World Cup final: Messi fires Argentina to glory in dramatic win over France, as Mbappe scores hat-trick in losing cause
- Lionel Messi scored twice, Kylian Mbappe got three and in the end it needed penalties to separate the two No 10s
- Argentina captain completes fairy-tale triumph in what could be the last time he plays for his country
Lionel Messi cemented his status alongside Pele and Diego Maradona in the pantheon of football’s all-time greats in the most dramatic fashion on Sunday, as Argentina beat France 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out to claim the World Cup title at Lusail Stadium.
Tied 3-3 at the end of the most thrilling final in a generation – perhaps of all time – and after penalty misses by Kingsley Coman and Aurelien Tchouameni, Gonzalo Montiel’s strike in the fourth round of spot kicks secured a third title for Argentina to go along with wins in 1978 and 1986.
Messi, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, and Angel di Maria had given Argentina a two-goal lead by half-time, but two goals in as many minutes from Kylian Mbappe late in the game took proceedings into extra-time, where Messi struck again, only for Mbappe’s second penalty to send the game to a shoot-out.
For so much of the game France, seeking to become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend the title, were a shadow of the side that eliminated Poland, England and Morocco on the way to the final.
The decider had been billed as a battle between Messi and Mbappe, a generational tussle featuring the elder statesman’s Paris Saint-Germain teammate and his heir apparent as the world’s leading player.
Already a World Cup winner four years ago in Russia, the 23-year-old was looking for a second title despite his relative youth.