DOHA, Qatar (AP) - Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties to become world champion for the third time and end Lionel Messi’s pursuit of the one major trophy that had eluded him in his storied career.
One of the most thrilling finals in the tournament’s 92-year history finished 3-3 through extra time, with Messi scoring twice and Kylian Mbappe completing a hat trick.
‘’The match was completely insane,’’ Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said afterwards. ‘’I know it’s just a football game, a World Cup, and we shouldn’t think any further, but in Argentina, football is not just football. We have to celebrate.’’
In the end it was not a bad return for Qatar, which spent an estimated $200 billion on staging soccer’s most prestigious event.
Hundreds of millions more have been paid out to take superstars Messi and Mbappe to Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain.
On a temporary stage in the middle of the field, Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, gave Messi a Qatari ceremonial robe to wear over his Argentina shirt for the traditional World Cup trophy lift.
Messi was beaming with pride as he tenderly kissed the cup of solid gold. But it is arguably the host country that could consider itself the biggest winner after a tournament that appeared to demonstrate the effectiveness of so-called sportswashing.
After widespread criticism about its human rights record and treatment of migrant workers leading up to the event, the focus switched to soccer as the tournament progressed. By Sunday’s final, the narrative was fixed on Messi’s mission to emulate Argentina great Diego Maradona by leading his country to a World Cup title.
The subplot was France’s bid to become the first team to win the trophy back-to-back since Brazil and Pele in 1958 and ‘62.