FIFA World Cup 2022: It’s Argentina now!

Lionel Messi celebrates Argentina’s goal in the World Cup final at Doha last night. Pics/Getty Images

Lionel Messi, the master chef, cooked up the perfect World Cup-winning recipe to deliver the Jules Rimet trophy to Argentina after 36 long years on Sunday. Though France's Kylian Mbappe had other ideas, scoring a brilliant hat-trick, he could not help stopping the Argentines from emerging victors 4-2 via a penalty shootout.

Kylian Mbappe

The opening goal came off a 23rd-minute effortlessly despatched Messi penalty, following a foul on Angel Di Maria in the French box. While the second, 13 minutes later, was a brilliantly worked team effort that included Messi somewhere in between, it was finished off by Di Maria. France's Kylian Mbappe then suddenly sprang up out of nowhere to score twice - off a 80th minute penalty and then a sweet 81-minute volley to take the game into extra-time. Messi then tapped in off a Lautaro Martinez rebounded effort in the 109th minute to give Argentina a 3-2 lead but a hand ball inside the Argentine box saw Mbappe convert a second penalty to make it 3-3 five minutes from the end of extra time.

Tremendous atmosphere

At a jam-packed Lusail Stadium here, reigning world champions France started off competing like a boxer without hands, and went nearly punch-less throughout the first 45 minutes even as their opponents mesmerised with some their trademark South American flair and skill.

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Stunning French comeback

And while the second half began playing out in similar fashion, the latter part of the second half suddenly saw Mbappe deliver two quick knockout blows. In the 79th minute Kolo Muani was brought down by Argentina's central defender Nicolas Otamendi and off the resulting penalty Mbappe pulled one back. Then, three minutes later Mbappe got to the end of a square, lifted pass with a fine volley for 2-2.

The deafening noise in the stadium that would not let you even hear a jet plane passing by, suddenly went dead. Late in extra time, Messi raised Argentina's hopes again when he sneaked in to follow up on Martinez shot that rebounded off Lloris into his path. Mbappe and France though did not give up. It's probably the stuff champions are made of. Off a France counter, the Argentine defence were caught napping and a hand-ball saw the third penalty of the night, second for Mbappe, make it all square once again at 3-3.

In the tie-breaker though, Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez proved too tough to beat as France missed twice to help Messi enter the history books and probably stay there forever!