2022 FIFA World Cup final

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2022 FIFA World Cup final
Bresil vs Serbie.jpg
Lusail Stadium hosted the final.
Event 2022 FIFA World Cup
After extra time
Argentina won 4–2 on a penalty shootout
Date18 December 2022 (2022-12-18)
Venue Lusail Stadium, Lusail
Man of the Match Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Referee Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
Attendance88,966
WeatherPartly cloudy
22 °C (72 °F)
64% humidity [1] [2]
2018
2026

The 2022 FIFA World Cup final was the final match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the 22nd edition of FIFA's competition for men's national football teams. The match was played at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, on 18 December 2022, the Qatari National Day, and was contested by Argentina and defending champions France. With a record 1.5 billion people watching on television, the final became one of the most widely watched televised sporting events in history. [3]

Contents

The tournament comprised hosts Qatar and 31 other teams who emerged victorious from the qualification phase, organised by the six FIFA confederations. The 32 teams competed in a group stage, from which 16 teams qualified for the knockout stage. En route to the final, Argentina finished first in Group C, first losing to Saudi Arabia 2–1, then defeating both Mexico and Poland 2–0. They then beat Australia 2–1 in the round of 16, the Netherlands in the quarter-final through a penalty shoot-out after it ended 2–2 in extra time and Croatia in the semi-final 3–0. France finished top of Group D with two wins and one loss (4–1 win over Australia, 2–1 win over Denmark, and a 1–0 loss to Tunisia), defeating Poland 3–1 in the round of 16, England 2–1 in the quarter-final and Morocco 2–0 in the semi-final. The final took place in front of 88,966 spectators and was refereed by Szymon Marciniak.

Argentina took the lead through a penalty by Lionel Messi in the 23rd minute before Ángel Di María further increased their lead in the 36th minute with a low shot into the corner of the goal after a sweeping Argentina counterattack. France failed to register a shot on goal for the vast majority of the match until a 97-second brace by Kylian Mbappé tied the game 2–2 in the 81st minute. During extra time, Messi then scored again to give Argentina a 3–2 lead. However, Mbappé scored a second penalty to tie the game 3–3 with only minutes remaining, becoming the second man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final after Geoff Hurst in 1966. Argentina then won the ensuing penalty shoot-out 4–2 to win their third World Cup, and first since 1986.

Argentina became the second team after Spain in 2010 to win the World Cup after losing their opening game. France became the first team to score three goals in a World Cup final and lose. Messi was named the man of the match, and won the Golden Ball as FIFA's best player of the tournament. The match was ranked by pundits and fans alike as one of the greatest World Cup finals, and one of the greatest matches in the history of the sport. [4]

Background

Argentina had won the World Cup twice before, in 1978 and 1986. [5] They had also finished as losing finalists thrice, in 1930, 1990 and 2014. After the 2014 final loss, they went on to lose two consecutive Copa América finals to Chile, in 2015 and 2016. After a string of disappointing performances in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where they lost to eventual champions France in the first knockout round, and the 2019 Copa América, [6] where they finished third, newly appointed coach Lionel Scaloni led Argentina to their first international title since the 1993 Copa América: Argentina defeated Brazil 1–0 in the 2021 Copa América Final, handing captain Lionel Messi his first international title with Argentina. [7] [8] After winning the 2022 Finalissima, beating European champions Italy 3–0, [9] Argentina entered Qatar as one of the favourites to win. [10] [11]

France were the defending champions from the 2018 World Cup, which made this the first time since the 2002 final in which a team had consecutive appearances at the finals, and the first since 1998 in which the title holders qualified for the subsequent final – both feats achieved by Brazil. France had claimed two World Cups, in 1998 and 2018. The French also reached the 2006 final, but fell to Italy on penalties. Under the management of Didier Deschamps, who won the 1998 tournament as a player, the French failed to conquer the 2014 World Cup and UEFA Euros 2016 and 2020, but successfully clinched the 2018 World Cup title. [12] [13] Due to their status as the world champions, France also entered Qatar as one of the favourites to win. [14] France aimed to emulate the achievement of Italy in 1934 and 1938 and Brazil in 1958 and 1962 as the third country to successfully defend the World Cup title. Deschamps was seeking to become the second manager to win two men's FIFA World Cup titles, after Vittorio Pozzo with Italy in 1934 and 1938. [15] Having won the 1998 tournament as a player, Deschamps was also seeking to become the third person to win three FIFA World Cup titles, after Brazilian legends Pelé (all as a player) and Mário Zagallo (two as a player, one as a manager). [16] [17]

The two nations met in the knockout stage for the second straight World Cup. In 2018 in Russia at the Kazan Arena in the round of 16, France won the encounter 4–3 in what The Independent called "one of the greatest World Cup games of all time". [18] Antoine Griezmann opened the scoring with a penalty before Ángel Di María and Gabriel Mercado put Argentina in front, with France then scoring the next three goals courtesy of Benjamin Pavard's volley outside of the box – which was later voted as the goal of the tournament [19] – and then Kylian Mbappé twice. [20] Sergio Agüero reduced the deficit to one in stoppage time, but Argentina was unable to equalise and send the match to extra time. [21]

The match ball for the 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-finals, third place match and final was announced on 11 December 2022. It was a variation of the Adidas Al Rihla used in the rest of the tournament named the Adidas Al-Hilm, meaning "The Dream" in Arabic, a reference to every nation's dream of lifting the FIFA World Cup. [22] Whilst the technical aspects of the ball are the same, the colour is different from the Al-Rihla balls used in the group stages and preceding knockout games, with a Gold Metallic, maroon, Collegiate Burgundy, and red design, a reference to the national colours of host nation Qatar and the golden colours shared by the final's venue Lusail Stadium and the FIFA World Cup Trophy. It is the fifth special ball for FIFA World Cup final matches, after the +Teamgeist Berlin, [23] Jo'bulani, [24] Brazuca Final Rio, [25] and Telstar Mechta. [26]

Venue

The final was played at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, located about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of the city centre of Doha. [27] The stadium was intended to host the final as part of Qatar's World Cup bid, [28] and was confirmed as the final venue on 15 July 2020. [29] The stadium was allocated to also host nine previous World Cup matches, with six in the group stage and three other knockout fixtures. [30]

Lusail Stadium, owned by the Qatar Football Association, was built as part of Qatar's winning bid for the World Cup. The stadium was designed by British firm Foster and Partners and Populous, [31] supported by MANICA Architecture. [32] The stadium uses solar power to be cooled and is claimed to have a carbon zero footprint. [33] Construction began in April 2017, [34] and was planned to finish in 2020. Completion of the stadium was postponed, with construction ultimately finished in November 2021. [35] The stadium hosted its first match, the Lusail Super Cup, on 9 September 2022, [36] later than expected. [37]

Route to the final

Argentina

Argentina's route to the final
OpponentResult
1Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia 1–2
2Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 2–0
3Flag of Poland.svg  Poland 2–0
R16Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 2–1
QFFlag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
2–2 (a.e.t.)
(4–3 p)
SFFlag of Croatia.svg  Croatia 3–0

Drawn in group C and coming off a three-year, 36-game-long unbeaten streak, [38] Argentina were defeated in their opening game 2–1 by Saudi Arabia. [39] [40] Lionel Messi's opener from the penalty spot was followed by several disallowed Argentina goals which were ruled offside. [41] Immediately after half-time, Saudi Arabia stunned Argentina with two goals from Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari in a span of five minutes before shutting out any further attempts by the South Americans in a disciplined defensive performance. [42] However, the Argentines bounced back from the shock loss to overcome Mexico 2–0 after a long-range effort by Messi who then assisted Enzo Fernández for the second, reigniting their World Cup hopes. [43] Boosted by the win, Argentina then beat Poland with the same scoreline with goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Julián Álvarez despite a first-half penalty miss from Messi, taking first place in Group C and condemning both Mexico and Saudi Arabia to World Cup elimination. [44]

In the round of 16, the Argentines found themselves matched against group D runners-up Australia; Messi's first-ever knockout-stage goal was followed by an astute goal by Álvarez, who intercepted Australian goalkeeper Mathew Ryan to finish into an empty net as Argentina overcame Australia 2–1, despite an own goal from Fernández creating a frantic finish which required a late save from point-blank range by Emiliano Martínez. [45] Continuing a rivalry, they proceed to square off against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals. In a controversial match noted for its dramatic nature, chaotic atmosphere, and fury between both teams, [46] [47] it saw Argentina lead by two goals coming from Nahuel Molina and a penalty from Messi, but succumbed to two late goals by Wout Weghorst as regulation time ended 2–2 after 90 minutes; neither could find the breakthrough in extra time and penalties were used to decide the winner. Emiliano Martínez saved the first two Dutch penalties from Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis, while only Fernández missed for Argentina as Lautaro Martínez scored the decisive last kick of the game, a result reminiscent of their 2014 most recent, also knockout stage meeting and sending them through the semi-finals, as they meet 2018 runners up Croatia. [48] [49] In a rematch of the 2018 encounter when Croatia had won 3–0, Argentina decisively beat Croatia by the same scoreline. Lionel Messi scored a first-half penalty before Álvarez scored a solo effort five minutes later. Messi then assisted Álvarez for his double in the second half, as Argentina booked their place in the final for the second time in eight years. [50]

France

France's route to the final
OpponentResult
1Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 4–1
2Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 2–1
3Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia 0–1
R16Flag of Poland.svg  Poland 3–1
QFFlag of England.svg  England 2–1
SFFlag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 2–0

France started their World Cup campaign as the defending world champions, having won the most recent tournament in Russia, and was drawn in group D. Their first meeting was against AFC representative Australia. The French suffered a shock deficit after nine minutes due to a goal by Craig Goodwin, but were able to stage a comeback with a double from Olivier Giroud together with goals from Adrien Rabiot and Kylian Mbappé to win 4–1. [51] Empowered by the win, France overcame a highly organised and threatening Denmark side with Mbappé striking twice in the second half, despite conceding an equaliser from Andreas Christensen. France won 2–1 and became the first team to progress to the knockout stage of the World Cup in Qatar and the first European world champions to do so since 1994. [52] With progression assured, France rotated most of their team, resting their key players for the final game against a desperate Tunisia; France resultantly lost 1–0 courtesy of a goal by French-born Wahbi Khazri before having an equaliser by Antoine Griezmann disallowed. France maintained top of the group due to a superior goal difference over Australia. [53]

In the round of 16, France overcame group C runners-up Poland 3–1 with goals from Giroud and Mbappé, despite conceding a late penalty from Robert Lewandowski. [54] The quarter-finals saw France battling old rivals England in a tense match, with France defeating England 2–1 with goals from Aurélien Tchouaméni and Giroud; England found an equaliser for 1–1 courtesy of a penalty by Harry Kane but a second penalty to equalise the game was missed by Kane, granting France a place in the semi-finals. [55] France then faced the biggest underdog of the tournament, Morocco, who had beaten both Iberian representatives Spain and Portugal in the process; the French were able to end the history-making run by the African nation with two goals from Théo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani. France reached their second consecutive World Cup final for the first time in their history. [56]

Pre-match

Szymon Marciniak officiated the final. SzymonMarciniakReferee.jpg
Szymon Marciniak officiated the final.

Polish referee Szymon Marciniak was named as the referee of the final on 15 December 2022, with fellow Poles Paweł Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz appointed as assistant referees. [57] [58] Marciniak became a FIFA referee in 2011 [59] and had previously served as a referee at the UEFA Euro 2016 and 2018 FIFA World Cup, as well as during the 2018 UEFA Super Cup. [58] Earlier in the tournament, Marciniak officiated the France–Denmark group stage game, as well as the Argentina–Australia match in the round of 16. It was the first time that a Polish referee led the team of officials at a World Cup final, and the second time that a Polish referee was included among the officials during such a match, after Michał Listkiewicz (father of Marciniak's assistant Tomasz) served as a linesman during the 1990 FIFA World Cup final. [58]

Lalii en 2017.png
Farrah El-Dibany cropped.jpg
Prior to the match, Lali Espósito (left) and Farrah Eldibany sang the Argentine and French national anthems, respectively.

Ismail Elfath and Kathryn Nesbitt of the United States were appointed as fourth official and reserve assistant referee, respectively, [60] while another Pole, Tomasz Kwiatkowski, led the video assistant referee team. [57] Venezuelan Juan Soto served as assistant video assistant referee, American Kyle Atkins was the offside video assistant referee, and the role of support video assistant referee was assigned to Mexican Fernando Guerrero. [57] German Bastian Dankert and American Corey Parker served as stand-by video assistant referee and stand-by assistant video assistant referee, respectively. [61] [60]

Several heads of state were in attendance, among them Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and French president Emmanuel Macron. Various members of the FIFA Council and FIFA president Gianni Infantino were also in attendance. [62] Argentine head of state Alberto Fernández did not attend after having reportedly refused to travel to Qatar due to potential political backlash. [63] [64] However, Chiqui Tapia, the President of the Argentine Football Association was present in the final. [65]

The tournament's closing ceremony was held prior to the start of the match; it featured a collaboration between Puerto Rican singer Ozuna and French singer Gims. Also performing were Nora Fatehi, Balqees, Rahma Riad and Manal. [66]

The winners trophy was unveiled by World Cup winning captain Iker Casillas and Indian actress Deepika Padukone. [67]

Argentine singer Lali Espósito sang the "Argentine National Anthem" [68] and Egyptian mezzo-soprano Farrah Eldibany sang the French national anthem, "La Marseillaise", before the match. [69]

Match

Summary

Argentina captain Lionel Messi (pictured during a group stage match) was named man of the match. Lionel-Messi-Argentina-2022-FIFA-World-Cup (cropped).jpg
Argentina captain Lionel Messi (pictured during a group stage match) was named man of the match.

First half

France kicked off the match at 18:00 local time (15:00 UTC) in front of a crowd of 88,966. [70] Argentina were awarded a penalty in the 23rd minute when Ángel Di María was fouled in the penalty area by Ousmane Dembélé as Di María cut in from the left. Lionel Messi scored the penalty with a low shot to the right corner. In the 36th minute, Di Maria finished a sweeping Argentina counter-attack to make it 2–0, shooting with his left foot over the goalkeeper to the right corner of the net after a pass from Alexis Mac Allister from the right. [71] France made two early substitutions near the end of the first half and went into half-time trailing 0–2. [72]

Second half

French winger Kylian Mbappe (pictured during a group stage match) became the second player in history to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final. 2022 FIFA World Cup France 4-1 Australia - (7) (cropped).jpg
French winger Kylian Mbappé (pictured during a group stage match) became the second player in history to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final.

Argentina were on course for the win, controlling possession, and defensively shutting down France, who failed to make an attempt on goal until the 80th minute, at which point France was awarded a penalty after Randal Kolo Muani was brought down in the penalty area by Nicolás Otamendi. Kylian Mbappé scored the penalty low to the left corner, despite Emiliano Martínez getting a hand on the ball, making the game 2–1. 97 seconds later, Kingsley Coman tackled Messi right as the game restarted, starting a rapid counter-attack which finished with Mbappé first-time volleying a lofted pass from Marcus Thuram with his right foot as he was falling to the ground to the bottom-right corner of the net to make the game 2–2; Martínez again attempted to parry the ball but couldn't keep it out. Five minutes after Mbappé's equalizer, Thuram went down in the penalty box after slightly tripping on Enzo Fernández's leg, only to be booked for diving. Both teams came close to finishing the game near the end of added time as Adrien Rabiot fired a quick shot inside the box, forcing a fumbling save from Emiliano Martínez; then three minutes later Messi had a hard shot parried over the bar by Hugo Lloris. With the score tied at the end of regulation time, the match went to extra time.[ citation needed ]

Extra time

After first half of extra time finished goalless, notably highlighted by two one-on-one opportunities missed by Lautaro Martínez, [73] Messi scored again for Argentina in the second period of extra time when he finished from close range after Lloris had parried a shot from Lautaro Martínez on the right, in what seemed to be the winning goal. However, France was awarded a second penalty in the 118th minute after a shot by Mbappé hit the arm of Gonzalo Montiel. [73] Mbappé scored his third goal with his penalty kick to the left, sending Martínez the wrong way and becoming the second player to score a hat-trick in a men's World Cup final after Geoff Hurst for England in 1966. [72] In the 123rd minute, with 15 seconds of the extra time to spare, a loose ball fell to an unmarked Kolo Muani at the edge of the box, who shot low to the right of the goal; however, Emiliano Martínez blocked the shot with his left shin. Argentina counter-attacked immediately, ending with Lautaro Martínez heading wide of the goal from 10 yards. [72] France produced one last attack when Mbappé dribbled in the penalty box, passing three Argentina defenders, only for Paulo Dybala to make a timely clearance off the field. [74] The referee then blew the final whistle of extra time and the match went to a penalty shoot-out.

Penalty shoot-out

This was the third time the World Cup final would be decided on penalties. Mbappé and Messi successfully converted the first two attempts to begin the penalty shootout at 1–1. Argentina goalkeeper Martínez would continue to use the psychological tactics and means of gamesmanship that he utilized during the penalty shoot-outs in the quarter-final against the Netherlands. After delaying Kingsley Coman's attempt by arguing with the referee, Martínez then saved Coman's shot, which was down low to Martínez's right. [75] Dybala sent a shot into the net up the middle to give Argentina a 2–1 lead. Before Aurélien Tchouaméni's shot, Martínez picked up the ball and then threw it to the edge of the box. Tchouaméni then sent his shot wide of the goal to the left. [75] Leandro Paredes then scored to put France on the brink of defeat at 3–1. Kolo Muani kept France alive by scoring his chance and reducing France's deficit to 3–2; Martínez attempted to use his psychological tactics on Kolo Muani but was instead shown a yellow card. [76] Montiel was then given a chance to make up for his late handball by clinching the championship for Argentina. Montiel scored low to the left, securing the 4–2 penalty shoot-out victory for Argentina and giving them their third World Cup trophy and first since 1986. [77]

Details

Argentina  Flag of Argentina.svg3–3 (a.e.t.)Flag of France.svg  France
Report
Penalties
4–2
Lusail Stadium, Lusail
Attendance: 88,966
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

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Argentina
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France
GK23 Emiliano Martínez Yellow card.svg 120+5' (pso)
RB26 Nahuel Molina Sub off.svg 91'
CB13 Cristian Romero
CB19 Nicolás Otamendi
LB3 Nicolás Tagliafico Sub off.svg 120+1'
CM20 Alexis Mac Allister Sub off.svg 116'
DM24 Enzo Fernández Yellow card.svg 45+7'
CM7 Rodrigo De Paul Sub off.svg 102'
RW10 Lionel Messi (c)
ST9 Julián Álvarez Sub off.svg 102'
LW11 Ángel Di María Sub off.svg 64'
Substitutions:
MF8 Marcos Acuña Yellow card.svg 90+8'Sub on.svg 64'
DF4 Gonzalo Montiel Yellow card.svg 116'Sub on.svg 91'
MF5 Leandro Paredes Yellow card.svg 114'Sub on.svg 102'
FW22 Lautaro Martínez Sub on.svg 102'
DF6 Germán Pezzella Sub on.svg 116'
FW21 Paulo Dybala Sub on.svg 120+1'
Manager:
Lionel Scaloni
ARG-FRA 2022-12-18.svg
GK1 Hugo Lloris (c)
RB5 Jules Koundé Sub off.svg 120+1'
CB4 Raphaël Varane Sub off.svg 113'
CB18 Dayot Upamecano
LB22 Théo Hernandez Sub off.svg 71'
CM8 Aurélien Tchouaméni
CM14 Adrien Rabiot Yellow card.svg 55'Sub off.svg 96'
RW11 Ousmane Dembélé Sub off.svg 41'
AM7 Antoine Griezmann Sub off.svg 71'
LW10 Kylian Mbappé
ST9 Olivier Giroud Yellow card.svg 90+5'Sub off.svg 41'
Substitutions:
FW12 Randal Kolo Muani Sub on.svg 41'
FW26 Marcus Thuram Yellow card.svg 87'Sub on.svg 41'
FW20 Kingsley Coman Sub on.svg 71'
MF25 Eduardo Camavinga Sub on.svg 71'
MF13 Youssouf Fofana Sub on.svg 96'
DF24 Ibrahima Konaté Sub on.svg 113'
DF3 Axel Disasi Sub on.svg 120+1'
Manager:
Didier Deschamps

Man of the Match:
Lionel Messi (Argentina) [78]

Assistant referees:
Paweł Sokolnicki (Poland)
Tomasz Listkiewicz (Poland)
Fourth official:
Ismail Elfath (United States)
Reserve assistant referee:
Kathryn Nesbitt (United States)
Video assistant referee:
Tomasz Kwiatkowski (Poland)

Match rules [79]

Statistics

Post-match and legacy

Pundits, commentators, and audiences praised the intensity, stressful atmosphere, and thrilling back-and-forth nature of the match, highlighting the number of goals scored, and with many media outlets spotlighting it as a duel between Paris Saint-Germain teammates Messi and Mbappé. [82] [83] [84] [85] The match has since been hailed as one of the most exciting World Cup finals, and among the greatest football matches ever. [86] [87] [88] [89]

Fiesta en el Obelisco.jpg
Festejos en el Obelisco de Buenos Aires por la obtencion de la Copa del Mundo de Futbol 2022.jpg
Celebrations near the Obelisco (top) and all along Avenida 9 de Julio (bottom), in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, after the World Cup coronation.

With the victory, Argentina won their third FIFA World Cup title to surpass France and Uruguay, their titles ranking behind only Brazil's five and the four of Italy and Germany. They became the first South American and first non-European side to win the World Cup since Brazil in 2002, [90] and the first reigning champions of the Copa América to win the World Cup. [91] Having won on penalties against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, Argentina became the first team to have won on that method twice en route to the title. [92] It was the tenth World Cup title for a South American side, and the eighth South American victory in eleven finals facing European opposition. France became the third defending champions to lose in the following final, after Argentina in 1990 and Brazil in 1998. [93] The match was the third FIFA World Cup final to be decided by a penalty shoot-out, after 1994 and 2006, the latter of which France also lost to Italy. [94] This meant that France have never won on penalties in all competitions since the 1998 World Cup quarter-final against Italy. The six goals in the final brought the total number of goals in the tournament to a record 172, surpassing the 171 goals scored in 1998 and 2014. [95]

FIFA president Gianni Infantino was present on the pitch stage during the awards ceremony to hand out the medals and present the trophy to the Argentine captain Lionel Messi. He was joined by Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, French president Emmanuel Macron, Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia, French Football Federation president Noël Le Graët, CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez and UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin. [96] Sergio Batista and Nery Pumpido, World Cup winners with Argentina in 1986, brought the trophy onto the pitch for the ceremony. [97] Before being presented with the trophy by the Emir and Infantino, Messi was given a bisht to wear by the Emir prior to the trophy celebration. The trophy presentation had scenery unlike previous tournaments, with confetti replaced by pyrotechnics and lights with a backdrop of some orchestral cinematic music. [98]

Messi was named as the player of the match [78] and won his second Golden Ball award after 2014 as the best player of the tournament, becoming the first (and so far only) player to receive the award twice. [99] He also won the Silver Boot award with the second-most goals at the tournament, seven. [100] Messi's appearance in the final, his 26th World Cup game, meant he surpassed Lothar Matthäus as the player with the most appearances in the World Cup. [101] With his goals, Messi became the second player to score in the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final of a World Cup tournament, after Hungary's György Sárosi in 1938, and the only player to score in all of those knockout rounds as well as the group stage. [102] Having scored once in the previous final, Mbappé's hat-trick made him the highest-scoring player in the final of the World Cup with four goals, surpassing the three of Hurst, Pelé, Vavá and Zinedine Zidane. [103] In addition, with his three goals, he surpassed Messi to win the Golden Boot award as the top scorer of the tournament with eight goals, [100] the most in a World Cup since Brazil's Ronaldo in 2002, and also was awarded the Silver Ball as the second-best player of the World Cup. [104] Argentina's Emiliano Martínez won the Golden Glove award as the best goalkeeper of the tournament, while his teammate Enzo Fernández won the Young Player Award as the best player at the World Cup who is at most 21 (born on or after 1 January 2001). [99]

In Argentina, celebrations erupted across the country, most notably in the capital Buenos Aires and in Rosario, Messi's hometown. [105] On 20 December, the celebration in the streets of Buenos Aires after the arrival of the players of Argentina gathered a crowd estimated by local media at over four million people, forcing the team to be airlifted by helicopter out of their bus. [106] On 22 December, the French Football Federation confirmed to have lodged a formal complaint against the Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez for unsporting behaviour which included incidents such as a sarcastic prayer for silence for French forward Kylian Mbappé in the Argentine locker room after the match, as well as being seen holding and laughing at a toy with a facial cut of Mbappé's face stuck to it during the Argentine victory parade. [107] [108] In France, riots erupted across the country in cities including Paris, Lyon and Nice; [109] these were very similar to those after their victory in 2018, as well as after victories against England and Morocco earlier in the tournament. Some French players like Kingsley Coman, Randal Kolo Muani and Aurélien Tchouaméni were racially abused online due to their performances by their own fans. [110] Within 48 hours of Messi posting, the Instagram post with the World Cup trophy had surpassed 75 million likes, and in doing so, it became the most-liked social media post ever across all social media platforms surpassing the previous most-liked Instagram post, the world record egg. [111] [112]

See also

Notes

  1. Each team was given only three opportunities to make substitutions, with a fourth opportunity in extra time, excluding substitutions made at half-time, before the start of extra time and at half-time in extra time.
  2. Emiliano Martínez did not foul a French player, but received a yellow card foul due to unsporting behaviour, which counts as a team foul.

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Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record eight Ballon d'Or awards, a record six European Golden Shoes, and was named the world's best player for a record eight times by FIFA. Until leaving the club in 2021, he had spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he won a club-record 34 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles, and the UEFA Champions League four times. With his country, he won the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. A prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most goals in La Liga (474), most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions League (eight), and most assists in La Liga (192) and the Copa América (17). He also has the most international goals by a South American male (106). Messi has scored over 800 senior career goals for club and country, and has the most goals by a player for a single club (672).

As of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, 80 national teams have competed at the finals of the FIFA World Cup. Brazil is the only team to have appeared in all 22 tournaments to date, with Germany having participated in 20, Italy and Argentina in 18 and Mexico in 17. Eight nations have won the tournament. The inaugural winners in 1930 were Uruguay; the current champions are Argentina. The most successful nation is Brazil, which has won the cup on five occasions. Five teams have appeared in FIFA World Cup finals without winning, while twelve more have appeared in the semi-finals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argentina at the FIFA World Cup</span> History of the Argentina national team at the World Cup

This is a record of Argentina's results at the FIFA World Cup. Argentina is one of the most successful teams in the tournament's history, having won three World Cups: in 1978, 1986, and 2022. Argentina has also been runner-up three times: in 1930, 1990 and 2014. In 18 World Cup tournaments, Argentina has 47 victories in 88 matches. The team was present in all but four of the World Cups, being behind only Brazil and Germany in number of appearances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 FIFA World Cup</span> Association football tournament in Qatar

The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in 2010. It was the first World Cup to be held in the Arab world and Muslim world, and the second held entirely in Asia after the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lusail Stadium</span> Association football stadium in Lusail, Qatar

Lusail Stadium is a football stadium in Lusail, Qatar. Owned by the Qatar Football Association, it is the largest stadium in Qatar and the Middle East by capacity; one of eight stadiums built for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, it hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup final game between Argentina and France on 18 December 2022. It is currently the second largest football stadium in Asia but eventually will reduce its current capacity of 88,966 to 40,000 in the near future.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franco Armani</span> Argentine footballer (born 1986)

Franco Armani is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Argentine Primera División club River Plate. He was a member of the Argentina team that won the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emiliano Martínez</span> Argentine footballer (born 1992)

Damián Emiliano Martínez Romero is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Aston Villa and the Argentina national team. Throughout his career, he has gained a reputation for specializing in penalty shoot-outs and saving penalty kicks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Mateu Lahoz</span> Spanish football referee (born 1977)

Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz is a Spanish retired association football referee who refereed La Liga matches from 2008 until 2023. He is also a former international referee with experience in several editions of the FIFA World Cup. He is known for his talkative and "quirky" approach to refereeing: The Guardian has described him as the football star "who doesn't actually play but doesn't half perform".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leandro Paredes</span> Argentine footballer (born 1994)

Leandro Daniel Paredes is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Serie A club Roma and the Argentina national team. He was part of the Argentina squad that won the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">France at the FIFA World Cup</span> Overview of France at the FIFA World Cup

This is a record of France's results at the FIFA World Cup. France was one of the four European teams that participated at the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and have appeared in 16 FIFA World Cups, tied for the sixth most of any country. The national team is one of eight to have won the FIFA World Cup title and one of only six to have done so more than once.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kylian Mbappé</span> French footballer (born 1998)

Kylian Mbappé Lottin is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the France national team. Regarded as one of the best players in the world, he is known for his dribbling, speed, and finishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lautaro Martínez</span> Argentinian footballer (born 1997)

Lautaro Javier Martínez is an Argentine professional footballer who plays primarily as a striker for Serie A club Inter Milan, whom he captains for and the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the world, he is known for his work rate, positioning inside the box, link play and finishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gonzalo Montiel</span> Argentine footballer (born 1997)

Gonzalo Ariel Montiel is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as right-back for Premier League club Nottingham Forest, on loan from La Liga club Sevilla, and the Argentina national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 FIFA World Cup final</span> World Cup final, held in Russia

The 2018 FIFA World Cup final was the final match of the 2018 World Cup, the 21st edition of FIFA's competition for national football teams. The match was played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia, on 15 July 2018, and was contested by France and Croatia. The tournament comprised hosts Russia and 31 other teams who emerged from the qualification phase, organised by the six FIFA confederations. The 32 teams competed in a group stage, from which 16 teams qualified for the knockout stage. En route to the final, France finished first in Group C, with two wins and a draw, after which they defeated Argentina in the round of 16, Uruguay in the quarter-final and Belgium in the semi-final. Croatia finished top of Group D with three wins, before defeating Denmark in the round of 16 and Russia in the quarter-final – both through a penalty shoot-out – and then England in the semi-final. The final took place in front of 78,011 supporters, with more than 1.1 billion watching on television, and was refereed by Néstor Pitana from Argentina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Copa América final</span> International football match

The 2021 Copa América final was a football match to determine the winners of the 2021 Copa América. The match was the 47th final of the Copa América, a quadrennial tournament contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of CONMEBOL. The match was held at Estádio do Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 10 July 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 FIFA World Cup Group C</span>

Group C of the 2022 FIFA World Cup took place from 22 to 30 November 2022. The group consisted of eventual champions Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland. The top two teams, Argentina and Poland, advanced to the round of 16. This marked the first time that Mexico did not advance past the first round since 1978.

The knockout stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup was the second and final stage of the competition, following the group stage. Played from 3 to 18 December, the knockout stage ended with the final, held at Lusail Stadium in Lusail. The top two teams from each group advanced to the knockout stage to compete in a single-elimination tournament. There were 16 matches in the knockout stage, including a third place play-off played between the two losing teams of the semi-finals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Lusail</span> Quarter-final match between Argentina and the Netherlands in 2022 FIFA World Cup

The Battle of Lusail is the nickname of a football match played in the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup between the Netherlands and Argentina at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail on 9 December 2022. Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz issued a FIFA World Cup record 18 yellow cards and one red card, setting a new record for cautions at any FIFA-administered international tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argentina–Netherlands football rivalry</span>

The Argentina–Netherlands football rivalry is a highly competitive sports rivalry that exists between the national football teams of the two countries, as well as their respective sets of fans.

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