Bravo football! Argentina and France had arranged one of the best finals in the history of the game

Viktor Levin

If the football game consisted of one half, then according to the results of the first half of the final match between the national teams of Argentina and France, one could say that teams from different leagues were playing - the advantage of the blue and white over the blue was so undeniable and obvious. The position of the reigning world champions was best shown by a double substitution in the 41st minute. Coach Duchamp removed the best striker of all time, Olivier Giroud, and one of the best wingers of this World Cup, Ousmane Dumbelet.

Football team of France in the first half did not inflict a single blow on the opponents' goal. Statistical portal Opta reported that this is an anti-record of the world championships.

So Duchamp could replace both Mbappe and Griezmann, who were blocked by Argentine pressure for all 45 + 7 added minutes.

Meanwhile, on the left flank of the Argentines, Angel de Maria worked wonders. At first, he earned a penalty, which Lionel Messi scored with enviable composure and accuracy, and then - after a pass from the same Messi - scored himself.

Along the way Lionel Messi, having scored his 12th goal, entered the top 5 top scorers in the history of the World Cup, catching up with the legendary Brazilian Pele in this indicator. (Only four players have more goals scored in World Cups: Miroslav Klose (16), Ronaldo (15), Gerd Müller (14), Just Fontaine (13).

The second half began according to the scenario of the first. Until the 80th minute, the world champions did not succeed at all. In the 70th minute, the inconsolable and useless Griezmann went to the bench... However, France soon earned a penalty. And with the same killer skill as Messi, he slammed it into Mbappe's net.

And this is where the teams switch places. The best striker of the French Championship, the Champions League and the World Cup 2022, who woke up, equalized the score! Argentines were blown away before our eyes. The iron pressure disappeared somewhere, the accuracy of the passes decreased, and insidious gaps suddenly appeared in the defense, hitherto impenetrable. An attempt to attack again at the very end of the half did not give anything to the blue and white.

Well, in stoppage time ... another miracle happened. Commentators have already called the best overtime in the history of football. Because the Argentine national team, gathered with courage, scored a “labor” goal and, of course, in the performance of the brilliant Messiah. Well, what did the French say at 115 minutes? Penalty from the young genius Mbappe, who ended up with a historic hat-trick. However, to increase the score even more, despite the exciting mutual attacks of the last minutes, one-on-one exits did not give any result.

Of course, in the penalty shootout, Mbappe, who shot first, scored his fourth year in the match, and Messi - the third.

But in general, in the penalty shootout, the Argentine players were more accurate - 4-2.

The victory, in our opinion, is completely fair, given that the great Messi will end his career as a world champion - with the only title that Lionel has not been given before.

By the way, thanks to the excellent strikers, the 2022 World Cup broke the performance record in the history of world championships.

In the final match of the tournament, the national teams of Argentina and France scored three goals by the end of extra time. Thanks to this, the total number of goals in the tournament reached 172 - this is the highest figure among all the World Cups.

Previously, two championships were the most productive - in France in 1998 and Brazil in 2014, when the teams scored 171 times in total.