Argentina won the 2022 World Cup in a dramatic penalty shootout, giving Lionel Messi a fairytale ending to his career.
In what was arguably the most dramatic World Cup final of this generation, after 36 years, Argentina is again bringing home the coveted trophy.
It was a rollercoaster of emotions for Argentina, as they opened the first half of the match with two goals, from Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria, to give them a considerable lead before the halftime whistle. However, towards the end of the second half, France found a way to shift the energy in their favor, leveling the match 2-2 in the span of two minutes.
Both France’s goals were scored by Kylian Mbappe.
Neither team able to take the lead in added time, the final went into extra time—two periods of 15 minutes that mimicked the entire match.
Again, Argentina opened with a goal from Lionel Messi. But after a handball by their side, France was able to level the score another time with a successful penalty from Mbappe—a hat-trick by the young Frenchman just days before his 24th birthday.
Still level at the end of extra time, the match went into penalties.
Messi and Mbappe, both the leading goalscorers of the tournament, successfully made their penalties. However, after Emiliano Martinez made a crucial save, and France missed their final shot, the Argentinians ran onto the field to celebrate their hard-earned World Cup win.
After the match, Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot award for his seven tournament goals—a mere consolation after an incredible performance.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi was named best player of the 2022 World Cup and awarded the Golden Ball.
With the win, Messi gets the fairytale ending to his illustrious career.
Banner image from FIFA World Cup on Twitter.
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