Argentina beat France on penalties in dramatic World Cup finale

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Published: 19 Dec. 2022, 11:40 Updated: 19 Dec. 2022, 17:29

Argentina beat France on penalties in dramatic World Cup finale

Argentina captain Lionel Messi lifts the FIFA World Cup Trophy as he celebrates with teammates after winning the 2022 Qatar World Cup final against France at Lusail Stadium in Doha on Dec. 18. [AFP/YONHAP]

Lionel Messi ascended to the global football throne in what was less a coronation and more a deification at Lusail Stadium in Qatar on Sunday, leading Argentina to beat France on penalties in a fiery finale to the 2022 World Cup.

Billed as Messi vs. Kylian Mbappé, the ultimate clash between two of the world’s greatest footballers, Sunday’s final did not disappoint. The pair scored five goals between them, not including two successful spot kicks during the penalty shootout.

But it was 35-year-old Messi that emerged victorious at his fifth World Cup, leading Argentina to glory and cementing his spot as the greatest Argentine footballer since Diego Maradona, if not the greatest ever.

Mbappé, already a World Cup winner in 2018, put in a valiant effort, scoring every French goal in the 3-3 draw to trigger the penalty shootout. But this was Messi’s day, and Mbappé, alongside other pretenders to the throne like Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo, could do nothing but watch from the sidelines as arguably the greatest football player in the world today finally filled the one big hole on his resume.

Argentina had to work for the win, breaking the tie on three separate occasions as France, and especially Mbappé, did everything in their power to retain the World Cup title.

Messi opened the scoring with a penalty in the 23rd minute, with Angel di Maria extending the lead to 2-0 in the 35th minute.

Argentina held on to that lead for 45 minutes, looking like they were going to take an easy victory until Mbappé came alive in the 80th minute, scoring twice in 97 seconds to force extra time.

The South Americans came back in extra time. Messi scored his second goal in the 108th minute, only for Mbappé to equalize again 10 minutes later.

The final few minutes of the game descended into mayhem, with crucial opportunities missed at both ends of the pitch and Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez forced to pull out all the stops to hold off the French offense.

French forward Kylian Mbappe holds his Golden Boot after France lost the 2022 Qatar World Cup final to Argentina at Lusail Stadium in Doha on Dec. 18. [AFP/YONHAP]

With nothing to break the tie it was on to penalties.

Mbappé and Messi were both up first, neither side clearly willing to risk the sort of tournament-ending hubris that saw Brazil exit the quarterfinals without Neymar getting a kick. Both made their shots, tying the shootout score at 1-1.

But Mbappé’s success wasn’t to be repeated. Kingsley Coman and Aurélien Tchouaméni both missed their efforts, quickly putting France down 3-1 as Paulo Dybala and Leandro Paredes scored.

Kolo Muani pulled things back for France on the fourth penalty, but by then it was too little, too late. Gonzalo Montiel added No. 4 for Argentina, securing an unassailable 4-2 lead on the shootout and the World Cup title.

Argentina’s win ends a dramatic and confusing World Cup that has seen some of the most gripping football in the tournament’s history played against the backdrop of a human rights crisis and a governing body that is dramatically out of touch with fans and players around the world.

Kicking off with FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s bizarre “today I feel gay, today I feel disabled” press conference a month ago and ending with the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, draping Messi in a traditional Arab bisht during the trophy ceremony, it has been impossible to ignore the political undertones of the World Cup.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, left, wraps a bisht around Argentinian forward Lionel Messi on stage next to the FIFA World Cup Trophy after Argentina won the 2022 Qatar World Cup final against France at Lusail Stadium in Doha on Dec. 18. [AFP/YONHAP]

FIFA managed to silence human rights protests on the pitch, but the authoritarian arm of the global football association could do little to stop the obvious stories: Investigations from media organizations like The Guardian suggest that over 6,000 migrant workers died preparing for a football tournament designed as the global coming out ceremony for a country with a horrific human rights record, particularly when it comes to the prosecution of LGBTQ people.

Despite the best attempts of the Qatari government and FIFA at “sportswashing” the country’s human rights record, the effort was likely a failure. The 2022 Qatar World Cup provided plenty of exciting football, but the image of the Gulf state has not been improved by the endeavor. In fact, it’s probably taken more of a hit by forcing its way into the global spotlight.

On the pitch, however, Qatar proved to be a terrifically exciting World Cup. From dramatic group stage results like Argentina’s 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia, Cameroon’s 1-0 win over Brazil and Korea’s 2-1 victory over Portugal to Croatia’s dramatic knockout stage run or Morocco’s fight to fourth place, Qatar has provided some of the most memorable World Cup moments in recent history.

For FIFA the challenge is now to emulate that success in North America in four years while trying to bring an increasingly isolated fans back into the fold.

Qatar proved there is more than enough football to keep the world interested, but a global fanbase demands an inclusive tournament open to all without — and this really shouldn’t have to be said — a death toll involved in its creation. FIFA needs to match that demand as the World Cup moves forward.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]

korea joongAng daily

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Argentina beat France on penalties in dramatic World Cup finale

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