You know his name. Chants of “Messi” rung out of Lusail stadium as Argentina lifted their third World Cup trophy.
Messi’s name will be remembered forever. A mythical and celebrated player that we were all lucky enough to see in the flesh. In what will likely be remembered as the best World Cup final so far, Messi was finally surrounded by a capable and connected team.
All eyes expectedly will be on the greatest of all time, but the story of this tournament for Argentina should rightly give credit to the other players on the pitch. Against France, Angel di Maria was the difference maker in attack. Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, and Rodrigo de Paul controlled midfield that allowed Argentina to flow from back to front.
Emi Martinez shut down two of the best teams in the world in penalties and completed his quest towards the golden glove, awarded to the best goalkeeper at the tournament.
This Argentina team was comprised of incredible players providing incredible performances, and yet Messi will still stand a level above.
Against the holding champions France, Argentina took the pressure and burned it into energy. The intensity of the Argentinian squad was too much for France to take. Mbappe couldn’t get a touch on the ball and Didier Deschamps had to make two substitutions in the 41’ minute to change the game.
With Argentina up 2-0 at halftime and the blue and white stripes firmly in control, it seemed like the game was over. The experience and mastery of tournament football helped France get back into the game. A penalty against the run of play and a special volley from Mbappe made this a tighter affair than it had any right to be.
This was a game of momentum. Going into extra-time it just felt like Argentina had lost their chance at glory. The footballing machine of France had come back and gained a stranglehold on the match.
Each team had chances in extra-time and Messi gave Argentina the lead. At the time of the goal to make it 3-2 Argentina, Messi had also taken back the golden boot race from Mbappe. But only a few minutes later Mbappe leveled the game, scored the third ever hattrick in a World Cup final, and took back the golden boot from his PSG teammate.
Emi Martinez made the save of the tournament at the last minute to keep it level. Fate would not let this game end in any other way than penalties.
Kylian Mbappe stepped up and took his third penalty of the match, scoring all three. Lionel Messi confidently took his second of the game and sent Hugo Lloris the wrong way. 1-1.
Argentinian penalty stopping specialist Emi Martinez stopped the second of France’s penalties from Coman and got in the head of Aurélien Tchouaméni before he sent it wide left. At the end of the third round of penalties it stood 3-1 Argentina.
Gonzalo Montiel hit the target on the winning penalty as Messi dropped to his knees in what must have been a wave of incredible emotion.
At 35 years old Lionel Messi has now won every major tournament he could have played in spanning the UEFA Champions League, CONMEBOL Copa America, and now the FIFA World Cup.
And with that, the 2022 Qatar World Cup is over. Qatar should rightly continue taking heat for their record on human rights and migrant labor practices, but the product on the pitch was excellent throughout.
The 32 teams that made up this rendition of the World Cup put on a show, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope you did too.
Great summary. The drop off in the Argentine attack after di Maria left was massive. Not only creating 2 goals but Forcing Dembele's substitution. What a game! And brilliant managing: restricting di Maria's minutes so as to maximize them when they would be needed most was another factor that Argentina could not have won without.
As always, thanks for the insight. Getting the house ready for your baby?
Chag Sameach