DOHA (AFP) - Argentina won their third World Cup title in a dramatic penalty shootout on Sunday after fending off a late comeback by defending champions France and handing football legend Lionel Messi the only trophy that still eluded him.
France were bidding to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win the World Cup twice in a row. But formidable opponents standed in their way in the shape of Argentina, a team powered by the genius of Messi, determined to finally win a World Cup in what would likely be his last chance.
In even better style than last time, Les Bleus have sailed through this World Cup with a series of comfortable wins. They boast a formidable array of talent – most notably in the shape of lightning-fast attacking dynamo Kylian Mbappé and dazzling midfield playmaker Antoine Griezmann. They also had arguably the top manager in international football, Didier Deschamps, orchestrating it all.
But Argentina were be very difficult to beat, full of confidence after their thumping of Croatia in the semifinals and driven by Messi, perhaps the greatest footballer of all time.
Kylian Mbappe doesn’t deserve to end on a losing side after becoming just the second player to score three times in a World Cup final, matching the effort of England’s Geoff Hurst in 1966!