Breaking: Argentina win Dramatic final on penalties
On Sunday, Argentina won their third World Cup in spectacular fashion, defeating France 4-2 on penalties following a 3-3 draw that featured a hat-trick for Kylian Mbappe as the hosts rallied from a 2-0 deficit after 80 minutes. Lionel Messi scored twice in the draw.
It was a tremendous night of drama and shifting fortunes that culminated in one of the greatest finals in tournament history.
Messi’s penalty and Angel Di Maria’s outstanding goal in the first half gave Argentina what appeared to be a lopsided victory, but Mbappe’s conversion of a penalty in the 80th minute and volley goal a minute later forced extra time.
Messi gave Argentina the lead once more, but Mbappe equalized with another penalty, becoming the second player, after Geoff Hurst for England in 1966, to score a hat trick in a World Cup final.
As a result, the game went to a penalty shootout where Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez saved Kingsley Coman’s attempt and Aurelien Tchouameni missed, giving Gonzalo Montiel the opportunity to win, which he gladly did.
It meant that after his record-tying 26th World Cup game, at the fifth and final time of asking, Messi, 35, finally received the trophy that he and his country had been waiting for, putting him up alongside Diego Maradona after the nation’s first football championship. Following their dramatic first victory in 1978, God led them to their second success in 1986.
