On Sunday, December 18, the final match of the 2022 World Cup took place in Qatar, only a penalty shootout helped determine the best team and world champion.
The strongest teams of the tournament met on the field of Qatari Lusail in the decisive match. It should be noted that this World Cup was not difficult for France, although there was one defeat in the group.
Argentina, on the other hand, having recovered from a sensational defeat in the first match with Saudi Arabia, was gaining momentum – first in the most difficult match defeating the Netherlands, and then defeating the vice-champions of the 2018 World Cup Croatia.
According to experts, both teams had the same chance of winning the decisive match. From the first minutes, however, France was under such pressure from the Argentines that they could not even join the game. After 20 minutes, Angel Di Maria ran into the French penalty area, fell near Ousmane Dembele and – a penalty, which was successfully converted by Leonel Messi – 0:1.
After 13 minutes, in a brilliant counterattack, the Argentines went through the whole field through a series of passes, gave the ball to Di Maria, and he doubled the score. The French coach made a double substitution in the first half, trying to radically change the style of the game.
After the break, everyone expected an active game from the Europeans, but for 70 minutes of the match, France did not strike a single blow even towards the opponent’s goal. But then the game changed radically – national team striker Kylian Mbappe converted a penalty. Literally a minute later, he scores the second goal with a beautiful one-touch shot. It was Mbappe’s fastest double in a World Cup final – 97 seconds.
Finally, France returned to the game, began to attack and play their own football, but the Argentines kept the score and switched the game to extra time. In the extra halves, Argentina had some really dangerous moments, and in one of them Messi put the team ahead – 3:2. After 10 minutes, the Argentines again violated in their penalty area. Mbappe converted a 11-meter goal and scored a hat-trick at his own expense 3:3.
According to the results of the penalty shootout, Argentina won 3: 3 (4-2) – one French shot was saved by the goalkeeper, the other was off the gate. If France had won this match, Lilian and Marcus Thuram would have become the first father and son in history to win the championship peace. Thuram Sr. became the champion in 1998.
Argentina became the champion for the third time – it had previously won this title in 1978 and 1986.
In Paris, after the defeat of the French team in the World Cup final, riots broke out. One of the places where the most massive clashes between angry fans and the police take place was the Champs-Elysées, on the territory of which there was a live broadcast from Qatar.
French fans who watched the match, where their team lost on penalties, decided to take out their indignation on literally everything that catches their eye. The police used tear gas and rubber batons. There are reports of casualties and arrests during the riots.
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