World Cup final: Messi achieves his dream
Yesterday, Lionel Messi added the greatest trophy in football to his list of triumphs, at long last. His appearance in the final was his 26th at a World Cup, breaking Lothar Matthaus’ record.
At the Qatar World Cup, Messi also became only the sixth male player to have played in five World Cups, alongside Antonio Carbajal, Lothar Matthaus, Rafa Marquez, Andres Guardado and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Gonzalo Montiel’s final penalty kick prevented France from becoming the first team in 60 years to retain the trophy (after Brazil in 1962), and helped La Albiceleste to win their third World Cup.
Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Angel Di Maria doubled Argentina’s lead, both in the first half. But the astonishing Mbappe pulled two back. Messi seemed to have decided the contest in Argentina’s favour once and for all when he converted a rebound in the 109th minute, only for Mbappe to net his third from another penalty kick, bringing the game level at 3-3, and in the process, becoming the first player since England’s Geoff Hurst in 1966 to net a hat-trick in a World Cup final.
But Argentina had the last laugh, as they won the tie-breaker 4-2.
Messi was chosen as the best player of the tournament and Kylian Mbappe was the highest scorer, with eight goals.
