Argentina Defeats France In Dramatic 2022 World Cup Final

Armon Sadler
·2 min read
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Argentina was the last team standing after 32 teams traveled to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup. They defeated the defending champion France on Sunday (Dec. 18) by a score of 4-2 via penalty kicks.

The match seemed to be in Argentina’s hands after they got out to a 2-0 lead in the first half behind goals from the popularly considered greatest soccer player ever, Lionel Messi, and Ángel Di María. France worked their way back into the match, tying the score at 2-2 after back-to-back goals by their superstar, Kylian Mbappé, in the 80th and 81st minutes.

Argentina took the lead once again with another Messi goal in extra time, but Mbappé’s third goal in the 118th minute forced the match to have to go to penalty kicks. There, Argentina’s Messi, Paulo Dybala, Leandro Paredes, and Montiel made four straight goals while France made their first and fourth, missing two in between to ensure Argentina would walk away with the trophy after a hard-fought battle.

This victory is major for several reasons. It marks the Forbes list topper Lionel Messi’s first World Cup title in his historic career and Argentina’s first World Cup victory since 1986, allowing them to pass France in total victories as both countries had two apiece leading into the match. Many fans and pundits are calling the matchup the greatest Men’s FIFA World Cup Final of all time due to the heightened drama. Olympic Gold Medalist runner Usain Bolt even took to Twitter to make the claim himself.

The 2026 World Cup is set to take place in three different countries: The United States, Mexico, and Canada. This will be the first time in the sports spectacle’s history that it will utilize multiple nations.

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