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Argentina: The 2022 World Cup ended following an exciting six-goal match between Argentina and France, which the former won on penalties.
Lionel Messi has conquered football with the coveted Jules Rimet trophy, much to the delight of the millions who backed the Argentine.
The debate of who is the best player in the world has finally been determined.
Summary
Argentina reached the championship game after defeating several strong underdog opponents.
The teams they defeated are as follows:
- Mexico
- Australia
- The Netherlands
While this was going on, France accomplished the seemingly unachievable and broke the World Cup winners’ curse by advancing past the group stage, the round of 16, the quarterfinals, and the semifinals.
The World Cup 2022 championship game featured back-and-forth play between the two teams.
Argentina took the lead by scoring two goals before the half.
In the second half, France rallied to level the match.
The Golden Boy, Kylian Mbappe, managed a double and was the team’s catalyst.
After the game ended 2-2, both teams tried to score the winning goal in extra time.
Argentina persevered and made what they believed to be the winning shot.
On the other hand, Mbappe swiftly grounded them back.
Penalties resulted from the extra time.
Despite the heated atmosphere, Argentina was able to hit every target.
Goalkeeper Emil Martinez of Argentina did what he does best and saved two French shots to help Argentina win the World Cup for the first time in decades.
Starting 11s
For the biggest stage of the tournament, French manager Didier Deschamps chose a solid starting eleven to ensure they would defend their title and make history.
The France starting eleven include:
- Hugo Lloris
- Jules Kounde
- Raphael Varane
- Dayot Upamecano
- Theo Hernandez
- Antoine Griezmann
- Adrien Rabiot
- Aurelian Tchouameni
- Ousmane Dembele
- Olivier Giroud
- Kylian Mbappe
Meanwhile, the superb eleven fielded by the Argentinean Lionel Scaloni included the following players:
- Emil Martinez
- Nahuel Molina
- Cristian Romero
- Nicolas Otamendi
- Nicolas Tagliafico
- Rodrigo De Paul
- Enzo Fernandez
- Alexis Mac Allister
- Angel Di Maria
- Julian Alvarez
The first half
The compact 4-4-2 formation was chosen by Argentina when the starting lineups were announced just before kickoff.
In contrast, Deschamps chose the 4-3-3 lineup France used to win the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Argentina didn’t wait for the French to surround them; instead, they rushed hard to get a look at a goal early.
France’s Hugo Lloris had a busy first half as the Argentines put pressure on the defense.
Angel Di Maria’s productivity was impressive despite his futile crosses.
In the 21st minute, Di Maria clashed with Ousmane Dembele and collapsed to the ground, earning the game’s first penalty.
When Lionel Messi took the penalty to take the lead, he was successful.
After fifteen minutes, the Argentines stole the ball from the French and launched a counterattack, giving Mac Allister a clear shot at goal.
He used his peripheral vision to find Di Maria on the left flank and made the pass.
The second goal was scored by a Juventus player who went unnoticed.
Just before halftime, Didier Deschamps brought Marcus Thuram and Randal Kolo Muani in for Giroud and Dembele.
The French managed to stay in the game until the whistle.
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The second half
After the opening kickoff, the French attitude changed.
Argentina remained challenging, but whatever pep talk Deschamps gave his squad at the break helped as they had more possession.
Additionally, the French began to defend themselves more vehemently.
Scaloni replaced Angel Di Maria with Marcus Acuna with 35 minutes left to play, resting the best player from the first half.
Edouardo Camavinga and Kingsley Coman were brought to replace Hernandez and Griezmann with new legs.
Eleven minutes before the game’s conclusion, Nicolas Otamendi of Argentina made a bad mistake and fell Randal Kolo Muani to the ground.
The French were given their first chance thanks to Kylian Mbappe’s penalty.
When the young Frenchman scored just a minute later, it was evident that the penalty wasn’t enough.
With a crucial block, Otamendi stopped Mbappe from scoring his hat trick.
The extra time was consumed by the two sides, adding to the overall time.
Extra time
Argentina replaced Molina on the right side of the defense with Gonzalo Montiel.
In the 96th minute of action, Deschamps substituted Youssouf Fofana for Rabiot.
Three minutes later, De Paul made a key block to stop France from adding a third goal.
Leandro Paredes and Lautaro Martinez substituted him and Alvarez after four minutes.
The substitutes motivated the Argentines as they forced the French into the break.
Messi and his side continued to apply pressure as soon as the second overtime period started.
Messi received the ball and scored after a Lloris save in the 108th minute.
Despite Upamecano’s attempt to clear the ball, Argentina led the game 3-2 when the ball crossed the goal line.
After five minutes, Paredes made a risky challenge on Camavinga, resulting in a penalty for France.
Mbappe responded by scoring his third goal of the match to even the score.
In the extra time, Tagliafico was substituted by Paulo Dybala.
The French replaced Jules Kounde at the same time with Axel Disasi.
Muani was one-on-one with the goalie during a French counterattack, but Emil Martinez produced an Iker Casillas-like save to keep the score intact.
A penalty shootout followed the final whistle.
The shootout
As France took the first shot in the shootout, Mbappe scored his fourth goal of the game.
In the interim, Messi offered Argentina hope by doing the same.
Emil Martinez made his customary dive to the right to block Coman’s penalty.
The second goal was scored by Argentina’s Paulo Dybala, who followed in the footsteps of Messi and Martinez.
Tchoumeni made an effort to motivate the French players, but it’s possible that his exhaustion prevented him from scoring.
Argentina scored on Paredes’ third kick, despite Lloris putting a hand on the ball.
Muani defeated Martinez to even the score at 2-3 as compensation for the misses.
Gonzalo Montiel rose up for the final penalty attempt and swung Lloris the wrong way.
Argentina won the world title.
Read also: Qatar World Cup debut ends in loss to Ecuador
Other notes
Argentina ultimately won the World Cup and brought home the gold.
Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria have achieved their greatest dream.
The debate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has ended since Messi was instrumental in making the long-held ambition come true.
References:
Argentina vs France lineup, starting 11 for World Cup final at Qatar 2022
