Newsman: Argentina won the Qatar world cup Sunday beating France. This is their third World Cup win after 36 years. Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties to claim a third World Cup title despite Kylian Mbappé scoring the first hat trick in a final in 56 years. Argentina won its previous World Cup titles in 1978 and 1986. In Qatar, the country backed up its victory from last year’s Copa America, its first major trophy since 1993 .It was an incredible, high emotion and fluctuating fortunees, delivering one of the all-time great finals to cap a wonderful tournament as its two star players delivered command performances on the biggest stage of all.
Argentina went ahead when the recalled Di Maria beat Ousmane Dembele and was tripped for a penalty that Messi slotted in after 23 minutes.
Argentina had dominated the most of the match, leading 2-0 with just about 10 minutes to go, but France burst into life with star forward Kylian Mbappé scoring twice in as many minutes. Both sides traded missed chances and then late goals again in the 30 minutes of extra time before the tension of penalty kicks. Kylian Mbappe single-handedly revived the defending champions. He scored twice in 90 seconds to force extra time.
One of the most dramatic major sporting events in history had the teams tied 3-3 after extra time, with the French ultimately missing twice in the shootout before Gonzalo Montiel converted to seal an emotional victory.
Lionel Messi scored twice in a 3-3 draw with two goals in his record.
Kylian Mbappe grabbed a hat-trick to bring the holders back from 2-0 and 3-2 down in world cup final’s history.
after Messi had knocked in a rebound goal to put Argentina back in front in the 108th, Mbappe tied it up again 10 minutes later.
That would send the game to a penalty shootout, and France would miss two of its first four shots. With Messi, Paulo Dybala and Leandro Paredes all making theirs — Messi slow-rolling his as if to give all those who’ve doubted his greatness a few extra seconds to absorb it — it came to Gonzalo Montiel, whose handball in extra time had given France a last lifeline.
Montiel buried his shot, and Messi broke into a grin that wouldn’t fade for the rest of the night.
“I wanted to close my career with this, it was the one that was missing so I can no longer ask for anything else,” said Messi after winning the champion trophy.
“I was able to get the Copa America and now the World Cup that I had fought so hard for. I’ve got it at the end of my career. But I love football and I want to continue living a few more games being world champion” he added.
Messi, 35, took the glory, securing the trophy that cements his status as perhaps the game’s greatest ever player by sealing a third title for his country.
Messi won the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament. He scored seven goals — only Mbappe’s eight were more — and also had three assists. He’s the first man to score in the group stage and every game in the knockout round.
“I cannot believe that we have suffered so much in a perfect game. Unbelievable, but this team responds to everything,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said.
“I am proud of the work they did. With the blows we received today. I want to tell people to enjoy, it’s a historic moment for our country.”
“We came back from the brink, that’s what gives us so many regrets,” said France coach Didier Deschamps. “We could have won it in the last minute (of extra time) but it was not meant to be.”
France team looked to have no chance of becoming the first to retain the title since Brazil 60 years ago and barely fired a shot in anger until the 80th minute when Nicolas Otamendi tripped Randal Kolo Muani and Mbappe, previously anonymous, expertly converted the penalty.
A minute later he swept in a brilliant equalising volley after combining cleverly with Marcus Thuram, stunning the massed Argentine fans watching their team concede two quick-fire goals for the third time in the tournament.
Argentina regrouped and created several chances, and regained the lead after a counter-attack when Lautaro Martinez smashed a shot that Hugo Lloris saved. Messi pounce on the rebound with a rare right-footed finish that technology confirmed the ball had crossed the line.
Mbappe hammered a shot against Montiel’s arm to win a penalty in the 117th minute, which he calmly dispatched for an amazing hat-trick and a tournament-leading eighth goal.
Argentina have now won six of their seven World Cup shootouts, including the quarter-final against the Netherlands a week ago when they also blew a 2-0 lead in the same Lusail Stadium.
