000 and the majority of it was Argentine blue and white with a few pieces of Dutch orange.
There are 64 matches played at the 2022 World Cup – and not only is this last one on Sunday the most meaningful, it arguably will be the most thrilling game of the monthlong tournament in Qatar.
An Argentina- France final was a dream match up for many fans when they saw the World Cup brackets. Soccer is cruel and often dashes dreams. Except this time.
In the last 60 years, no country has won back-to-back World Cup titles, with France the defending champion. Les Bleus enter this match on a roll and stocked with talent.
Antoine Griezmann: From the World Cup to the Final of the 2002 World Cup: The Story of the Most Brutal Goals a Player in History
He is tied with Messi for the most goals in this tournament with five. He has unbelievable speed and his ballhandling and trickery are otherworldly. This year, he overtook Pel’s World Cup scoring record for a player under 24 with 9 goals, becoming the first teen since 1959 to score at a World Cup final. The fact that Mbappé has a World Cup title isn’t as weird as it might seem.
A game of soccer is a team sport with ten 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 been together with his creativity and ingenuity.
Messi became the first man to score in every game of the World Cup knockout rounds in a single tournament with the goal.
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.
But just when it looked like the trophy was heading to Argentina, France was handed a lifeline after Randal Kolo Muani was brought down in the box and talisman Mbappé, who was peripheral for much of the match, scored the resulting penalty in the 80th minute.
Aurelien Tchouameni pulled his effort wide before Montiel secured Argentina’s third World Cup title and a first since 1986.
He’s now matched his hero Diego Maradona, who guided Argentina to the World Cup 36 years ago, and further staked his claim as the greatest player in history.
The golden boot of Giroud: Mauricio Mbappe’s first game in the semi-finals of the World Cup
Argentina started the match against France with aggressiveness and relentless attacks. The French, who looked unstoppable all tournament, struggled to find their rhythm after showcasing their tremendous energy in Qatar.
Messi looked sharp from the start, picking up pockets of space, instigating attacks and showing off his skills by spraying the ball around.
In the 23rd minute, Di Maria was adjudged to have been brought down in the box by Ousmane Dembele. After the penalty was given, all eyes turned to Messi.
France looked out of sorts. Coach Didier Deschamps did the unthinkable – replaced two of his starters in the first half: Dembélé (whose foul led to the first goal) and all-time French scoring leader Olivier Giroud.
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.
The shootout continued as Messi and Mbappé scored their attempts before the Argentine keeper stepped into the hole to try and save his country.
As the dust had barely settled on the final between Argentina and Greece, Messi was left with the golden trophy that Argentina had worked so hard to win.
The statistics were clear. Losing the first game in group play makes it almost impossible to advance to the knockout round. Argentina would win the group and keep winning until it advanced.
That score wouldn’t hold. A handling call inside the Argentine box led to another penalty kick attempt for France. And of course it would be Mbappé. And of course he scored in the 118th minute. A hat trick for a young star. 3-3.
The French-France Game at the Lusail Stadium: A World Cup Final Without a Substantial Number of Objects
The nearly 89,000 people inside Lusail Stadium were overwhelmingly for Argentina – most wearing the team’s trademark white and sky blue uniform. It was powered by the sun. They cheered every touch, every pass and every shot.
Their final opponent and defending champion, France, dominated their matches in Qatar. In the final match, France struggled to maintain that momentum in the first half. The game was almost turned on its head by Mbappé’s hat trick. The French team’s inability to score was affected by the high pressure of the penalty shootout.
Both sides battled in the waning minutes. It will likely be the biggest World Cup final in history, and will be decided on a penalty kick shootout.
Argentina won Sunday’s World Cup to finish as the victors. Argentina and France were level after one half, but France took control in the second half with two goals from Kylian Mbappé. After Lionel Messi scored a goal in the last minutes of the game, it appeared that Argentina had sewn up the victory and only Mbappé’s hat trick kept them from avenging their defeat in the group stage.
There were two goals scored in the first half of the match. After intense exchanges in the first half, Mislav Oršić scored and cemented Croatia’s lead just before the half. Despite several attempts, Morocco was unable to score again.
The 2026 World Cup and Classical Soccer: Where to Find Them? Where to Play? Where To Play? How To Play The Game?
The 2026 World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Soccer fans can enjoy matches where their favorite players compete throughout the year.