FIFA World Cup 2022, Finals: Argentina clinch hard-fought win in penalty shootout

After continuous action for more than 20 days, France and Argentina competed against each other in the finals of the FIFA World Cup 2022 hosted by Qatar and the La Albiceleste started off in a confident way, much to the stupefaction of the football fans all over the world. The Les Bleus got nothing right, although one has to agree that their defence peaked as they refrained from conceding a goal to their mighty opponents despite being put to task too many times within the first 10 minutes.

After fighting hard for 23 minutes, Lionel Messi opened the account for his team after capitalizing on a penalty, leaving French fans heartbroken. Although one could argue that the penalty decision was controversial, it was well deserving for Argentina as they were completely dominating the game. However, the French camp failed to keep the momentum within their hands and were thriving hard to make a comeback into the game.

Much to the stupefaction of the Argentinian fans, Ángel Di María doubled the lead in the 36th minute and inched the team closer to the win, although most of the spectators were confident of France making a comeback in the second half. The initial half ended with a scoreline of 2-0 in Argentina's favour and it remained to be seen if France would make a comeback in the second half.

Argentina dominate finals vs France in FIFA World Cup 2022

The second half kicked off with the Les Bleus keeping possession in the initial minutes and eventually creating better opportunities than in the first half, although many argued that they did not look confident enough to clinch the win against the mighty La Albiceleste. At the 60-minute mark, the scoreline remained unchanged and the French fans started losing hope of their team's comeback. With every passing minute, the French fans kept losing hope, as they stared at a possible defeat after fighting hard for more than 25 days into the epic tournament.

On the other hand, it was joy and celebrations for Argentinians as they kept winning momentum, with the timeline inching closer to the 90-minute mark. Kylian Mbappe, however, opened the account for France in the 80th minute, making the most of the penalty and bringing his team back to life. When the least expected, Mbappe bounced back yet again in the 81st minute and matched the lead, silencing the entire set of Argentinian fans gathered in the stadium. The match looked equally poised and eventually entered the extra time phase as the scoreline remained at 2-2 at the end of 90 minutes.

Despite getting chances in the first half of the extra time, Argentina failed to take the lead and the scoreline remained unchanged. Much to the delight of the Argentinian fans, Messi scored the goal for Argentina in the 108th minute, only to be matched by Mbappe in the 118th minute, scoring a World Cup hat trick. Much to the dreariness of the French fans, Argentina won the trophy by making a comeback in the penalty shootout to win with a scoreline of 4-2.