Fue el Mundial de Messi. El GOAT cumplió su sueño de ser campeón del mundo con Argentina, en una performance difícil de olvidar, ganada por el talento sobrenatural que llevan sus pies, la conmovedora entrega de sus compañeros en el campo de juego y también el incondicional amor de su familia en las tribunas.
LUSAIL, Qatar - As fireworks exploded and some 80,000 people roared, Lionel Messi smiled. His Argentina soccer shirt covered by the bisht the Emir of Qatar had just draped him in — the cape reserved for top officials and sheikhs. He smiled, he paused, then he hoisted high the World Cup, a lifetime’s dream realized.
For all the accolades, all the awards, the riches, titles and silverware, there had been one stain on his career resume, and it was one he erased forever on a magical World Cup night for Argentina.
Argentina made history during the 2022 World Cup Final as they were awarded their fifth penalty kick of the tournament. The previous record was shared by the Netherlands in 1978 and Portugal in 1966 with four penalty kicks each. With his subsequent goal, Messi now is level on four goals with Eusébio and Rob Rensenbrink having scored the most penalty kicks in a single tournament.
MESSI PUTS ARGENTINA OUT IN FRONT pic.twitter.com/kZkUvRUXC9
Emiliano Martínez didn’t have a single shot come toward his goal until the 71st minute. From that moment on he became one of the key figures in Argentina’s 4-2 penalty shootout victory vs. France in the World Cup final after the game finished 3-3 at the end of extra time.
Martínez was one of the most polarizing characters at the 2022 World Cup. His haters despise him for his gamesmanship, taunting and excessive celebratory body gyrations. Martínez’s critics have one other thing to deal with: he’s a DAMN good goalkeeper.
It was Lionel Messi's World Cup. With almost 80 minutes gone in Sunday's final and Argentina leading 2-0, the 35-year-old looked destined to lift the trophy while capturing both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball — a clean sweep of everything on the GOAT's World Cup swan song.
Then, in 97 seconds of Kylian Mbappé-inspired madness over the 80th and 81st minutes, France pulled level with Messi's PSG teammate scoring from the spot before unleashing a 15-yard side-volley for the equalizer.
LUSAIL, Qatar - Ángel Di María is starting for Argentina in their World Cup final clash against France as coach Lionel Scaloni opted for a 4-3-3 formation on Sunday.
Di María, who has not started since the group phase and played only eight minutes in the quarterfinal victory against the Netherlands, is on the right flank of attack, with Lionel Messi set to become the player with most appearances at the World Cup finals (26).
We are at the end of the road. Yeah! It's hard to believe it. After a month and 63 games filled with drama, joy and other emotions, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is almost finished. The only thing left to know is who will be the grand champion.
Argentina and France are the finalists, and both are chasing to lift the tournament's trophy for the third time in their history. But that's not all. Their best players, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, are also locking horns, seeking individual glories: the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball.
La FIFA designó este jueves al árbitro que impartirá la ley en la final del Mundial entre Argentina y Francia. Se trata de Szymon Marciniak, silbante que ya le pitó a ambas selecciones durante el torneo y que se convertirá en el primer polaco en dirigir esta instancia.
Por si alguien busca tendencias, coincidencias y la quinta pata a los gatos, Marciniak ya dirigió a ambas selecciones durante el torneo, con victorias tanto para Argentina como para Francia. Sin embargo, hay un dato de su biografía que ilusiona más a los aficionados de La Albiceleste.
For the casual soccer fans wondering, “has the USA ever made the World Cup Final?” we have some bummer news. The men’s team has never made it to the finale of the World Cup.
The USA women’s team, on the other hand, has been to five World Cup finals and have won four times.
No. The best they’ve ever done is third place.
With over one billion people tuning in around the globe, Sunday's World Cup final represents the grandest stage in all of sports. For the players, it's a chance to touch immortality by joining the pantheon of winners.
Many on France's team already tasted glory in 2018, but now they're focused on becoming the first nation to successfully defend its crown since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.