Thirty-six years after Diego Maradona carved through England’s defense to score what is still called ‘The Goal of the Century’ at the 1986 World Cup, Argentinian announcer Victor Hugo Morales asked the existential question we’ve pondered for years: “Cosmic kite, what planet are you from that you can leave so many Englishmen in your wake?”
While we still might not know that answer, Lionel Messi surely inhabits that same planet. And at this point given this sportswriter’s lack of mental brevity to ascertain the kind of soccer brilliance we’ve watched for two decades from the little maestro, we will simply call that planet Argentina.
Messi is a World Cup champion, penning the final, brilliant masterstroke of a career that left the remarkable Kylian Mbappe — who recorded a hat trick in the loss — and the defending champs France in his wake, scoring twice to lift Argentina to a penalty shootout victory following an exhilarating 3-3 draw at Lusail Stadium on Sunday in Qatar.
It’s the third-ever World Cup victory for Argentina and its first since 1986, allowing Messi to finally move out of the shadow of none other than Maradona.
France erased a 2-0 deficit in just one minute and 33 seconds between the 80th and 81st minutes thanks to two goals from Mbappe on a night in which Argentina was clearly in the driver’s seat to force extra time. Messi came up with his second in the 109th minute before Mbappe completed his hat trick from the penalty spot in the 117th minute to clinch the penalty shootout.
That penalty was conceded by Gonzalo Montiel for a handball that struck his elbow — but sometimes the soccer gods can provide the ultimate redemption. It was the 25-year-old’s penalty to clinch the World Cup for Argentina, which outscored France 4-2 in penalties.
Argentina keeper Emiliano Martinez made a save on Kingsley Coman’s attempt after Mbappe and Messi led the shootout off with goals. After Paulo Dybala snuck one down the middle for Argentina, France’s Aurelien Tchouameni’s attempt skittered outside the left post wide.
Leandro Paredes and Montiel put the finishing touches on one of the greatest World Cups ever played — and the 35-year-old Messi that had won practically every other major award a soccer player can win now has his hands on the trophy that eluded him most.
Also vital to Argentina’s victory was Angel Di Maria — the 34-year-old winger that has enjoyed plenty of success himself on the European stage — who won the penalty to set up Messi’s opener before scoring the second in a first half that saw France completely dominated and equally stunned.
A brilliant move from Di Maria saw the winger fake a cross with his left foot from the left goal line and cut past France’s Ousmane Dembele. Entering the left side of the box, Dembele tripped Di Maria from behind — an easy penalty decision in the 22nd minute.
Up stepped Messi one minute later and with the weight of a nation on his shoulders and with billions of eyes on him, he coolly sent French keeper Hugo Lloris the wrong way, slotting his penalty into the bottom-right corner to put Argentina in front.
MESSI PUTS ARGENTINA OUT IN FRONT 🎯🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/kZkUvRUXC9
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 18, 2022
He became the first player in World Cup history to score in every round of the competition: The group stage, Round of 16, quarterfinal, and semifinal before his tally on Sunday.
A vital Messi flick on the counter-attack in the 36th minute played Julian Alvarez down the right wing to spark a blinding break of sky blue and white.
Alvarez sent a first-time, centering through ball to a streaking Alexis Mac Allister down the middle of the pitch. At the edge of the box, a perfectly cushioned pass was rolled into the path of a wide-open Di Maria at the left of the box, who finished first time just inside the opposite post to double the Argentinian advantage.
OH MY WHAT A GOAL 😱
2-0 ARGENTINA 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/rBH0HSCyFJ
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 18, 2022
Clamoring for answers, French coach Didier Deschamps made two first-half substitutions, taking off Dembele and striker Olivier Giroud, who filled in so admirably for the injured Ball d’Or winner Karim Benzema up top with four goals in Qatar.
The moves could do little to spark any sort of French momentum for the first 35 minutes of the second half. Mbappe wove through the Argentinian defense at the edge of the box for a shot that went high in the 71st minute, which was the first attempted shot of the match for Les Bleus.
Out of nothing, France received a lifeline in the 79th minute when Nicolas Otamendi dragged down Randal Kolo Muani in the box to give the defending champs a penalty.
Mbappe cannoned it home into the bottom left corner of the goal through the fingertips of an outstretched Emiliano Martinez in the 80th minute.
Just 1:33 later, the match was tied — completely turned on its head — when a lightning-quick French attack saw Mbappe play a 1-2 with Marcus Thuram. A lofted return pass at the edge of the box was blasted home on the volley to equalize.
MBAPPE ARE YOU SERIOUS?! 😱
FRANCE TIES IT pic.twitter.com/qZLzNz3aow
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 18, 2022
Messi put Argentina ahead momentarily in the ninth minute when he followed up a Lautaro Martinez shot that was saved by Lloris and just snuck it over the line. The move to play Martinez in on Lloris remained onside by a hair, and it looked once against that the South American side would hold on.
But a shot by Mbappe from the top of the box struck the elbow of Montiel just three minutes from time to set the stage for one final chance for the French superstar, joining Geoff Hurst in 1966 for England to score a hat trick in a World Cup Final.
