World Cup Qatar 2022: Messi’s Fairytale Comeback as Argentina Defeats France on Penalties

France battled back against Argentina after going behind 2-0 in one of the most thrilling World Cup finals ever but ultimately lost in a penalty shootout.

Lionel Messi, wearing a black Qatari robe over his blue-and-white Argentina shirt, holds the World Cup aloft. Pic: AP

In what is already being hailed as one of the greatest finals in history, Argentina has won the World Cup following a thrilling encounter that saw them take the lead, lose it twice, and then win on penalties.

It was a memorable night for Lionel Messi, who at long last took home the biggest football award, and heartache for his club teammate Kylian Mbappe, whose hat-trick failed to lift France to victory.

Argentina won the World Cup for the first time since Diego Maradona's notorious "hand of God" goal in 1986 final, and Messi was named player of the tournament for his contribution to the victory.

Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Boot award

The brilliant forward has 793 goals to his name for both club and country, but his cool finishes in the Qatar final may have been the most satisfying of his career.

The victory puts him in the same league as Argentina's Maradona, who only won the World Cup once but is regarded as one of the greatest players ever thanks in part to his "goal of the century" against England in the contentious 1986 World Cup quarterfinal, and Brazil's record-breaking three-time World Cup victor Pele.

Kylian Mbappe, a striker for Paris Saint-Germain, scored three goals for France, including two from the penalty spot and one more in the shootout, as they rallied from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits.

The only other player to ever accomplish this feat was Sir Geoff Hurst of England, who completed a historic treble in the 1966 World Cup final with his hat-trick.

He was awarded the Golden Boot for the tournament's highest scorer as a result.

France was unable to overcome Emiliano Martinez's heroics for Argentina despite a strong dose of Mbappe magic.

The goalkeeper for Aston Villa, who is renowned for his ability to score on penalties, stopped a shot from Kingsley Coman and watched Aurelien Tchouameni miss as Argentina ultimately won.

Halfway through the first half, a foul in the penalty area by France winger Ousmane Dembele resulted in Messi scoring his sixth goal of the competition to give the South American team the lead.

Later, a sensational counterattack down the right flank by Brighton's Alexis Mac Allister provided the assist for Argentina's second goal, which was scored by Angel Di Maria.

After Kolo Muani was fouled, Kylian Mbappe was awarded another penalty, and he converted it to give France a one-goal lead.

A spectacular strike from Mbappe brought France to even just 90 seconds later.

After full-time, the score was 2-2, necessitating an additional 30 minutes of play to determine the outcome.

Despite Kounde's best efforts to clear off the line in overtime, Messi once again scored by knocking in on the rebound.

With only a few minutes remaining in extra time, Mbappe then tied the game once more for France with a penalty, forcing a shootout.

When it came to the penalty shootout, Emiliano Martinez of Argentina had his moment of glory, blocking one shot while seeing another miss.

Argentina ultimately defeated France 4-2 on penalties.

Messi's victory was capped off by him winning the Golden Ball for the best play of the competition after scoring two goals and making the winning penalty in the shootout.

"I knew God would bring this gift to me, I had a hunch that this World Cup was the one," Messi said to reporters after the match.

"It took so long, but it is now here. We went through a lot of pain, but we succeeded. I can't wait to see this crazy in person in Argentina.

France's Kylian Mbappe poses with his Golden Boot award during the award ceremony after the match

With pre-tournament disputes blazing over the treatment of migrant workers, LGBT+ rights, and the tournament's move to the cooler months to avoid the sweltering summer heat, it brought an end to one of the most contentious World Cups in history.

The next World Cup finals, which will be staged in the United States, Mexico, and Canada - the first time the tournament has been co-hosted since Japan and South Korea in 2002 - will begin counting down once the World Cup in Qatar concludes.