Image source: The New York Times
Argentina: After a thrilling six-goal game between Argentina and France, which the former won on penalties, the 2022 World Cup is finally over.
With the coveted Jules Rimet trophy, Lionel Messi has triumphed over football, much to the joy of the millions who supported the Argentine.
The topic of who is the best player in the world is finally settled.
Summary
Argentina defeated several formidable and underdog opponents to advance to the final.
The teams they defeated are as follows:
- Mexico
- Australia
- The Netherlands
Meanwhile, France pulled off the seemingly impossible and ended the World Cup winners’ curse by passing the group stage, the round of 16, the quarterfinals, and the semifinals.
Both teams engaged in a back-and-forth contest in the World Cup 2022 final.
By scoring two goals before the half, Argentina was able to seize the lead.
France made a comeback to tie the game in the second half.
Kylian Mbappe, the Golden Boy, managed a double and served as the engine.
Both teams sought to score the winning goal in extra time after the final score of 2-2.
Argentina didn’t give up and hit what they thought was the winning shot.
Mbappe, on the other hand, quickly grounded them back.
Time passed, resulting in penalties.
Argentina was able to strike every target despite the tense environment.
Argentina and Lionel Messi won the World Cup for the first time in decades as goalkeeper Emil Martinez of Argentina did what he does best and stopped two French attempts.
Starting 11s
French manager Didier Deschamps selected a strong starting eleven for the tournament’s biggest stage to guarantee they would make history and defend their championship.
The France starting eleven include:
- Hugo Lloris
- Jules Kounde
- Raphael Varane
- Dayot Upamecano
- Theo Hernandez
- Antoine Griezmann
- Adrien Rabiot
- Aurelian Tchouameni
- Ousmane Dembele
- Olivier Giroud
- Kylian Mbappe
In the meantime, the Argentinean Lionel Scaloni fielded a talented eleven that comprised the following:
- Emil Martinez
- Nahuel Molina
- Cristian Romero
- Nicolas Otamendi
- Nicolas Tagliafico
- Rodrigo De Paul
- Enzo Fernandez
- Alexis Mac Allister
- Angel Di Maria
- Julian Alvarez
The first half
Argentina chose a close-quarters 4-4-2 shape when the starting lineups were confirmed just before kickoff.
France, meanwhile, chose the 4-3-3 lineup that helped them win the World Cup in Russia in 2018.
Argentina pressed hard to obtain a shot at an early goal rather than waiting for the French to swarm them.
Hugo Lloris of France had a hectic first half as the Argentines pressured the defense.
Although Angel Di Maria threw out fruitless crosses, his output was remarkable.
Di Maria collided with Ousmane Dembele and fell to the ground in the 21st minute, setting up the game’s first penalty.
Stepping up, Lionel Messi connected in his attempt to take the lead.
After the Argentines recovered the ball from the French after fifteen minutes, they launched a counterattack that allowed Mac Allister to get clear on goal.
He chose the pass after spotting Di Maria on the left flank with his peripheral view.
The Juventus player scored the second goal while going unnoticed.
Didier Deschamps substituted Giroud and Dembele for Marcus Thuram and Randal Kolo Muani just before halftime.
Just before the whistle, the French held on for the game.
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The second half
The French mentality changed after the kickoff.
Although Argentina was still tough, whatever motivational speech Deschamps made at the break helped, as his team had more possession.
The French also started to defend themselves more forcefully.
With 35 minutes remaining, Scaloni substituted Marcus Acuna for Angel Di Maria, resting the finest player from the first half.
Hernandez and Griezmann were substituted by Edouardo Camavinga and Kingsley Coman for a pair of fresh legs.
Eleven minutes before the final whistle, Argentine Nicolas Otamendi committed a terrible error and knocked Randal Kolo Muani to the ground.
Kylian Mbappe’s penalty gave the French their first opportunity.
The young Frenchman’s goal was a howler when he scored barely a minute later, proving that the penalty was insufficient.
Otamendi prevented Mbappe from completing his hat trick with a critical block.
The two sides use up the extra time, which results in more time.
Extra time
On the right side of the defense, Argentina inserted Gonzalo Montiel in place of Molina.
Deschamps substituted Youssouf Fofana for Rabiot in the 96th minute of play.
De Paul makes a crucial stop three minutes later to prevent France from scoring a third.
Four minutes later, Leandro Paredes and Lautaro Martinez replaced him and Alvarez.
As they pressed the French into halftime, the substitutes inspired the Argentines.
As soon as the second period of extra time began, Messi and his team kept up their pressure.
In the 108th minute, a Lloris save resulted in Messi receiving the ball and shooting a goal.
Argentina took a 3-2 lead as the ball crossed the goal line despite Upamecano’s clearance attempt.
Five minutes later, Paredes made a dangerous challenge on Camavinga, earning the French a penalty.
Mbappe stepped up, tying the score with his game’s third goal.
Paulo Dybala replaced Tagliafico in the extra time.
Axel Disasi replaced Jules Kounde for the French at the same time.
A French counterattack had Muani one-on-one with the goalie, but Emil Martinez made an Iker Casillas-esque save to preserve the score.
After the whistle, there was a penalty shootout.
The shootout
Mbappe scored his fourth goal of the evening as France took the opening shot in the shootout.
Messi did the same to offer Argentina hope in the meantime.
As usual, Emil Martinez dived to the right and stopped Coman’s penalty.
Following Messi and Martinez’s footsteps, Argentina’s Paulo Dybala shot the second goal.
Tchoumeni attempted to energize the French team, but his tiredness likely caused him to miss the goal.
Paredes took Argentina’s third kick, and despite Lloris getting a hand on the ball, Argentina scored.
Muani made up for the misses by beating Martinez to bring the score to 2-3.
Gonzalo Montiel stood up for the final penalty shot and swung Lloris’ the wrong way.
Argentina won the world title.
Read also: Qatar ends first World Cup match in a loss to Ecuador
Other notes
Argentina brought home the gold after finally winning the World Cup.
Achieving their most desired success are Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria.
The discussion between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is over since Messi played a crucial role in realizing the long-held dream.
References:
Argentina vs France lineup, starting 11 for World Cup final at Qatar 2022
World Cup final: Argentina vs France score, highlights, result, reaction as shootout gives Messi glory after Mbappe hat-trick
