Everything You Want/Fear Inoculum/H.: My 4th blog of the year 2023

Well, the latest on the Football World Cup final as the Lionel Messi (The 1st Argentinian captain to lift the Football World Cup trophy since his childhood idol, the late Diego Maradona (One of 3 Argentinian Football World Cup winning captains along with Daniel Passarella & Messi now) as Leo bids farewell in style) led Argentina (Who became the 1st side from South America to win football's most treasured prize since Brazil way back in 2002 but the Football World Cup trophy is heading back to South America for the 1st time in 20 years after the tournament was dominated by European teams from 2006 until 2018) side have done it, winning their 3rd Football World Cup title (And that is the 3rd time that they have won the Football World Cup after previously winning the 1978 & 1986 tournaments but what a turn around to win all 6 games en route to the title after losing the opening game against Saudi Arabia who made history by turning the football world upside down as the Argentinians became the 2nd side to win the tournament after losing the opening match after Spain did in 2010 in which they won their 1st & only Football World Cup crown after beating the Netherlands in the final at Soccer City in Soweto, South Africa, with Andres Iniesta scoring the winning goal during extra time) after comprehensively outplayed the defending champions France (Who had to put their Football World Cup title on the line in which they unsuccessfully did) on penalties, in an epic Football World Cup final (One of the best of all time that I have ever seen on TV for a long time) at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar (And it was literally one of the best finals ever which will go down in history (And it was way better than the previous finals from all over the years) but the goal scorers for Argentina were both Messi (Who had a fairytale ending to his farewell game in his final international as he was awarded best player of the tournament) twice & Angel Di Maria (Who recovered from a serious injury sustained earlier in the tournament) & the goal scorers for France is Kylian Mbappe who did it 3 times in which he became the 1st player to score a hat trick in the final since Geoff Hurst for England in 1966 as well as ending the tournament as the top goal scorer, but it wasn't to be as France (Whose team battled with a virus days before the final) missed out on defending the World Cup but what a magnificent & incredible ending to wrap up the tournament throughout the Argentinian point of view but what a final this has been (And what a way to finish but what a disappointing end for France, what a match for our viewers right around the world (And I wonder the headlines say: ARGENTINA CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD AFTER VICTORY ON PENALTIES or more like: FROGS BEATEN BY INCREDIBLE ARGY BARGIES IN EPIC WC FINAL as well as especially: CAMPEONES DEL MUNDO: MESSI'S BOYS BRING IT HOME) but here is the live updates according to the NZ Herald:

Hello everyone, and welcome to live coverage of the FIFA World Cup final. Only Argentina and France remain, but who will be crowned the world’s best at the Lusail Iconic Stadium? Ready and raring to bring you all the action as it happens! (With over 88,000 fans & a worldwide television audience, we welcome you to Lusail, Qatar! We welcome you to the Lusail Stadium! We welcome you to the greatest football spectacular of all time! We welcome you to the Football World Cup final! We welcome you to this magnificent event! Hello again everybody, & I just don't have a word to describe the atmosphere here)

ARGENTINA TEAM NEWS: Lionel Scaloni makes one change following their 3-0 victory over Croatia in the semi-finals. Experienced winger Angel Di Maria returns to the starting XI, with central midfielder Leandro Paredes dropping to the bench. Lionel Messi will play in a World Cup match for the 26th time in his career. In doing so, he becomes the all-time record holder, overtaking World Cup winner Lothar Matthaus, who has played one fewer.

FRANCE TEAM NEWS: France make two changes following their 2-0 win over Morocco last time out. Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate and Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana make way for Dayot Upamecano and Adrien Rabiot.

Tonight should be special. Will Lionel Messi get his fairytale World Cup farewell in Qatar, or will France become the first team to win back-to-back World Cups since Brazil achieved the feat in 1958 and 1962? It really is too close to call.

Let’s not forget the race for the Golden Boot either! With Messi and French superstar Kylian Mbappe locked on five goals apiece, and Julian Alvarez and Olivier Giroud both one goal further back, there’s no telling who will succeed England captain Harry Kane, who bagged six goals in Russia four years ago.

Having kept Morocco scoreless in the semi-finals, France’s first clean sheet in Qatar could scarcely have come at a better time. But against an Argentina side that has scored two or more goals in all but one of their matches at this year's World Cup, Les Bleus' defensive nous will certainly be put to the test. On the flipside, Lionel Messi and co had it all largely their own way in the final four, outplaying a Croatia side bereft of cutting edge in the final third. Against a team with Mbappe, Giroud and Antoine Griezmann, to name just a few, you’d sense Emiliano Martinez and his back four could have a much busier evening.

It’s time for the talking to stop, and the action to begin - here come the two teams! After the pre-match anthems, it’ll be time for kick-off in Lusail, so stick around for LIVE updates!

1ST MINUTE: KICK-OFF! France get us underway! (And away we go! The Football World Cup is on the line at the Lusail Stadium)

2ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Early pressure from France as they look to close down Argentina inside their own half. The ball is rolled down the left channel for Mac Allister, who feels a shove in the back from Tchouameni, goes to ground on halfway and wins the free-kick for his side.

3RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): CHANCE! Good build-up from Argentina, which all starts after an angled ball in from the left from Di Maria, brought back into the starting XI tonight. It reaches Messi, who finds De Paul on the edge of the box. His clipped ball over the top is dangerous and Alvarez can't get much on his first-time volley on the stretch, but the offside flag was up anyway.

5TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): GOOD SAVE! It's Argentina who are again causing much of the early running! Alvarez's deft lay-off finds Mac Allister, and the Brighton man doesn't even break stride before firing a crisp half-volley straight down the throat of Lloris.

7TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Argentina are giving France absolutely no room to breathe when they're in possession. Alvarez sprints to try and close down Mbappe on halfway, but he's a little overzealous and the free-kick goes the way of Les Bleus.

8TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): CHANCE! A dangerous ball in from the left manages to find De Paul near the corner of the penalty area. He uses the overlapping run of Molina as a decoy and opts to go it alone, but his low shot takes a big deflection and goes behind for a corner.

9TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): H. Lloris

Injury break

Messi's corner isn't the best, and France deal with it well at the near post in the first instance. The follow-up ball into the penalty area is sent looping back into the air, and Romero clatters into Tottenham team-mate Lloris, who wins a free-kick near the corner of the six-yard box. More worryingly, the France goalkeeper has stayed down. Perhaps a little winded more than anything.

11TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): After a couple of minutes receiving treatment, Lloris is now back to his feet and able to continue, A welcome sight for supporters and Didier Deschamps alike.

14TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): Mbappe, who has barely had a kick in these opening 15 minutes, springs to life near the corner of the Argentina box. After a nice bit of acceleration, he plays a pass inside to Rabiot and goes for the return ball, but it's a little heavy and Martinez comes racing off his line to gather on the slide.

16TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Otamendi tries to spray a diagonal ball towards the right flank for Molina. He gives his best to try and keep it in play, but it skips away off the surface and bounces into touch for a France throw-in midway inside their own half.

17TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): GOOD CHANCE! Argentina burst into life in the final third, with four men up in their latest attack. Messi leads the charge before passing right to De Paul. His angled cutback nicks the toe of Messi and runs on for Di Maria, but a combination of an untimely bobble of the ball and it dropping on the Argentina's weaker right foot means the shot goes well over.

19TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Theo produces an excellent one-two and tries to burst away down the France left, but a combination of Romero and Molina sends him tumbling to ground. Free-kick to Les Bleus, right on the edge of the area.

20TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): CLOSE! Griezmann's stands his free-kick up towards the far post where Giroud attacks it rather enthusiastically. Normally so good in the air, he can't keep his effort down on this occasion. The referee had already blown his whistle for a foul against the towering Frenchman, so it wouldn't have counted anyway.

21ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Penalty awarded

PENALTY ARGENTINA! No doubts about that one! From a standing start near the byline, Di Maria manages to jink away from Dembele, who panics and gives his man a shove from behind. It looked clumsy on first viewing, and the referee agrees by pointing straight to the spot. (There's the penalty! Dembele has brought Di Maria down illegally inside the penalty area where he got it all wrong!)

23RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): 1 - 0 L. Messi

Penalty

IT JUST HAD TO BE! Lionel Messi keeps his cool from the penalty spot, nonchalantly jogging up to the penalty spot before sending Lloris the wrong way and finding the bottom right corner. The Lusail Iconic Stadium erupts! (From out of nowhere! Messi Strikes! And Argentina take the lead in the World Cup final!)

25TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Mbappe tries to make something happen for his side. The PSG forward looks to find the beating of two men before playing a pass inside, but he and his team-mates aren't on the same wave length and Argentina manage to recover.

26TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): France do well to win the ball back high up the pitch. Griezmann drills a pass inside before Giroud is fouled in a central area, 30 yards or so from goal. Can they hit straight back?

28TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Theo

Injury break

L. Messi

Injury break

Griezmann's set-piece is dealt with well enough, and a forceful 50/50 challenge in the air between Theo and Messi forces the referee to stop play moments later. Thankfully both players are only down for a few moments before being helped to their feet. You could feel a collective drawing of breath from a nation when Messi went down.

30TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Straight back into the action, Messi wins a corner which is whipped towards the near post. It's a crowded six-yard box, but Giroud does enough to head clear under pressure from Mac Allister and others.

31ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Good play from right to left as Argentina spread the play nicely in the direction of Di Maria. He's been one of the best players on the pitch so far, but his early cross is a little wayward this time around.

32ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): CHANCE! Audacious from Tagliafico! The Argentine left-back collects a return pass near the corner of the French area before going for glory himself. High, wide and not very handsome springs to mind!

34TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): A settling period of possession for Argentina. Confident on the ball as they stroke it around the middle third, they're really on top at the moment. Worryingly, France don't seem to have many answers, based on the way this game is unfolding.

36TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): 2 - 0 A. Di Maria

Assist: A. Mac Allister

ARGENTINA HAVE ANOTHER! The man who won the penalty for the opening goal has now scored one of his own! It's such a beautiful team goal as Messi's sublime flick on halfway sets his side in motion. Mac Allister is quickly played in-behind the retreating French defence by Alvarez, and the Brighton man has the awareness and vision to slide a ball across the face of the penalty area. In rushes Angel Di Maria, who hits a low shot back across the face of Lloris and finds the far corner. It's no more than their efforts have deserved! (Di Maria...Goal! Goal scored by Angel Di Maria!).

38TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Signs of frustration as Kounde clatters into Mac Allister and concedes the foul. France look totally shell-shocked.

40TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): A long ball is floated forward in the direction of Giroud, but he's beaten all ends up in the air by Romero. France just cannot make it stick in the final third.

41ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): M. Thuram on

O. Giroud off

O. Dembele off

R. Kolo Muani on

Well then... Didier Deschamps has seen enough, and he's called for some first half reinforcements! Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele make way for Marcus Thuram and Randal Kolo Muani.

44TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): Since those changes, France have had much more of the ball, without making a great deal happen. Argentina are pressing well, but more crucially, they're doing it as a collective. For now, it looks like Mbappe is operating as the central striker, with Thuram and Kolo Muani further wide.

45TH MINUTE + 1ST MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): France will have SEVEN more minutes to try and find a response before half-time, as signalled by the fourth official. In the meantime, Di Maria goes to ground chasing a long ball down the left touchline and appeals for a free-kick, but the referee waves his protests away.

45TH MINUTE + 2ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Theo and De Paul challenge for a loose ball, and it sends the Argentine midfielder sprawling to ground on the near side. A free-kick is awarded, the France left-back isn't best pleased and very nearly talks his way into a booking. For now though, the referee is keeping his cards in his pocket.

45TH MINUTE + 4TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Upamecano finds Thuram down the France left, but he's quickly closed down by two or three Argentine defenders. There looked to have been a foul in there against the first half substitute, but the referee signals for a throw-in instead.

45TH MINUTE + 7TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): E. Fernandez; Yellow card

Moments after showing great tenacity to close his man down inside the France half, Fernandez is beaten for pace by Kolo Muani and is forced to cynically bring him down. Out comes the first yellow card of this World Cup final.

Half-Time: 2 - 0

So far, so perfect for Argentina! Beaten finalists in 2014, they've taken an almighty leap towards achieving World Cup glory. They lead defending champions France 2-0 at the break, with goals from Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria midway through the first half (And remember folks, bear in mind that the Football World Cup title is at stake).

If this is to be Lionel Messi's World Cup swansong, then what a way to bow out it would be! Argentina's talisman for so long, it was he who gave them the lead from the penalty spot on 23 minutes after the lively Angel Di Maria was brought down clumsily by Ousmane Dembele. Soon after, their advantage was doubled as a sweeping team move was finished off beautifully by Di Maria. There was talk of a virus sweeping through the France camp in the lead-up to this game, and it's fair to say they've lacked energy and endeavour and been second best in virtually every department. With two changes made already and a mountain to climb, Didier Deschamps has plenty to ponder inside those changing rooms.

Don't go anywhere. We'll be right back for LIVE second half updates when the two sets of players return.

46TH MINUTE: KICK-OFF! Argentina get us back underway in Lusail, with no changes to report at half-time (2nd half underway).

47TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): CHANCE! Almost a lightning start to the second half for Argentina, who have picked up exactly where they left off! From a standing start, Fernandez clips a ball into the middle of the penalty area. Mac Allister makes the run beyond the back four but can't get a foot to the ball ahead of the onrushing Lloris. Excellent goalkeeping to sniff out the danger and deal with it too.

48TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Another floated ball forward from France, but Romero deals with it easily in the air ahead of Thuram. A few moments later, the ball ends up in the gloves of Martinez, who has barely been given a thing to do so far.

50TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): CHANCE! Argentina at their very best! Again the ball is played neatly towards the left flank, and again it's Messi at the heart of everything good about their play. Di Maria's eventual cross is deep and in the direction of De Paul, who watches the flight of it before hitting a first-time volley into the ground and straight at Lloris.

51ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): A rare mistake at the back from Otamendi has Mbappe interested, and the French forward shows real tenacity and manages to win a corner for his side near the byline.

52ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Griezmann's inswinging delivery is plucked out of the skies by Martinez, and is greeted by another almighty roar!

53RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Is it a shot, is it a cross? Either way, it's cheeky from Messi as his right-wing corner needs dealing with. Thankfully for France, Griezmann is perfectly stationed inside the six-yard box to get rid of the danger.

55TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): A. Rabiot; Yellow card

L. Messi

Injury break

Caught a little out of position on the far side, Rabiot resorts to scything down De Paul and collects a yellow card for his troubles. It seems to have left the Argentine midfielder in some discomfort too.

57TH MINUTE (2 MINUTE LATER): Now it's the turn of Tagliafico to concede a rather cynical foul after being caught out by the bounce of the ball near halfway. Perhaps the left-back is lucky to have avoided further action.

59TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): GOOD SAVE! Excellent movement, excellent ball as Alvarez is played in-behind the two French centre-backs by a lovely slide-draw pass. The angle is against the Manchester City forward, but he still does enough to force a smart save out of Lloris at his near post.

60TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): GOOD CHANCE! Tremendous once more from Di Maria. He gives Kounde the runaround down the left-hand side of the penalty area, twisting inside and out before playing a searching low ball into the area. It runs on through for Messi, who prepares to pull the trigger but ends up being thwarted by an excellent challenge from Rabiot. Fine last-ditch defending!

63RD MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): PENALTY APPEAL! That would've wrapped things up! Another lightning attack from Argentina as they go from back to front in a flash. Messi's angled pass finds Alvarez, who quickly tries to play it inside for Mac Allister. The Brighton man is nudged off the ball inside the area and appeals for a penalty, but it's waved away emphatically by the referee.

64TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): A. Di Maria off

M. Acuna on

A first change of the evening for Argentina. Angel Di Maria bids farewell to the final, with Marcos Acuna on in his place.

66TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): CHANCE! Now it's France who look to mount a comeback of sorts. It's an absolutely incredible ball in from Griezmann, beating the Argentine defence but just escaping Thuram in the centre. A goal there would've really made things interesting!

68TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): CHANCE! France win a corner which is lifted towards the near post by Griezmann. Kolo Muani rises highest on the edge of the six-yard box but the ball ends up striking his shoulder and bouncing harmlessly wide.

69TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Mbappe works the ball wide towards the left flank for Theo. But his low cross is pretty poor and Romero deals with it easily inside his own penalty area.

71ST MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): CHANCE! Alas, an effort on goal for France! It's Mbappe who dances inside from the left flank, beating a couple of Argentine defenders before blasting just over from outside the area. That shot had some power behind it!

Theo off

E. Camavinga on

A. Griezmann off

K. Coman on

Here come the latest changes for France. Off go Theo Hernandez and Antoine Griezmann, to be replaced by Eduardo Camavinga and Kingsley Coman.

74TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): C. Romero

Injury break

Tchouameni gets himself stuck in again, but this time he goes clattering into Romero and leaves the Argentine defender stricken on the deck.

75TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): After a few moments on the floor, Romero is back on his feet and able to continue. It'll eat a few more seconds off the clock, if nothing else.

77TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Camavinga leaves a slightly late one on De Paul inside the France half, and the referee decides to stop play when Messi had seemingly shown his man a clean pair of heels down the Argentina right. Perhaps he could've let the play continue there.

79TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Penalty awarded

A CHANCE TO RESPOND! Out of absolutely nowhere, Mbappe stabs a ball forward over the top of Otamendi. Kolo Muani gets the wrong side of his man, draws contact from Otamendi and throws himself to ground. The referee buys it and points straight to the spot (Oh penalty! Penalty! Can you believe it!).

80TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): 2 - 1 K. Mbappe

Penalty

HOPE FOR FRANCE! Martinez guesses the right way and gets fingers to Kylian Mbappe's penalty, but the France forward just about manages to find the bottom left corner. Game on at the Lusail Iconic Stadium! (And France are on the board! They're finally on the board! And Kylian Mbappe this time, makes no mistake!)

81ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): 2 - 2 K. Mbappe

Assist: M. Thuram

REMARKABLE! MBAPPE DOES IT AGAIN! Moments ago, France were on the brink of being beaten World Cup finalists - now they're level once again! It's so poor defensively from Argentina, but full credit for the finish! Kylian Mbappe, in a matter of seconds, has turned the game on its head. He collects a neat lay-off from Thuram and hits a stunning low finish across the face of Martinez from inside the area. The French bench are on their feet and straight across to their star man! They can't believe it, neither can I. What a turnaround! (Kylian Mbappe...brilliant! He's done it again! Mbappe has scored again!)

84TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): CHANCE! Truly incredible scenes in Lusail. In the blink of an eye, Argentina have gone from being in cruise control to hanging on for dear life. Mbappe races away down the left channel after collecting possession from Thuram. His deep cross has Kolo Muani interested, but he can't meet it in the air. Inches from another for France!

86TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Tempers are fraying now. Otamendi, caught too tight up against Kolo Muani, is penalised for fouling his man. The France bench didn't like it, but there wasn't too much in the challenge, it must be said.

87TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): M. Thuram; Yellow card

Excellent refereeing. Thuram tries to buy his side a penalty inside a congested box. He throws himself to ground under very little contact, but the referee books him for simulation.

88TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): A. Rabiot

Injury break

A nasty clash of heads between Rabiot and Alvarez, and it looks like the French midfielder has come off second best. Straight away, the referee stops play and allows medical attention to arrive.

89TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): After a quick on-field assessment, Rabiot seems okay to continue, so on we go.

90TH MINUTE + 1ST MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): EIGHT added minutes are signalled by the fourth official. France look quicker, hungrier, more energetic as Mbappe is flagged for receiving possession after coming back from an offside position.

90TH MINUTE + 2ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Now Thuram is fouled by Molina and France are awarded a free-kick is a dangerous crossing position down the left. There's plenty of time left for a winner...

90TH MINUTE + 3RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Mbappe stands over the free-kick, but his delivery lacks height and Argentina are able to clear their lines.

90TH MINUTE + 4TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): BLOCKED! Mbappe single-handedly tries to take the game to Argentina, weaving past two defenders and reaching the edge of the area before hitting a firm shot which strikes an outstretched leg and loops behind for a France corner.

90TH MINUTE + 5TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): O. Giroud; Yellow card

Now Giroud, who hasn't even been on the pitch in the second half, is booked for encroaching onto the playing surface.

90TH MINUTE + 7TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): GREAT SAVE! That would've been that! With tired legs across the pitch, Messi collects the ball near the edge of the France box. A neat shimmy inside, but his swirling shot is a little too close for Lloris, who makes an acrobatic save to turn the ball behind.

90TH MINUTE + 8TH MINUTE: M. Acuna; Yellow card

The corner is dealt with and France try to counter, but Acuna commits a tactical foul and receives a booking.

End of Normal-Time: 2 - 2

Absolutely breathless! A pulsating World Cup final it has been, and there's no separating the two teams at the end of regular time. Extra time will be required in Lusail (And we are heading, to extra time in the final, 2 all after 90 minutes).

With 15 minutes remaining, who saw this coming? No-one apart from Kylian Mbappe, it seems. Argentina looked on their way to World Cup glory, but France's star man stepped up to the plate when it mattered, scoring a remarkable double in less than 60 seconds. Now we'll go the distance to decide who'll be crowned champions of the world. How are the nerves?

91ST MINUTE: N. Molina off

G. Montiel on

KICK-OFF! Right then, here we go again! Argentina have just made a change at right-back, with Gonzalo Montiel sent on to replace Nahuel Molina.

93RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): CHANCE! Wonderful work from Fernandez to float a pass wide left towards Acuna. He knocks the ball out of his feet before delivering a wicked cross which France just about manage to deal with. The ball does still drop the way of an Argentine body on the edge of the box, but the resultant shot is well wide.

94TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): It very much looks like a front four now for France! Kolo Muani does well to dispossess his man and try to make something happen in the final third, only to find Fernandez blocking his path.

96TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): A. Rabiot off

Y. Fofana on

A change in midfield for France. Adrien Rabiot is replaced by Youssouf Fofana, who started their semi-final win over Morocco in midweek.

98TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Acuna is the man Argentina look for as they look to use width to their advantage once more. He tries to find the head of team-mate Alvarez in the middle but can't quite pick him out as France survive.

100TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Fofana battles hard for possession down the France left and wins a foul under the attention of Montiel. Coman is tasked with sending in the resultant set-piece and it's headed away in the middle.

102ND MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): R. De Paul off

L. Paredes on

J. Alvarez off

Lautaro Martinez on

A double switch from Argentina, who are looking a bit leggy as we approach the midway point of extra time. Leandro Paredes and Lautaro Martinez are called upon to replace Rodrigo De Paul and Julian Alvarez.

104TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): A lovely forward ball through the lines from the newly-introduced Paredes picks out Acuna near the inside corner of the France penalty area. Rather than waiting for more support to arrive, he opts to go it alone and ends up firing a long way over the crossbar.

105TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): GREAT CHANCE! A stunning block from Upamecano to deny Argentina a third! In a flash, Messi collects possession and finds Martinez in space inside the area. He takes a touch to compose himself, but the resultant shot is well blocked by the France centre-back. On the follow-up, Montiel hits a superb half-volley which is headed behind for a corner.

105TH MINUTE + 1ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): GREAT CHANCE! There's the moment for Martinez! Found in-behind the French defence, he opts against lifting a shot over the onrushing Lloris and instead stabs wide of the near post under real pressure.

Extra-Time, Half-Time: 2 - 2

Still the two sides are locked at two goals apiece. We're now just 15 minutes away from a World Cup final penalty shootout!

106TH MINUTE: KICK-OFF! The final 15 minutes begin!

107TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Lloris is forced to rush off his line as Montiel attempts to latch onto a floated ball over the top. The France goalkeeper slides in and fumbles initially, but the ball skips away harmlessly into touch on the far side.

108TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): 3 - 2 L. Messi

Goal

INCREDIBLE SCENES! A SECOND FOR MESSI! Beautiful link-up play between Martinez and Messi initially, with the latter sliding in his fellow countryman down the right-hand side of the penalty area. Martinez fires across the face of goal and forces a smart save from Lloris initially, but the loose ball drops at the feet of Lionel Messi who stabs home from close range on the rebound. Kounde tries his best to keep it out on the line, but the referee signals that it's in! Is that the goal which seals the World Cup for Argentina? There's a quick VAR check for offside, but the goal will stand! (Is it a goal? Was he offside? He's given the goal! The referee awards the goal to Argentina! The crowd here, are on their feet! A confident goal goes in the way of Argentina! That's 2 for Messi!)

111TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): Very few bodies back now for France, who now have less than 10 minutes to find yet another equaliser! Suddenly, it's Argentina with a spring in their step again!

113TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): R. Varane off

I. Konate on

After going down near the corner flag, Raphael Varane's race is run. He's quickly replaced by Ibrahima Konate.

114TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER):  L. Paredes; Yellow card

A truly, truly awful challenge from Paredes to chop down Camavinga near halfway. France are incensed, but it's only worth of a yellow card in the eyes of the referee. Probably the correct call.

116TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): A. Mac Allister off

G. Pezzella on

Penalty awarded

REMARKABLE! PENALTY TO FRANCE! From a half-cleared set-piece, the ball falls for Mbappe on the edge of the box. He takes aim, the effort strikes the outstretched arm of Montiel and the referee points to the spot again! The Argentine right-back is booked for good measure. It's all happening! (And this'll be a penalty! It is going to be a penalty!)

118TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): 3 - 3 K. Mbappe

Penalty

HAT-TRICK FOR KYLIAN MBAPPE! He holds his nerve for the second time tonight from 12 yards out! Martinez is sent the wrong way as the penalty nestles in the bottom left corner. We're level... again! (It's a goal! Kylian Mbappe's got it! And that's a hat-trick!)

120TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): A final chance for Argentina, perhaps? Messi delivers a corner from the left and France somehow scramble it away. Are we destined for penalties?

120TH MINUTE + 1ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): J. Kounde off

A. Disasi on

N. Tagliafico off

P. Dybala on

A change for both teams as we enter THREE additional minutes. For France, Axel Disasi replaces Jules Kounde. Then with penalties in mind, Paulo Dybala replaces Nicolas Tagliafico for Argentina.

120TH MINUTE + 3RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): CHANCE! Martinez thinks he's away and clear. He bears down on goal but can't lift his shot beyond a combination of keeper and defender. The offside flag is raised in any case. Breathless stuff!

120TH MINUTE + 4TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): CHANCE AT BOTH ENDS! Both teams have a glorious opportunity to win it at the death! First, Kolo Muani is denied by a top-class Martinez stop inside the area, before Martinez frees himself in the centre of the French box moments later before heading just wide. What a final this has been!

Extra-Time, Full-Time: 3 - 3

END OF EXTRA TIME! One of, if not the best World Cup final in living memory comes to a close! Argentina and Lionel Messi thought they'd won it, but Kylian Mbappe's 118th minute penalty means we're going the distance in Lusail! That leveller also means Mbappe is the first player to score a World Cup final hat-trick since Sir Geoff Hurst netted three for England way back in 1966! (And it's all or nothing here, it's Messi Vs Mbappe, Scaloni Vs Deschamps, Argentina Vs France!).

Such drama... here come the penalties! France up first.

0 - 1 K. Mbappe

Penalty

Flawless from Mbappe! He nets his third penalty of the night, finding the bottom left corner. Martinez guessed correctly but can't keep it out.

1 - 1 L. Messi

Penalty

A slow, stuttering run-up from Messi, who waits for Lloris to commit before calmly rolling it the other way.

K. Coman

Missed penalty

SAVED! A stunning stop from Martinez as he dives to his right again and keeps out Coman's penalty. Perfect height for the keeper!

2 - 1 P. Dybala

Penalty

Dybala... and it's straight down the middle! Lloris dives left and can only watch it ripple the back of the net.

E. Martinez; Yellow card

Some mind games from Martinez, including throwing the ball away. The referee shows him a yellow card!

A. Tchouameni

Missed penalty

MISSED! The mind games work as Tchouameni drags his penalty wide of the left-hand post! Martinez guessed the right way for good measure!

3 - 1 L. Paredes

Penalty

ADVANTAGE ARGENTINA! Despite a little slip, Paredes has enough power behind his strike to find the bottom corner. France need to score now!

3 - 2 R. Kolo Muani

Penalty

Kolo Muani blasts his penalty down the middle! Now it's Argentina's chance to win the World Cup! (It's gonna be on Gonzalo Montiel, it's gonna be on Gonzalo Montiel...Buckle up ladies & gentlemen, this, to win the World Cup for Argentina)

4 - 2 G. Montiel

Penalty

FLAWLESS! Pressure? What pressure! Montiel finds the bottom corner and the World Cup goes the way of Argentina! WHAT. A. FINAL (He's got it! And Gonzalo Montiel wins the World Cup for Argentina! Oh my goodness!)

Full-Time: 3 (4) - 3 (2)

ARGENTINA HAVE WON THE FIFA WORLD CUP! (And in your life, have you ever seen anything like it! From the depths of despair, to World Cup winners! Argentina, are the champions! (36 years of heartbreak & disappointment! The Argentinian fans, they've won, the Football World Cup title!)

Where to even begin! Argentina held their nerve when it counted, with a 100% record on penalties helping them down France. A fine save from Emi Martinez to deny Kingsley Coman, plus a miss from Aurelien Tchouameni, ultimately prove to be France's undoing at the Lusail Iconic Stadium. The crowd has erupted! Lionel Messi has the World Cup he has craved for so long. There's not a dry eye in the house! (Absolute ecstasy for Argentina! Agony, agony for France! (Montiel finishes off in style! Argentina lift the World Cup, after 36 years!)

There's a sense of disbelief inside the ground! What have we just seen? In many eyes, probably the best World Cup final of this generation. Both teams gave it their all for 120 minutes, plus a vast amount of stoppage time. In the end, it needed penalties to decide the winner! (Argentina, are World Cup winners in 2022! (Gonzalo Montiel! Gonzalo Montiel! Remember the name! History for Argentina!)

This was Lionel Messi's stage. Twice he thought he'd scored the goal which would seal World Cup glory. But in the end, it was the heroics of Kylian Mbappe which put those celebrations on hold. That delay proved to be inconsequential, with Messi embraced by team-mates and coaching staff alike at the end of the shootout. If that is his farewell to the international stage, what a way to sign off! A national hero, a footballing icon across the globe, and now a World Cup winner! (What a player, what a World Cup he's having. And that surely, is the stairway to football heaven. Absolutely amazing (Has there ever been a finish to a World Cup final quite like this!)

That's all we've got time for, but many thanks for joining me for all the action. And thank you for tuning in throughout the FIFA World Cup, for every kick of the ball and moment of drama that has unfolded over the last month. It's all over in Qatar, and Argentina are crowned world champions for a third time! Until the next time, saying goodbye (That's it! That's all she wrote! See you in 4 years. As the next tournament is held in 2026 in 3 different countries such as the USA, Canada & Mexico. What a night out at the Lusail Stadium (Farewell Leo!).

And what do I think of that memorable final? It was fantastic, absolutely incredible out there but well done from Argentina eh? But I have to give credit to the Argentinians (Whose 4 year plans of Football World Cup glory last year began, after a Round of 16 loss against the eventual champions France in the 2018 tournament when they just needed to get in shape in order to get on top when they worked harder than ever before) of winning football's ultimate prize, the Football World Cup by setting the tournament alight for themselves after their victory against the defending world champions at the time of France (They had the right picture 5 years ago in which they triumphed against Croatia in the final in Moscow, Russia but 4 & a half years later, they now have had the wrong picture in which they missed out on retaining the Football World Cup against an excellent Argentinian side but they'll be so gutted that they lost) in one of the best football matches by far that I've watched for a long time (Compared to their opening Football World Cup match against Saudi Arabia at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail in which they led until the Saudis came from behind to snatch a win in a shock result before winning 6 straight against both Mexico & Poland in the group stages, Australia in the round of 16, the Netherlands in the quarterfinals which was decided on spot kicks where the Argentinians won, Croatia in the semis & France in the final on penalties en route to the title) & and how appropriate to one of the Argentinian players who is the skipper of Lionel Messi (Who provided both the Max Verstappen, Roman Reigns, Will Power & Shane van Gisbergen moment as Verstappen overtook the 7 time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton for the win during the final lap of the race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit located at Yas Island in the UAE dubbed as Hamilton Vs Verstappen: Winner Takes All (Or more appropriately, Lewis Vs Max: Decider in the Desert), to win the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship title (And Red Bull have only recieved a fine worth $7 million because they were above the allocated cost cap when Max Verstappen won his maiden world championship last year & they were about to lose their upgrades that they had when they had to cheat their way to glory going into this years season) as well as Reigns (The man who dominated the WWE since 2020 in which he became the new WWE Universal champion at Payback against both 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt & 'The Monster' Braun Strowman in a triple threat match which was a title match, & he has never lost a title match since) who played a pivotal role when he defeated his key rival Brock Lesnar in a title unification match dubbed as Lesnar Vs Reigns: Winner Takes All (Or also more appropiately Brock Vs Roman: Decider in the Lone Star State) at Wrestlemania 38 earlier in the year at Arlington, Texas in the United States when he hit his trademark finishing move, the Spear on him to become the new undisputed WWE Universal Championship in which the entire WWE community were shocked about the result as well as Will Power winning his 2nd Indycar Series championship at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca in which he dominated in qualifying when his rivals like Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden & Power's Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin could not beat Power's pole winning time) although the race went to Spain's Alex Palou (The 2021 champ) & of course, our own Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen (Who is the Max Verstappen of the Supercars Championship not only he's good mates with the twice current F1 world champion as well as also being half Kiwi, half Dutch & he is in fact a modern day iteration of 4 time Bathurst 1000 winner Greg Murphy as I mentioned in my previous blogs) for completing the rare double for the 1st time since SVG's team boss at Triple Eight Race Engineering of Jamie Whincup (Who took over from Roland Dane since 2021 & the last Aussie to win the Supercars Championship in 2017 where he won his record 7th after previously winning it in 2008-09 & 2012-14 before McLaughlin (Who is in fact the Scott Dixon of the Supercars Championship before his high profile move to Indycar in 2020 with Team Penske) took over 3 years in a row) did that in 2012 when van Gisbergen won both the Bathurst 1000 (His 2nd to add to emulate his success in the great race in 2020) with Garth Tander after shrugging off both penalties (One for a collision on Macauley Jones during qualifying as a result of a grid drop in which the pair started 7th on the grid for the race & one for an unsafe release at a pit stop during the race as I also mentioned in my previous blogs) & the Supercars Championship (His 3rd along with the likes of both Australians of the late Peter Brock, Craig Lowndes & fellow New Zealander of Scotty Mac to go with his titles that he won in both 2016 & 2021 when he clinched the title at the former Indycar/CART/Champ Car venue of Surfers Paradise at the Gold Coast in race 32) last year), who bids farewell to international football as he plays his final ever World Cup game & finishes off in style throughout his decorated Football World Cup career (And he ends the tournament as the best player of the World Cup while his Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe ends on top of the goal scoring charts at the tournament with 8 while best goalkeeper of the 2022 World Cup went to Emiliano Martinez (One of Leo's teammates who coincidentally became the world's best goalie) for his heroics in penalty shootouts that he was involved with & the best youth (Under-23) player goes to Enzo Fernandez (Who joins both Germans of Lukas Podolski & Thomas Muller & both Frenchmen of Paul Pogba (Who didn't play this years tournament with a serious injury but France could've successfully defended the World Cup should Pogba had not been injured along with 2 others such as N'Golo Kante & Karim Benzema (Whose hopes of playing in the tournament had been shattered by injury before the start of the Football World Cup in which he was heartbroken but he now calls time on his international football career according to the news most recently) & Mbappe) but Gonzalo Montiel's winning goal in the penalty shootout (It was reminiscent of Fabio Grosso & that match winning penalty shootout goal that won them the World Cup for Italy (That was the last time that the Italians won the World Cup to add to their titles in 1934, 1938 & 1982) in 2006 against France (Who made their 2nd of 4 appearances in the World Cup final) on penalties at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany) proved to be the game winner that Argentina successfully won the Football World Cup that followed up to their success in 1986 to add to their titles won in 1978, not only because it was shades of Jorge Burruchaga & that match winning goal in 1986 which helped Argentina win the Football World Cup for the 2nd time to add to their triumph the 1st time they've won it in 1978, & the 2nd of their 3 Football World Cups, but I wonder what the future of football in Argentina would look like? Especially after their success in the World Cup is to make the game grow so much nowadays in terms of their popularity which drew interest to the sport by marking the revival of Argentinian football after 36 years of get rich & die trying (And I told Pops that the Argentinian football team winning the Football World Cup last year was better than the Argentinian rugby team beating the All Blacks in Christchurch during the Rugby Championship test also last year but the Argentinians will certainly be partying hard like it's both 1978 & 1986 after their World Cup success last year behind them & they have exactly dedicated their Football World Cup win to the late Diego Maradona who passed away 3 years ago by paying tribute to him).

So that is my 480th blog of the year 2023 (MMXXIII) & my 4th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Hot Dog/Who Do You Trust?: My 3rd blog of the year 2023

Well, the latest on the World Cup this time in the quarterfinal stages such as Croatia coming out of nowhere to down tournament favourites Brazil (Who put them in front during extra time with a goal scored by Neymar then Croatia levelled things up, forcing them to go on penalties in which the Brazilians were defeated, but Neymar's dream of becoming a Football World Cup winning player for Brazil, has ended with both Argentina's Lionel Messi & Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (Both are in their last ever Football World Cup tournament outings while 4 young different footballers such as the Spanish pair of Ansu Fati & Pedri, England's Jude Bellingham & Germany's Jamal Musiala are trying to succeed both Portugal's Ronaldo & Argentina's Messi as both of these veterans are at the twilight of their careers) are the ones remaining for a shot of Football World Cup glory) on penalties to reach another semifinal appearance for the Croatians (And that's the 4th time that they won on penalties (The 1st was against Denmark in the round of 16 in 2018 followed by the previous hosts of the tournament Russia in the quarterfinals then Japan this year in the round of 16 & now they've done it again against the Brazilians in the quarters to set up a semifinal date with Argentina) followed by Leo Messi & Argentina (Whom I am picking them to win the World Cup after Brazil lost to the Croatians because they've now taken over as the tournament favourites & they're now the top ranked side in the world not only because they're ranked higher than the rest) keep their hopes of winning the Football World Cup alive after their victory against the Netherlands (Who thought they were out of it when they trailed both goals against the Argentinians as they scored 2 unanswered goals including that one sneaky little move that they scored an equalizer by one of the Dutch players of Wout Weghorst when they managed to get past the Argentinian defence from a free kick therefore the scores were in fact level by forcing them to go into extra time & on penalties in which the Dutch lost) on spot kicks but there's been an update as Morocco (Who became the 1st ever African nation to go through to the semifinals of the Football World Cup when they made history) continue their fairytale World Cup cinderella run with an unlikely shocking upset win against the heavily favoured Portugal led by its mercurial captain for the last time of Cristiano Ronaldo (Who is set to call time on his international football career & join the likes of Neymar to miss out on winning football's most treasured prize meaning that Lionel Messi of Argentina is the only one left with a chance of achieving the boyhood dream of becoming a World Cup winner along with 25 others in the squad) then the world champions France (Who had their star talisman Kylian Mbappe declared fit for the all important clash despite complaints about his injury that he picked up prior to the tournament) stun England (Who tied things up with a penalty scored by English skipper Harry Kane before they awarded another penalty when France was in front once more but Kane missed therefore football isn't coming home as they fell agonizingly short against the current World Cup holders who progressed to take on Morocco in the semi in Al Khor (And what a disappointing end for England, what a match for our viewers right around the world), but I wonder the headlines would say: ENGLAND CRASH OUT OF THE WORLD CUP, or more like ALLEZ LES BLEUS, FRANCE PROGRESS INTO SEMIS) in the last quarterfinal game of the 2022 World Cup.

And here are the confirmed matches being played in the semifinal stage (AKA the final four) in this years Football World Cup tournament:

Argentina Vs Croatia* (Their most recent meeting at a Football World Cup between both sides was in 2018 where the Croatians produced a bit of magic where they had to win during the group stages)

& France Vs Morocco (Well, both sides have never met at a major tournament before like the World Cup but the last meeting between the two was a friendly way back in 2007 where the match had ended in a draw)

*: Key match-ups

And the latest on the semifinals on the Football World Cup such as the Lionel Messi (I mean how good was he? When he made a huge impact where he was being awarded player of the game honors for his best World Cup game that he played in years in which he scored a penalty then created a goal of Julian Alvarez who had a great game as he scored twice in the semi but Messi (Who appears in just his 2nd Football World Cup final (His 1st since 2014 in which he appeared his 1st ever World Cup final for Argentina, in which they missed out against Germany for football's ultimate prize) compared to Mbappe who is in his 2nd straight final that he is involved in along with 4 other survivors from 2018 of captain Hugo Lloris (A current Spurs player), Raphael Varane (Ex-Real Madrid player who now plys his trade at Manchester United), Antoine Griezmann (Who used to be my favourite footballer) & Olivier Giroud (A former Arsenal & Chelsea player who is now playing for an Italian club of AC Milan) is the joint top goal scorer of the tournament along with his Paris Saint-Germain teammate, Kylian Mbappe of France with 5 (Both are ahead of their nearest goal scorer with 4 of Olivier Giroud (One of Mbappe's teammates in international level) led Argentina who hammer past Croatia led by Luka Modric by 3 goals to progress into their 1st final since 2014 when they infamously lost against Germany at extra time with Mario Goetze providing the heroics when he scored that goal that I remember now set up by Andre Schurrle, but they haven't won the tournament in 36 years way back in 1986 where the late Diego Maradona (Who passed away along with the famous British actor of Sean Connery 3 years ago in 2020 during a year affected by the corona virus pandemic) had lifted the trophy aloft for the Argentinians & they are now 1 win away from claiming football's most treasured prize but there's been an update as the Didier Deschamps coached France led by its star talisman Kylian Mbappe cruise into the final in a bid to defend the Football World Cup for the 1st time since 1962 in which Brazil last did it & to become the 1st defending champion to reach back to back World Cup finals since the Brazilians in 1998 in which they had an unsuccessful defence of the Football World Cup against the host nation of the time of the French after their victory against Morocco led by its star talisman & one of Kylian Mbappe's club teammates of Achraf Hakimi whose fairytale run in the tournament, has ended in another epic semi final game for the ages in which Antoine Griezmann was the standout peformer of the game (But I thought it went to Kylian Mbappe for his efforts during the semi).

So it's Argentina (Who is France's main challengers in the 2022 Football World Cup (1st it was Brazil in 1998 followed by Italy in 2006 then Croatia at the previous tournament in 2018) to play the defending champions France in the 2022 Football World Cup final (Their last meeting between the 2 sides at a Football World Cup was in 2018 in which the French won the match by the barest of margins in the Round of 16 at the Kazan Arena in Kazan, Russia for their 1st win against the Argentinians at a Football World Cup after the Argy Bargies won both encounters in 1930 & 1978, in one of the greatest but classic Football World Cup contests of all time including that incredible goal of the tournament that I literally remember now scored by Benjamin Pavard off a volley of Theo's brother Lucas Hernandez (4 years after Colombia's James Rodriguez scored a stunning strike which was later named goal of the tournament against Uruguay (Who were without Luis Suarez as a result of a suspension for biting Giorgio Chellini in the chest during their win against Italy in the last group game) in the round of 16 in 2014) before Brazil's Richarlison took over when he scored a magnificent goal against Serbia in which was named the 2022 Football World Cup goal of the tournament) at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar on Sunday local time which is early Monday morning New Zealand time, a week out until Christmas (Well, both teams would want an early Christmas present which is the Football World Cup trophy but it's Lionel Messi's last game of his illustrious & decorated career in international football as he is seeking to complete his career resume after 1 Olympic gold medal with the Argentina under-23s in Beijing 2008 & a single Copa America title last year in Brazil & I once told Pops that there is going to be an Argentina-France final, but it's happening as dreams are about to become reality that there will be a dream final between both nations just like the Blues & the Crusaders fought out in the final for the right to become champions of Super Rugby Pacific this year at Eden Park in Auckland, in which the Crusaders dominated the final as the Blues missed out not only because they were disappointed & gutted about the result but it was supposed to be the Blues year & they didn't when they missed out on that occasion, & of course the Black Ferns successfully retained the Women's Rugby World Cup against England in a hard fought final in front of a sold out but packed Eden Park in Auckland) to decide who will become champion of the world (Well, who is it going to be? Whether it's the Argentinians to party like it's both 1978 & 1986 (Vamanos Argentina) or will the French who'll defend their title just like both Italy did in 1938 & Brazil in 1962 (Allez les Bleus), but will it be Argentina skipper Lionel Messi (It was Daniel Passarella who did it in 1978 against the Netherlands in the final then Messi's childhood idol, the late great Diego Maradona in 1986 against West Germany in the final) or France captain Hugo Lloris (Who is seeking to become the 1st skipper to lift the Football World Cup trophy twice just like Richie McCaw did at both the 2011 & 2015 Rugby World Cups for the All Blacks of New Zealand & Ricky Ponting at both the 2003 & 2007 Men's 50 over Cricket World Cups respectively in which he lead Australia to Cricket World Cup glory) to become the Football World Cup winning captain to lift the Football World Cup trophy?.

So that is my 479th blog of the year 2023 (MMXXIII) & my 3rd of this year, viva Ukraine.

There's No Other Way/A Sky Full Of Stars: My 2nd blog of the year 2023

Well, here is the latest on the Football World Cup as we are now into the round of 16 stages but first, the Netherlands (Led by its mercurial skipper Virgil van Dijk) cruised to victory over the USA featuring Christian Pulisic to become the 1st side to reach the quarterfinals followed by the Lionel Messi led Argentina (Who haven't lost a game since against Saudi Arabia in the group stages in which the Saudis made history) who prevail over Mathew Ryan & the Socceroos of Australia before the regining world champions France (Whose last loss came against Tunisia in the group stage & led by its star talisman who took over following the injury to the best footballer in the world of Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe) upstaging the Robert Lewandowski led Poland to go through to the quarters then the Harry Kane led England hammering Senegal (Led by its main man Kalidou Koulibaly after Sadio Mane got injured) to advance through to the quarterfinal stages while Japan (Led by 4 players such as Endo, Ito, Kamada & Minamino as their star men) are heartbroken after their gut wrenching defeat in the round of 16 on penalties, in the hands of the Luka Modric led Croatia who went through to the quarterfinal stages of the World Cup & Brazil (Who scored 4 goals in the 1st half to put themselves in a dominant position of reaching the quarterfinal & had brought star talisman Neymar back for that game after missing the last 2 games through injury) thumping Korea Republic (Who ended Brazil's hopes of a clean sheet with a goal during the 2nd half) featuring its main man Son Heung Min of Spurs in the other round of 16 game before Morocco (Who is the last African side left standing in this years tournament with Achraf Hakimi being its main talisman) shock the footballing world as they stunned the heavily favoured Spain (Led by its main men of captain Sergio Busquets, Aymeric Laporte & the young Pedri) to bits on penalties to progress into the quarters therefore continuing its fairytale run into the World Cup in which Carole watched that game like 4am in the morning that I remember now & Portugal (Who had their main player Cristiano Ronaldo being benched for that game, allowing another experienced veteran of Pepe to take the skipper's role) are into the last 8 as they came away with a right old hammering against Switzerland (Featuring its key player which is the goalkeeper of Yann Sommer) with young 21 year old striker Goncalo Ramos (Who is in fact the understudy of Cristiano Ronaldo) scoring a hat-trick of goals (The 1st in the tournament) for their 1st win in the Round of 16 since 2006 against the Netherlands in a controversial match fueled by scuffles & altercations which resulted multiple players including Luis Figo who headbutted a Dutch player which resulted in yellow (It is always a send off offence nowadays) getting either booked or sent off by the referee.

And here are the confirmed matches being played in the quarterfinal stage in this years Football World Cup tournament:

Croatia Vs Brazil* (The most recent meeting between both teams at a Football World Cup was in 2014 in a Football World Cup opener where hosts at the time of Brazil totally dominated the game)

The Netherlands Vs Argentina* (The last time both of these sides met at a World Cup was also in 2014 where Argentina had won the semi on penalties to progress into the final against Germany (The Dutch could've used their substitute goalkeeper of Tim Krul who is the expert of saving penalties in which he did in their quarterfinal win against Costa Rica) but their most memorable moment was in 1998 where Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp scored a brilliant goal that put them in the semifinal)

Morocco Vs Portugal* (Their most recent clash at a Football World Cup was in 2018 where the Portuguese had won during the group stages & will meet the Moroccans (Who became the surprise package in the tournament (Compared to the Samoa rugby league team which had its fairytale run to the final after they had both incredible victories against Tonga in the quarterfinal (Which was the greatest Rugby League World Cup match in history), then hosts at the time of England in the semi (Which was also another one of RLWC's greatest games) after their victory in the penalty shootout against 2010 champions Spain in one of the best matches of this years tournament) again for a place in the semi)

& England Vs France (And also their first meeting between the 2 sides at a World Cup since 40 years ago way back in 1982 where the English had won during a group game against the French (And both sides were expected to meet in the Football World Cup final in 2018, but that did not happen as Croatia had denied England's chance of reaching the final when the Croatians prevailed with a winning goal scored by none other than Mario Mandzukic during extra time that put them through in the 2nd semi)

*: Key matchups

And there are some comparisons between both football/soccer players & American football/gridiron quarterbacks playing in the NFL such as Argentina's Lionel Messi is football/soccer's answer to 7 time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady while Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo is often compared to as the Aaron Rodgers (Who once won the Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers in 2010) of football/soccer then Brazil's Neymar share the same role as Patrick Mahomes (Who had done it as part of the Super Bowl winning team of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019) & last but not least, France's Kylian Mbappe is in fact football/soccer's equivalent of Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, in terms of his performances in the football/soccer pitch compared to the American football/gridiron field (And the Football World Cup final is very similar to the Super Bowl (The NFL's premier event).

And here are the news coming straight out in the world of rugby such as Pita Gus Sowakula (Who had a not so good NPC season for Taranaki in which he was known as the forgotten man in New Zealand rugby after making his test debut for the AB's against Ireland (Whose best result at a Rugby World Cup was always the quarterfinals, but they have never reached both the semis & final before in the tournament's history) at Eden Park in Auckland in which he scored a try in that test after his barnstorming form in Super Rugby Pacific earlier this year with the Chiefs) has been signed with French club Bordeaux-Begles, ending his contention of being called up to the All Blacks (Who have never won since 2015 against the Wallabies (Who last triumphed in 1999 against France in the final) in that memorable final of our lives at Twickenham in London, England) again going into next years Rugby World Cup then Warren Gatland brought back as coach of Wales (Who last won the Six Nations last year a year before France (Who are the host nation of this years tournament & never won a tournament before but their best result was runners-up in 1987, 1999 & 2011 (Who last been to a final where they fell short against the AB's by the barest of all margins) triumphed for their successful Six Nations glory as well as a grand slam since 2010, but their best result at a Rugby World Cup was a 3rd placing in 1987 in which they beat Australia with a last minute conversion from the sideline by Paul Thorburn in Rotorua after Adrian Hadley had scored an all important try with a kick to come) to replace the embattled Wayne Pivac who is moving on, but the biggest storyline so far has to be Eddie Jones no longer the coach of the England rugby team which last tasted success in 2003 (This was 4 years before South Africa won in 2007 followed by New Zealand twice in both 2011 & 2015 & the Springboks again at the most recent tournament in 2019) with Crusaders coach Scott Robertson (Soon to be a Kiwi coaching the England rugby team just like former New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum coaching the England cricket team in the test format) & former England lock Steve Borthwick (Who got the nod as Pops told me on the 8th of December last month with Robertson being overlooked as Borthwick becomes the 1st English born head coach of the England rugby team since Stuart Lancaster) being the frontrunners for the top job going into next years Six Nations in which England have never won since 2020 (That was the year being affected by the global pandemic).

And continuing onto the football related stuff that my suggestions of who will play in the 2022 Football World Cup final, whether its between Argentina & England in a rematch of the 1998 Round of 16 game (Where David Beckham got sent off for a foul play incident on Diego Simeone, allowing Argentina to progress in a dramatic penalty shootout (And Beckham could've been used during the shootout should he not been shown the red card) that Pops prefers while my preference would be Brazil against France in a rematch of both the 1998 final (Where Zinedine Zidane scored both goals off headers during the game & Emmanuel Petit finishing off the Brazilians with the last goal of the tournament as I mentioned in my previous blogs to win their 1st of 2 Football World Cups, but the match was marred by the Brazilian player Ronaldo who had an epileptic seizure hours prior to the the final in which Brazil were on the losing side, therefore missing out on defending the Football World Cup that they won in 1994 against Italy (Their last appearance at a World Cup was in 2014 where they didn't get out of the group stage despite beating England in their opener but their last appearance at a World Cup final until 2006 in which they last successfully won on penalties against the French in the aftermath of an incident as I mentioned in my previous blogs of Zidane headbutting an Italian player in which he got sent off by the Argentinian referee Horacio Elizondo (Who was the last Argentinian referee to take charge of the World Cup final until 2018 where Nestor Pitana was the man with the whistle when France (Who had been in their 1st final since 2006 against Italy) played Croatia (Who are in their historic 1st ever final appearance) in the final which was a rematch of the semifinal in 1998 at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow in which France won their 2nd World Cup championship & their 1st in 20 years after a dominant display against the Croatians) on penalties at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena in America but redeemed themselves when they last won 20 years ago way back in 2002 against Germany in the final at the International Stadium (Venue for much of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in which South Africa conquered in style in the final against the nation that broke AB's hearts & our bid of a successful first ever three peat in the semi of England) in Yokohama with Ronaldo scoring both goals on that night in which they won the tournament a record 5 times) & the quarterfinal in 2006 (Where Thierry Henry (Who is set to become the next Belgium coach with Spaniard Roberto Martinez moving on (Along with Spain's coach Luis Enrique who got fired as well as captain Sergio Busquets quitting international football after the Spanish crashed out in the Round of 16 against the giant killers Morocco in akin to a David Vs Goliath battle, but the latest update on the football as Man City player Raheem Sterling who is returning to Qatar when he rejoined the England football team for their most important quarterfinal clash against the world champions France in their nation's biggest & most difficult but demanding, World Cup game of their lives since the semifinal encounter against Croatia in 2018 after missing their team's Round of 16 win against Senegal, as a result of the incident involving a robbery in front of his family back home in England) after their dismal World Cup in which the ageing golden generation such as Kevin de Bruyne, Eden Hazard (Who recently announced his retirement from international football according to the report that I saw on ESPN on TV on the 8th of December last month along with Hans-Dieter 'Hansi' Flick staying on as head coach of the Germany football team after a disappointing World Cup campaign in which they didn't progress to the knockout stages again just like in 2018), Romelu Lukaku, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen & others hadn't got through to the knockout stages) scored a goal that put them through to the semi against Portugal (Who had to outsmart & outwit England on penalties during the quarters after Wayne Rooney did a Beckham when he had been shown the red card in the aftermath of the foul play incident on his Manchester United teammate at the time on Cristiano Ronaldo (Who was best friends with Rooney until he became bitter enemies after the events of the 2006 tournament).

And finally the latest on the cricket such as Australia dominate the 1st test of the Frank Worrell trophy (Currently held by the Australians since 1995) against the West Indies at Optus Stadium in Perth with Marnus Labuschagne providing the heroics as he top scored 204 in the 1st innings & an unbeaten 104 in the 2nd innings but the biggest storyline of the cricket so far is the Brendon McCullum coached & Ben Stokes led England (Who started winning under McCullum in which they labelled themselves as Baz ball which has been unleashed at the moment) winning the 1st test of the 3 match test series against Pakistan for their 1st win against the Pakistanis on Pakistan soil since 2000 in Lahore (It thats the 3rd time England have beaten Pakistan on Pakistani soil (Their 1st win came in 1961 in Karachi then 2000 in Lahore as I mentioned before & this year in Rawalpindi) in which Jack Leach trapped Naseem Shah (Who had to review after being given out by the umpire but it was unsuccessful as England would win the test & go 1 - 0 up in the series) LB (Leg before) which was the turning point in the test (And there has been an update as Australia cruised to a 419 run victory against the West Indies in the day/night test (AKA the pink ball/rosé test) in Adelaide in which they won the series 2 - 0 (With both Marnus Labuschagne (The hero of the 1st test in Perth) & Travis Head in his home test provided centuries to them in the 1st innings but I was gutted about the result that the West Indies had been defeated to the dominant Aussies who are on track to make the World Test Championship final which is going to take place this year in early June along with both the Ashes series between England (Who haven't triumphed in the Ashes since 2015) & Australia (Current holders of the Ashes since 2017-18) in England & the big one which is the men's 50 over Cricket World Cup in India as part of the 2023 cricket calendar (The English are the defending champions going into the tournament after previously winning the last edition in 2019 after their win in the final against the Black Caps in a dramatic but historic 1st ever super over according to the boundary count back rule that England had scored the most boundaries than us) but the Australian cricket team are preparing a 3 match test series against South Africa in which their bowling attack had to be the best with players like Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada & Lungi Ngidi proving to be dominant against the Australians in the sport of cricket (Well, Pops isn't much of a cricket follower but I do now) then England have clinched the test series against Pakistan by winning the 2nd test in Multan after a dominant display there in which they won 8 of the last 9 tests since Ben Stokes assumed the captaincy but the latest on the cricket as Australia draw 1st blood in the 1st test against South Africa at the Gabba in Brisbane marred by that shocking but potentially unsafe pitch which deemed to be given a below average rating in which the Aussies won by 6 wickets, in the last test before Christmas which is the day before the 2nd test billed as the Boxing Day test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne then the Brendon McCullum coached & Ben Stokes led England claim the unthinkable as they win 9 out of 10 tests after a stunning victory against Pakistan in Lahore to claim a stunning clean sweep or should I say a white wash, in the test series where the English won against Pakistan, on Pakistani soil, for only the 5th time).

So that is my 478th blog of the year 2023 (MMXXIII) & my 2nd of this year, viva Ukraine.

Porcelain/Tom Sawyer: My 1st blog of the year 2023

"As wars come & go, my soldiers stays eternal" - Tupac Shakur

Well, Happy New Year ladies & gentlemen, here is the latest on the Football World Cup but here is the list of more results from the tournament are in:

Ecuador 1 - 2 Senegal (It was the Senegalese who progressed into the round of 16 against England with a win over Ecuador who crashed out courtesy of a match winning goal scored by their captain Kalidou Koulibaly (Who is the main talisman following the injury to Sadio Mane)

Netherlands 2 - 0 Qatar (And it was Holland who also progressed into the knockout stages against the USA with victory against the host nation who bowed out)

Iran 0 - 1 USA (And the Americans are in the round of 16 with their 1st win at a World Cup over Iran to set up a showdown with the Dutch)

Wales 0 - 3 England (And England come away with a hammering over the Welsh to set up a round of 16 showdown with Senegal)

Tunisia 1 - 0 France (And Tunisia claim the 4th upset of the tournament with an unlikely win over the current world champions France (Who thought they had it with Antoine Griezmann equalized but was denied by the VAR due to offside therefore handing the Tunisians a win) who had their 1st loss at the Football World Cup since 2014 against Germany in the quarterfinal)

Australia 1 - 0 Denmark (And another upset was on the way as the Socceroos decimate the Danes to secure a place in the round of 16 for the 1st time since 2006)

Poland 0 - 2 Argentina (It was Lionel Messi & Argentina's night as they clobber Poland to advance to the round of 16)

Saudi Arabia 1 - 2 Mexico (And Mexico claim a win but miss out a place in the round of 16 after conceding a late goal by Saudi Arabia to deny them a big chance therefore the Mexicans failed to make the knockout stages for the 1st time since 1978).

UPDATED

Croatia 0 - 0 Belgium (And the match had ended in a draw as Croatia went through to the knockouts with a draw knocking Belgium's ageing Golden Generation out)

Canada 1 - 2 Morocco (And it was the Moroccan's time to shine as they become the 2nd African side after Senegal to advance to the Round of 16 by toppling the Canadians who are already out of the tournament)

Japan 2 - 1 Spain (And it was Japan's moment as they claim another upset (The 5th or 6th of the tournament so far) over Spain in controversial fashion whether the match winning goal by the Japanese should not have stand as the ball had gone out of play (And the Spanish should've awarded themselves a goal kick instead if the referee overturned the decision from goal to no goal but due to lack of camera angles that there was no chance of changing that decision)

Costa Rica 2 - 4 Germany (And Germany come away with the victory over Costa Rica in a rematch of the opening game of the tournament in 2006 but miss out on a place in the knockout stages (And the Germans were robbed on that occasion as they miss out on a place in the round of 16 in controversial matters)

Korea Republic 2 - 1 Portugal (And Korea Republic (Who had their coach Paulo Bento banned for that game after being red carded by the referee in their loss against Ghana) had tasted another biggest upset of the tournament as they manhandled Portugal who already booked a place)

Ghana 0 - 2 Uruguay (And it Uruguay who bow out with a win over Ghana in a rematch of the 2010 quarterfinal in which Luis Suarez got sent off for an illegal handball moments before Asamoah Gyan missed a penalty)

Serbia 2 - 3 Switzerland (It was Switzerland's night as they marched on into the round of 16 with a win against Serbia)

& Cameroon 1 - 0 Brazil (And Cameroon (Who are out of the tournament already) have pulled off one of the biggest boil overs against Brazil who have already been qualified with a goal scored by Vincent Aboubakar just before he got sent off after another yellow card for celebrating illegally)

And here are the confirmed matches being played in the round of 16 stage in this years Football World Cup tournament:

The Netherlands Vs USA

Argentina Vs Australia*

France Vs Poland

England Vs Senegal

Japan Vs Croatia

Brazil Vs Korea Republic

Morocco Vs Spain

& Portugal Vs Switzerland*

*: Key matchups

And the latest on the Donald Trump saga that criminal referrals have been handed out by the January 6th committee to the former US president & 5 others including ex-New York mayor Rudy Giuliani in wake of the raids taken place by the FBI in late August/early September at the former US President's estate at Mar-El-Lago in Florida but it's been 2 years since the terrible events of the Capitol insurrection riots have happened as pro-Trump protesters were attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 US general election but on the 2 year anniversary of the riots that the US President Joe Biden had honored, praised & thanked law enforcement for providing security to the Capitol buildings & defending it from protesters.

And there are 7 main English speaking countries in the world such as New Zealand, Australia, South Africa (Along with Afrikaans & isiXhosa), United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada (Along with French) & the United States of America.

And finally that Spark Sport is closing down starting from July this year (And the main reason why they're shutting down was something had got to do with the COVID-19 pandemic that they had in 2020) with TVNZ being snapped up on the broadcasting rights to the cricket here in our country of New Zealand both internationally & domestically & potentially the UEFA Champions League but Sky has snapped up rights to broadcast Formula 1 for the 1st time since 2018 after Spark Sport had taken over the rights from 2019 until last year (And the FIA is announcing a crack down on drivers who are competing in F1 & any other FIA sanctioned events about illegally making political statements).

So that is my 477th blog of the year 2023 (MMXXIII) & my 1st of this year (That's all we've got time for, see you next time), viva Ukraine.