Argentina defeated France 4-2 on penalties following a tense 3-3 draw to lift the 2022 World Cup trophy at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar on Sunday night. This marks the South American nation’s first World Cup triumph since 1986 and their third win in total.
“I cannot believe that we have suffered so much in a perfect game. Unbelievable, but this team responds to everything,” Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni remarked on his team’s performance. “I am proud of the work they did. It is an exciting group. With the blows we received today, with the draws, this makes you emotional. I want to tell people to enjoy, it’s a historic moment for our country.”
While Argentina raced to a 2-0 lead in the first half courtesy of a Lionel Messi penalty and an Angel Di Maria strike, the reigning champions clawed their way back as Kylian Mbappe scored twice during the final 10 minutes of regular time. Argentina looked to have grabbed the winner when Messi doubled his goal tally in the 108th minute, however, Mbappe converted a second penalty for France with just two minutes to play of extra time, thereby sending the game to a penalty shootout.
By lifting the World Cup trophy, captain Lionel Messi has finally won the trophy that had eluded him throughout his career.
