In the stands of the Lusail stadium, the Argentinians are present in number and give voice, silencing the French contingent of 6,000 fans, the highest total of the competition for the Blues.
From the pre-match protocol, the South Americans sing a long "Muchachos", their hit on this World Cup.
Muchachos
Ahora nos volvimo' a ilusionar
Quiero ganar la tercera
Quiero ser campeón Mundial pic.twitter.com/iGniCxuhqS
— FÚTBOL ARGENTINO 🇦🇷 (@TodaLaPrimeraA) December 5, 2022
On the ground, the Albiceleste also shows the muscles.
Found behind Upamecano in the area thanks to a ladle from Messi, Alvarez missed his recovery before the referee signaled an offside (3rd).
Then Mac Allister tests Hugo Lloris from a distance (5th).
On a long mess in the French area, the referee ends up awarding the fault to France.
Her captain Hugo Lloris remains ashore for long minutes.
The slow motion shows that Romero nudged him, but he was not penalized (9th).
The Unrecognizable Blues
It is necessary to wait the quarter of an hour of play to see the first French incursion into the opposing surface.
Mbappé and Rabiot try to combine after a reversal of Dembélé towards Hernandez but the defense of Albiceleste watches (15th).
A few minutes later, Griezmann finds Giroud's head but it goes over, before the referee signals a foul (21st).
France thinks they have done the hardest part by breaking the Argentinian highlight.
But a foul from Dembélé on Di Maria in the area ruins everything.
Lionel Messi transforms the penalty (21st, 1-0).
The Blues are unrecognizable, unable to raise and unable to block the Argentinian waves.
The passing circuits come to nothing and Mbappé is completely deprived of the ball.
To wonder if the virus that was circulating this week in the France group has completely disappeared.
Inevitably, Argentina ended up doubling the bet.
The ball is lost by the Blues in the opposing camp after a very limited intervention, the revival of the Albiceleste is ruthless.
Messi launches Mac Allister deep, right side.
This one plays opposite in the surface for Di Maria who concludes with the left foot (36th, 2-0).
Mbappé saves France
At the foot of the wall, Didier Deschamps plays his all.
Even before the break, he brought out Giroud and Dembélé for Thuram and Kolo Muani, the 11 who finished against Morocco in the semi-finals.
But the Argentinians know how to keep a score, even if it means multiplying rough interventions.
At the microphone, at half-time, the coach looks bad: "It will take a lot to be able to worry them, come back to the score and beat them. They really played a World Cup final, not is not our case unfortunately", he analyzes.
The Blues return from the locker room first, determined.
However, it is Argentina who strikes first and Hugo Lloris must intervene in front of Mac Allister (47th).
He is still there on the strike of De Paul (49th).
He still does the job on a strike from Alvarez flush with his right post (59th).
In front, the French are unimaginative even if they are gradually approaching the Argentine surface but without ever endangering Emiliano Martinez.
The Blues just don't fit.
Their first shot on target?
The penalty of hope in the 80th minute.
Otamendi holds Kolo Muani in the penalty area.
Kylian Mbappé offers his people the right to believe in it (80th, 2-1), and they do.
The Bondy prodigy makes a one-two with Thuram and easily deceives Emiliano Martinez (82nd, 2-2).
Everything is restarted.
𝙀𝙏 𝘿𝙀 𝟭𝟬 ... 𝙋𝙐𝙄𝙎 𝟭𝟭 (it's going too fast 😅)! @Kmbappe is the 1st player in history to register at least 10 goals in 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗲 𝗱𝘂 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲 before his 24th birthday!
🔥
All in just 14 games 🤯
🇦🇷2-2🇫🇷 |
#ARGFRA |
#ProudofBleus pic.twitter.com/o2Lz58NwWH
– French team ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) December 18, 2022
The match fails to switch in favor of the Blues on a new penalty.
But the referee believes that Marcus Thuram has dived and gives him a yellow (87th).
The Blues push during the eight long minutes of stoppage of play but do not find the fault while the Argentines seem stunned (90th + 3, 90th + 4, 90th + 6).
On a shot from Messi, Hugo Lloris pulls out his best horizontal to avoid the KO on the gong (90th + 7).
There is only extra time to decide between the two best teams in the world.
An extension that the Blues will have to face without Adrien Rabiot, forced out for a suspected concussion.
He is replaced by Youssouf Fofana, as during the half against Morocco.
"Aren't you happy? Tripled!"
The Blues have taken the psychological advantage.
They multiply the incursions on the opposing field with the reinforcement of free kicks, corners and other accelerations.
However, the realization is struggling to come.
The Argentinians resist by breaking the game, taking advantage of a certain laxity in terms of yellow cards from the referee.
And Argentina can bite at any time.
Upamecano saves the homeland with a miraculous tackle to deflect the shot from incoming Lautaro Martinez (105th).
Fear changes sides.
And Messi offers the advantage to Argentina in fox surfaces.
Party at the extreme limit of the offside Lautaro Martinez strikes and forces Lloris to an extraordinary save but insufficient because Messi followed.
A defender pushes back but the referee still validates the goal (108th, 3-2).
The Argentinians take their time to celebrate with substitutes occupying the blue half.
But once again, France finds the strength and the desire to come back from the Devil-Vauvert.
As she pushes, an Argentinian hands in her box.
Second French penalty but third goal for Kylian Mbappé who becomes the first player to have scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final (118th, 3-3).
Despite a huge opportunity on both sides, the third star won on penalties.
Mbappé and Messi show their friends the way for the premie.
But, at the end of the penalty shootout, it is Argentina who wins to clinch their third world championship title.
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