Argentina vs. France final score, result – WC2022: Hat-trick for Mbappe but happy ending for the G.O.A.T

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Match summary

Argentina came into the game in a much better mood than they did against Croatia in the semifinal, pressuring France relentlessly for the first 45 minutes. The most impressive player in the opening 45 minutes was Di Maria, who was a surprise inclusion in Argentina's starting eleven. Messi and his teammates were given several opportunities thanks to the 34-year- old's pace and dexterity. The turning point came in the 23rd minute, when Di Maria was fouled in the penalty area by Ousmane Dembele. From the white spot, Messi easily beat Lloris to open the scoring

Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot.

France resisted weakly after the goal and almost couldn’t create any clear chances. The European representative continued to taste the "bitter fruit" from Di Maria in the 36th minute. Messi once more distinguished himself by starting the counterattack with a pass to the right for Julian Alvarez. The Argentine striker then quickly delivered the ball to MacAllister, who then made a neat cross to let Di Maria cushion the ball in close range, knocking Lloris down. The score was 2-0 for Argentina at that time.

Di Maria raised the score to 2-0 for Argentina.

It was not until the 71st minute that the Deschamps’ players had the first shot on target, from Kylian Mbappe's long shot. In an almost hopeless situation, France received a gift from Nicolas Otamendi. Argentina's central defender handled the situation awkwardly, allowing Kolo Muani to speed up. Otamendi fouled in the penalty area, opening the opportunity for Mbappe to take a penalty to shorten the score.

Only a minute after the goal, Mbappe once again punished Argentina with a moment of bravery. The 23-year-old striker leveled the score with a volley at the edge of the penalty area. Mbappe's equalizer left Messi and his teammates dazed. Argentina, in the last minutes of the two main halves, almost conceded the third goal in the context of the French team playing more excitingly.

Mbappe's volley to level the score for France.

The extra time of the best final in World Cup history was reduced by the brilliance of Messi and Mbappe. Messi increased the score to 3-2 with the correct position to cushion the empty goal in the 108th minute. In the technical area, many Argentine players couldn’t help themselves from crying, including Di Maria and De Paul.

Messi once again helped Argentina take the lead.

But the tears of happiness once again turned into tears of bitterness when Montiel blocked Mbappe's shot in the penalty area with his hand. From France's second penalty in the match, Mbappe made no mistakes to complete his hat-trick in the 118th minute.

Mbappe completed his hattrick with a successful penalty.

Many opportunities weren’t successfully converted in the last minutes of the second extra time, causing the two teams to enter the penalty shootout.

In the first round, Mbappe beat Martinez for the third time, but Messi also coolly beat Lloris right after. In the next series of shots, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez shone when he blocked Kingsley Coman's kick and pressured Aurelien Tchouameni to miss his turn. Meanwhile, Argentina did not miss a single time. Gonzalo Montiel's successful decisive penalty helped Scaloni's squad win 4-2, thereby claiming the most prestigious trophy of this year’s tournament.

Argentina lifted the Golden Trophy.

Final score

ARG - L. Messi (pen, 23')

ARG - A. Di Maria (36')

FRA - K. Mbappe (80')

FRA - K. Mbappe (81')

ARG - L. Messi (108')

FRA - K. Mbappe (118')

Squad

Argentina (4-3-3): Martinez, Molina (Montiel 91), Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico (Dybala 120+1), Di Maria (Acuna 64), De Paul (Paredes 102), Enzo Fernandez, Mac Allister (Pezzella 116), Messi, Alvarez (Lautaro Martinez 102).

France (4-3-3): Lloris, Kounde (120+1 shots), Varane (Konate 113), Upamecano, T. Hernandez (Camavinga 71), Griezmann (Coman 71), Tchouameni, Rabiot (Fofana 96), O Dembele (41), Mbappe, Giroud (Thuram 41).

Highlights

The 2022 World Cup, which is considered the best in history, witnessed the ending that couldn't be more dramatic.