CNN
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seems like only yesterday Ener Valencia They were knocking Qatar aside at the start of the 2022 World Cup.
As the dust settled on an enthralling month of football action, fans were greeted with arguably one of the greatest World Cup tournaments ever in the history of the sport.
Fashion that suits you Finals on Sunday Explode like a fireworks display to provide the final conclusion Qatar 2022.
It was a final that culminated in a superstar rivalry, penalties, iconic goals and a goalkeeping masterclass Lionel Messi’s Argentina beat France on penalties to become world champions.
A piece of resistance that lives on in memory like an Impressionist masterpiece, it is an iconic image of Messi. Messi finally picked up the World Cup trophy, hoisted over his teammate’s shoulders.
The best pictures of the 2022 World Cup
This match was billed as Kylian Mbappe vs. Messi – The 23-year-old French star is ready to take over the mantle of the world’s best player from his 35-year-old Paris Saint-Germain teammate.
Mbappe defended France’s 2018 win at the tournament in Russia. Messi He was playing in the final match of the World Cup, a long time missing him to win a trophy to rival Diego Maradona’s achievements in winning the tournament in 1986.
The opening 79 minutes were all about Messi. The Argentine captain converted the penalty to give Argentina the lead. Next, his skillful touch becomes the key to creating movement, La Albiceleste The second.
Then, in the closing stages of normal time, Mbappe single-handedly took control of the game, scoring two goals in two minutes to send the final into extra time.
Messi looked shot and Mbappe still moving.
It was the diminutive Argentinian who regained the lead for his team with his second goal of the match in the 109th minute.
Refusing to accept defeat, Mbappe roused his teammates to score a second penalty to score a hat-trick and reach the final on penalties.
Both Mbappe and Messi scored in the shootouts, but in the end it was Argentina’s who was hailed by his teammates as France missed two penalties and a World Cup dream came true in real time. was the captain.
Over two hours of football, two players at two different points in their careers put on a beautiful game in vivid, glorious technicolor.
The last time there was a penalty shootout in a World Cup final was in 2006, when France lost again to Italy.
It can feel unfair to resolve a game in a penalty shootout, a series of actions between a penalty kick and the goalkeeper.
But Sunday’s flood of penalties seemed to add to the pressure and tension at Lusail Stadium.
Messi’s penalty in the first half gave him his first World Cup winning goal.
Mbappe’s ability to pull off the spot one, two, three times in a single match showed extreme momentum.
At Qatar 2022, one team has already experienced the intensity of the pressure cooker atmosphere and has emerged on the other side.
Argentina outscored the Netherlands in an epic quarter-final that culminated in a penalty shootout, which saw the South American team distract and slow their tactics to mentally monster their opponents.
In Sunday’s final, Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez showed his ability to distract the French taker, tossing the ball before Aurélien Chuameni’s try went wide. France’s previous attempt – from Kingsley Coman – was saved by Martinez.
Penalty shootouts are definitely different than anything else in sports. It’s a modern day duel, and a World Cup final only heightens the tension and drama.
A World Cup final is often a tight, sorry affair where goals matter.
Argentina and France scrapped their playbook and scored six goals. Two of those goals were of the highest level.
Argentina’s second goal was almost as good as Carlos Alberto’s breathtaking goal in Brazil’s 4–1 victory over Italy in the 1970 World Cup final.
In the 35th minute, a corner-round flick from Alexis Mack Allister to Messi eased the pressure on the Argentine defense when France equalized.
Argentina scored after a deft touch by Messi to Julián Alvarez and a superbly weighted pass to the Manchester City forward Mac Allister who was on the run.
Mac Allister selflessly matched the ball to Ángel Di Maria and scored a stunning sweeping counter-attack to give Argentina a 2-0 lead.
At that point, it looked like the crowning moment of Argentina’s dominant victory until Mbappe stepped up.
After his penalty reduced the deficit to 2-1, a one-two with Marcus Thuram saw the ball fall from the sky on the edge of the Argentine penalty area to the PSG star.
Mbappe, who seemed out of the world, showed great technique and timing to slam the ball past the desperate Martinez.
These are the moments that capture the imagination and define the 2022 World Cup final.
It will be memorable for so many reasons, including Messi’s historic moment, Mbappe’s hat-trick defeat, and the seesaw nature of the match.
Of course, there is a lot of competition for the title of ‘Best World Cup Final’.
In 1950, Uruguay beat Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, and four years later, West Germany beat Hungary’s Magical Magyar to win their first World Cup title.
Jeff Hurst scored the first World Cup hat-trick in the 1966 final between England and West Jeramie. His second goal for Hurst is still talked about 56 years later. According to officials of the game, it was done and England won his 4-2.
The 1970 final was Pelé’s final World Cup appearance, as Brazil beat Italy to claim a third title.
Four years later in Munich, hosts West Germany won their second World Cup with a 2-1 victory over a star-studded Dutch team of Johan Cruyff and Johan Nieskens.
Like Messi at Qatar 2022, Diego Maradona almost single-handedly led his side to their second title in eight years, beating West Germany 3-2 in the final.
In 1998 France hosted and won the first World Cup. Mostly by Zinedine Zidane in the final he scored two goals and defeated a formidable Brazilian his team consisting of Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Cafu, Bebeto and Roberto his Carlos.
But with its multiple storylines and the drama and artistry on display, the 2022 showpiece certainly owns the title of “Best World Cup Final”.
