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A game that seemed to defy human comprehension. A game that seemed bigger than life. A game that will forever be remembered for its greatness. The 2022 World Cup Final was unimaginable. France and Argentina gave everything as they battled until the dying seconds to claim what they thought was rightfully theirs. In my opinion, this was the greatest game of all time. Let’s get into it.

Argentinian Domination

La Albiceleste started off the game with a fire that was recognizable within the first five minutes. They were completely bossing possession and even let off the games first shot on target in the fourth minute through Alexis Mac Allister. Then while blazing down that left wing, Juventus star Angel Dí Maria was clipped by Ousmane Dembélé in the box, forcing Polish referee Szymon Marciniak to point to the penalty spot in favor of Argentina. Lionel Messi stepped up to the spot and slotted it past the French Captain Lloris as the majority Argentina crowd went ballistic.

Thirteen minutes later the same man who drew the penalty (Dí Maria) would slot in an Alexis Mac Allister pass for Argentina’s second goal. It seemed like the moment was finally too big for the French. Maybe the injuries had caught up to them? Maybe it was just Messi’s destiny to lift the trophy and it was naturally out of their hands?

In the eighth minute after a corner, Hugo Lloris stood on his line and watched a ball bounce right in front of his six-yard box without making a move. Errant touches of the ball from Ousmane Dembélé and Olivier Giroud saw both make an uncommon first-half exit in the 40th minute. It just didn’t seem like the French were as locked in as Lionel Messi & Co. Then the world got re-introduced to Kylian Mbappe.

Allow me to reintroduce myself…

The French weren’t even able to get a shot off it just looked they were officially clocked out. It all changed in the 78th minute for Les Blues when Kylian Mbappe flicked the ball over Cristian Romero in the path of substitute Randal Kolo Muani. The Eintracht Frankfurt man was subsequently taken down in the box by Nicolás Otamendi, forcing Szymon Marciniak’s hand once again to point to the spot. All eyes were on Kylian Mbappe, who infamously missed France’s penalty against Switzerland in the EURO’s to be eliminated. The PSG superstar stepped up and smashed the ball into the left side netting despite Emi Martinez getting a touch to it.

The momentum was completely shifted now, it seemed that Didier Deschamps men had finally arrived and were ready to takeover. Although the lead was shortened to one goal, no one watching thought that not even three minutes later Messi’s World Cup dreams would be in danger.

Messi was dribbling near the left touchline and the ball was taken away by Kingsley Coman, who came in to the game as one of those first-half substitutions. Coman then laid it off to Adrien Rabiot who lifted a pass towards Mbappe on the left wing. Mbappe headed it down to his strike partner Marcus Thuram, another substitute by Deschamps, who then chipped it over Romero to a pacing Mbappe who volleyed it first time into the bottom right corner. Mayhem then ensued. I remember running around my house screaming “MBAPPE!!!”. My eyes couldn’t believe what they were seeing… and neither could the Argentinians.

It stayed 2-2 throughout the rest of the match, mainly in part to a hero save by Lloris off of a Lionel Messi in the 96th minute. The game would then go into extra-time.

Extra-time

Somehow someway, we found ourselves here in extra-time. Argentina had dominated the game for almost 80 minutes but still had to claw their way out of this. The first half of extra-time finished without a goal, but in the 107th minute chaos resumed. Substitute defender Gonzalo Montiel played a ball over the top to Lautaro Martinez, who flicked it back to Messi to start attacking. During the attack the ball ended up at the feet of Lautaro once again who shot the ball at the near post of Lloris.

The French skipper made another hero save, but unfortunately for the French he parried the ball right in front of the mean wearing #10 for La Albiceleste. Messi struck the ball with his right foot as it was cleared away by Jules Koundé, but it was determined that the ball had crossed the line. 3-2 Argentina. Lionel Messi with his second goal of the game.

A wave of jubilation from the crowd ensued, as it was looking like Messi’s name was going to be on that World Cup trophy. The French, despite their hard-fought comeback, found themselves behind yet again. That would all change in less than 10 minutes.

Hat-Trick Hero

Before Sunday’s Final, England’s Geoff Hurst (1966) was the only player in World Cup history to score a hat-trick in the final. In the 114th minute, center back Ibrahima Konate was able to win a corner for the French after his cross was blocked out of bounds by Nicolas Tagliafico. Kinglsey Coman went to the right corner flag to take the set-piece. An out swinging ball somehow found its way to Kylian Mbappe at the edge of the 18-yard box. Mbappe struck the ball with might, but it was blocked by the Argentinian defense. Or so we thought…

Szymon Marciniak ONCE AGAIN pointed to the penalty spot as it was revealed that Gonzalo Montiel had used his hand in an unnatural position to block the shot from France’s #10. Mbappe stepped up to the penalty spot for the second time in the match, a task that England’s Harry Kane had to take on. Kane failed to capitalize as his penalty flew above the crossbar against the French. However, this was for it all. If Mbappe were to miss, the French would’ve lost the World Cup. Kylian Mbappe stepped up to the penalty… with the whole world watching… and sent Martinez the wrong way.

Pandemonium. The game had been flipped on its head for what seemed like the 1,000,000th time. I was losing my damn mind. There were two more chances left in the game. And you wouldn’t guess who they fell to…

In the 122nd minute, Lloris booted the ball up the pitch after an Argentinian offside call. The ball found it’s way to the French back-line at the feet of Konate once again. The Liverpool center back sliced the ball with the outside of right boot and somehow it bounced perfect to Kolo Muani for a one-on-one chance against Emi Martinez. Kolo Muani struck the ball perfectly on the half-volley, but Martinez made arguably the best (and most important) save ever as the ball deflected off of his foot.

Even after that, the French had yet another chance. Kylian Mbappe, the player with the world at his boots, was flying down the left wing yet again. He stopped the ball just before the out-of-bounds mark and was faced against Romero just outside the 18-yard box. After a couple fake shots he flew by Romero, stepped over the ball past Paredes, fake-shotted past Enzo Fernandez and was about to SHOOT THE BALL… but it was kicked away by Paulo Dybala. As Mbappe screamed in anger, the referee blew his full-time whistle. The reality that no fan of either team wanted to face was among them… Penalties.

The End of the Beginning

Kylian Mbappe went up to take the first penalty for France… and once again slotted it home to Martinez’s right side.

Then his PSG teammate, Lionel Messi, stepped up for Argentina’s first penalty. And he sent Lloris the wrong way with a killer-instinct slow run up and finish.

Kingsley Coman was next to take for France… and it was saved by Emi Martinez!!!

Paulo Dybala. A man that was rarely used in this tournament by Scaloni. Coming back from injury at his club AS Roma just in time for the World Cup stepped up to take Argentina’s second penalty. He sent it flying straight down the middle to give La Albiceleste the lead.

Aurélien Tchouaméni, the $100M+ man for Real Madrid, would go on to take France’s third penalty. And unfortunately for the French, he sent it wide left. Completely missing the target.

Leandro Paredes, a midfielder for Italian Giants Juventus, absolutely smashed the ball into the left corner as Lloris just barely missed a touch on it.

Randal Kolo Muani, who’s chance in the 122nd minute was saved by Emi Martinez, had the whole country on his back. If he missed his penalty it would all be over for Didier Deschamps men. The Eintracht Frankfurt forward stepped up and smashed the ball right down the middle.

The ball was handed to Argentina’s Gonzalo Montiel. Montiel, who’s handball led to France equalizing in extra-time, had the opportunity to save his country and have them lift the trophy that they had been waiting for since 1986. Montiel struck the ball… and the rest was history.

I called this “The End of the Beginning” because that’s truly what it is. We have seen the end of both all-time greats in Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at the World Cup. However, a new era is among us. And the superstar of that era, scored a hat-trick in this final. Mbappe, alongside players like Vinicius Jr., Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham, and Jamal Musiala, will lead the new generation for years to come. That’s the beauty of it all. The magic truly never stops. While there may not ever be another Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, that doesn’t mean that new legacies cannot be formed. It doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for greatness.

This is football. This is why I wake up at 7 a.m. on Saturday’s to watch Liverpool play Bournemouth. This is why my eyes were glued to the television at 5 a.m. to watch Morocco play Croatia during this World Cup. This is why I scream in happiness whenever a moment of magic happens on the pitch. I love this game. I am so thankful to be alive during these great moments, because they are what make life worth it. This is YSN, until next time, signing out.