After a 3-3 draw and two goals from Lionel Messi, Argentina defeated France 4-2 on penalties to win the World Cup for the third time. The holders returned from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits thanks to a hat-trick from Kylian Mbappe.
It was a night filled with extraordinary drama, intense passion, and swings in a fate that culminated in one of the greatest finals in tournament history. The grandest stage of all saw commanding performances from its two-star performers.
After Messi's penalty, Argentina appeared to be cruising to a one-sided victory, and an outstanding goal by Angel Di Maria in the first half gave them complete control. However, Mbappe equalised with a penalty kick in the 80th minute and a beautiful volley one minute later to force extra time.
Messi gave Argentina the lead again, but Mbappe equalised with a second penalty, becoming the second player, after England's Geoff Hurst in 1966, to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final.
Emiliano Martinez of Argentina stopped Kingsley Coman's attempt in the shootout, while Aurelien Tchouameni missed. Gonzalo Montiel, a replacement fullback who gave up the penalty for France's third goal, was now given the opportunity for the ultimate atonement, which he duly accepted by coolly sending Hugo Lloris the wrong way.
It meant that after playing in a record-tying 26 World Cup games, Messi, 35, finally received the trophy that his talent and dedication to his nation demanded. This elevated him to the same level as Diego Maradona, Argentina's first football god, who led his country to their stirring second World Cup victory in 1986 after their historic first in 1978.
Messi, who has represented his nation 172 times, said, "I wanted to conclude my career with this, it was the one that was lacking so I can no longer ask for anything more."
“I was able to get the Copa America and now the World Cup that I had fought so hard for. I’ve got it at the end of my career. But I love football, and I want to continue living a few more games being world champion.”
The victory seems all the more incredible coming a month after his team began the tournament by suffering the biggest upset statistically in World Cup history when they lost to Saudi Arabia.
“I cannot believe that we have suffered so much in a perfect game. Unbelievable, but this team responds to everything,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said.
“I am proud of the work they did. With the blows we received today. I want to tell people to enjoy; it’s a historic moment for our country.”
NEAT TURN
There was little hint of the drama as Argentina dominated the first hour, outrunning and outfighting a flat French team who looked to have no chance of becoming the first to retain the title since Brazil 60 years ago.
They went ahead when the recalled Di Maria beat Ousmane Dembele and was tripped for a penalty that Messi slotted in after 23 minutes.
One of the best goals to grace a final came after 36 minutes when instinctive passing by Nahuel Molina, Messi, Julian Alvarez and Alexis Mac Allister set up Di Maris to slide in the second.
France barely fired a shot in anger until the 80th minute when Nicolas Otamendi tripped Randal Kolo Muani and Mbappe, previously anonymous, expertly converted the penalty.
A minute later, he swept in a brilliant equalising volley after combining cleverly with Marcus Thuram, stunning the massed Argentine fans watching their team concede two quick-fire goals for the third time in the tournament.
Argentina regrouped well, creating several chances, and regained the lead after a counter-attack when the tireless Lautaro Martinez smashed a shot that Hugo Lloris saved, only for Messi to pounce on the rebound with a rare right-footed finish, technology confirming the ball had crossed the line.
CALMLY DISPATCHED
The drama was not over, however, as Mbappe hammered a shot against Montiel’s arm to win a penalty in the 117th minute, which he calmly dispatched for an amazing hat-trick and a tournament-leading eighth goal.
Kolo Muani still had a wonderful chance to snatch it in stoppage time for France, only to be brilliantly denied by the outstretched leg of Martinez when the winner of all late winners looked a certainty.
Mbappe and Messi both converted the opening spot-kicks of the shootout but then had to stand back and let their teammates decide their destiny.
Argentina had now won six of their seven World Cup shootouts, including the quarter-final against the Netherlands a week ago when they also blew a 2-0 lead in the same Lusail Stadium.
France, the only team to have scored three goals in a final and lost, has tasted defeat in three of five shootouts, two of those losses coming in finals.
“We came back from the brink; that’s what gives us so many regrets,” said France coach Didier Deschamps. “We could have won it in the last minute (of extra time), but it was not meant to be.”
Two hours after the game, thousands of Argentina fans, many in Number 10 Messi shirts, remained in the stadium as the players and their families posed for pictures on the pitch and went for a joyous lap of honour, parading the golden trophy they last had their hands on 36 years ago.