IN A THRILLING & NAIL BITING WORLD CUP FINAL, ARGENTINA BEAT FRANCE 4-2 ON PENALTIES
By Rashmi Goel
After 36 years, Argentina has won its third World Cup trophy. As Lionel Messi kissed the World Cup, shuffled toward his teammates, and hoisted the golden trophy high into the air. Seeing this iconic sight finally cemented his place among the sport's greatest players. Argentine clinched its third men's FIFA World Cup title on Sunday thanks to Lionel Messi, who contributed to Argentina's victory over France on penalties. It was a close race between Argentina and France at the final hurdle, but only one team's best was sufficient to win, and this time, it was the team that wore white and blue and is led by Lionel Messi, the world champion. The match was dominated by Argentina right from the start, while France found it difficult to establish any sort of momentum.
There are 36 club trophies won by Lionel Messi, including 11 domestic championships, four Champions League titles, and many more. Seven Ballons d'Or have been awarded to him during his extraordinary career. A player with magnificent feet, a wonderful touch, a precision pass, and audacious brilliance in front of the goal. After winning everything else the game has to offer, he is finally a world champion with Argentina at the age of 35. The fact that he earned this moment is beyond dispute for anyone who has closely observed his career over the past two decades. Albiceleste's 2014 final defeat to Germany seemed like a huge missed opportunity. They were ragged throughout their group campaign and were defeated 4-3 by France in a thriller in the knockout rounds four years later. Messi seemed to have lost his chance at 31. He is determined to forget about Argentina's 1-0 loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final when Messi missed a great opportunity in the second half. As Messi stared down at the trophy at the Maracana Stadium that night, he realized he had missed out on winning the World Cup. He lifted it high in his most memorable moment eight years later.
In one of the most thrilling World Cup finals ever, Argentina won its third title by beating France 4-2 on penalties following a 3-3 draw featuring several Messi goals and a hat trick by his heir apparent, Kylian Mbappé. Amid the chaos inside Lusail Stadium, Mbappé did all he could to emulate Brazil's great Pele as a champion at his first two World Cups. He even scored his first hat trick in a final since Geoff Hurst in 1966 for England. It wasn't enough. Messi combined his impressive skills with rarely-seen aggression to lead Argentina to the World Cup title. He became the first man in a single edition of the World Cup to score in the group stage as well as in every round of the knockout round. Throughout the final, Messi was in scintillating form, taking Argentina's first goal from the penalty spot after Angel Di Maria was tripped, and pretty much covering almost every blade of grass. He played a critical role in the second as Alexis Mac Allister got free on the right and crossed for Di Maria to score.
However, Didier Deschamps' men came close to the Albiceleste with Kylian Mbappe's penalty 10 minutes from time, with Nicolas Otamendi's careless foul on Randal Kolo Muani allowing them back into the game. Two minutes later, Marcus Thuram's header was met by a brilliant volley by him. The match appeared to be won by Messi once more after 12 minutes of extra time. In the aftermath of Hugo Lloris' parry of Lautaro Martinez's shot, Messi managed to make just enough contact with the ball to enable it to cross the line despite Jules Kounde's best efforts. Still, the effort was insufficient. As a result of Montiel's handball, Mbappe scored his hat-trick goal, and we were sent to the penalty spot. It was necessary for them to win the game a third time. From Buenos Aires to Bahia Blanca, from Mendoza to Mar del Plata, this is a national victory that will be celebrated throughout the country and globally. During the first penalty shootout of their respective teams, Mbappé and Messi both scored. A penalty shot by Kingsley Coman was saved by Argentina goalkeeper Emi Martinez, and an effort by Aurelien Tchouameni for France was missed, allowing Gonzalo Montiel to end the game. As the penalty was converted to the left, wild celebrations broke out.
A run of four straight World Cup victories by Europe, dating back to 2006, has come to an end. In 2002, Japan and South Korea hosted the tournament, and Brazil was the last South American champion. After winning Copa America last year, Argentina won its first major trophy since 1993 in Qatar. During Sunday's match, Messi delivered a flawless performance before the world's eyes. Regardless of how long he continues, he will know that all he can win has been won. Having done it this way makes sense in many ways. World Cup victory with two goals. In spite of having to wait until his final World Cup, it was worth the wait. At 27, there was no win, and in the years that followed, there were claims of a decline. His career has reached its peak after a lifetime of effort, sweat, and tears. There are times when you have to look hard to find the positives in football, especially with some of the politics of the past decade at play. Nevertheless, Lionel Messi's performance makes you fall back in love with the game. There have been many career highlights, including brilliant dribbles, perfect passes, and incredible goals throughout his career. All of them have contributed to this. Finally, Messi has been crowned a World Champion, and no one has ever deserved it more.
