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.
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