Messi Enters the Pantheon After World Cup Final for the Ages
With today’s epic victory Argentina become 2022 World Cup champions and Lionel Messi a quasi-immortal for his country — and the sport…
Argentina and Lionel Messi edged France on penalties, winning a thrilling encounter that will rightfully go down in history as the best ever World Cup final.
This World Cup title, Argentina’s first since 1986 and third overall, should settle any debate on Messi being the greatest player of all time. There will still be arguments for Pele and Maradona of course, but for players in the current era (cough, Cristiano Ronaldo) the debate is done and dusted. So too are probably any naive beliefs that somebody like Kylian Mbappe could take this crown from the man from Rosario.
Mad Drama
It was a crazy game with several twists and turns. France looked pathetic for about 75 minutes before the substitutions of Marcus Thurman (for Olivier Giroud), Kolo Muani (for Ousmane Dembele), Eduardo Camavinga (for Theo Hernandez) and Kingsley Conan (for a disappointing Antoine Griezmann) changed the momentum of the game.
The latter move was particularly gutsy from Didier Deschamps as Griezmann was France’s best player in the tournament coming in to today’s game but ultimately justified as he was mysteriously absent against Argentina.
Deschamps’ roll of the dice worked. Mbappe converted a penalty in the 80th minute and then doubled up a minute later. Tied game.
As dramatic as the final 10 minutes were, the overtime session would outdo it. Messi seemed to win it for the Argentines before another penalty allowed Mbappe to level the score again.
A brilliant save by Emiliano Martinez kept France from getting the winner right before the final whistle.
It was Martinez who once again dominated the penalty kick shootout as he had against the Netherlands in the quarterfinal. The Aston Villa goalkeeper saved Coman’s attempt. When Tchouameni missed the frame, Argentina were in the driver seat. Leandro Paredes and Gonzalo Montiel converted their chances to clinch the game and the World Cup for the albiceleste.
Early Argentine Dominance
Argentina dominated the first 70 minutes of the game, seemingly controlling the midfield at will. Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister established a bulwark that the French side were unable to really threaten. Tottenham’s Cuti Romero was outstanding as a kind of modern stopper, sliding up into midfield to collect loose balls and break down the few French forays into Argentina’s end.
This allowed Julian Alvarez, Angel di Maria, and Messi the space to create. Especially di Maria, a surprise starter for the first time this World Cup, was a thorn in France’s side. It was he who broke through to create the penalty that led to Argentina’s first goal. Many arguments from France supporters and others about the accuracy of the penalty call. The replay appears to show that Dembele swept di Maria’s leg. What’s harder to contest is Argentina’s dominance in the first half and the fact that their 2-0 lead after 45 minutes was justified.
What went wrong for France?
Les Bleus’ performance in the first half was one of the worst 45 minutes ever in a World Cup final. It was so bad it brought to mind memories of Brazil in 1998. There were no weird rumors about any French players the way there were about Ronaldo (the OG Ronaldo) in 1998. There was however some news about a mysterious illness making its way through the French ranks. Just when this pontification seemed to be reaching a fever pitch, Mbappe scored his first two goals and the script needed to be rewritten.
The PSG striker was superb today, keeping alive hopes that he can one day enter the GOAT conversation. He’ll need more trophies to do that though, including probably several Champions League titles.
The performance from France’s other starters still leaves a sour taste however. Hernandez was poor. Kounde and Dembele weak. Griezmann’s performance was particularly puzzling seeing how well he played in France’s other games. The man from Macon was sorely missed during the penalty shootout. So was Giroud.
This was surely the last World Cup for Giroud, Griezmann, Hugo Lloris, and probably for Raphael Varane as well. France’s other starters are still young with many (like Mbappe) rounding into their prime in 2026. Camavinga is just 20 and could be a real star. But that is very much another story for another time.
Argentina: Justified Champions
Today belongs to Argentina. The albiceleste had a rough start to this World Cup when they lost their opener to Saudi Arabia. The Netherlands game was an extremely close call and showed some flaws in Argentina’s game — not to mention in Lionel Scaloni’s tactical moves. These once again reared their head today, as Argentina’s substitutes played poorly with some like Marcos Acuna looking completely lost at times.
But make no mistake: Argentina were the better side today. Messi, the GOAT, came through again and again. Martinez proved better than Lloris, especially during penalties. The final game-tying penalty was a stroke of luck for France. It was the correct call by the letter of the law, but there is no way that shot was going to threaten Martinez’ frame.
The victory speaks to Argentina’s grit and determination perhaps more than anything. Other teams might have rolled over and quit, just like they might have done against the Netherlands. The fact that Argentina were able to rouse themselves to emerge as the better team in the extra session demonstrates this spirit.
So congrats to Argentina and Argentina fans everywhere. You deserved this. Enjoy it.