The World Cup Finale without Messi: Argentina’s Last Game after the Saudi Arabian Outbreak and the Finale of the 2010 World Cup
The South American side was expected to brush aside its opponent, ranked 48 places below them in the world standings, and fans had come in droves to watch Messi put on a masterclass in what he says will be his last tournament.
But the Argentine captain was overshadowed by arguably the biggest upset in World Cup history and, as Saudi Arabia celebrated its win, Messi trudged down the tunnel with a face of thunder.
As many of his teammates ran past reporters on the way to the bus, Lionel Messi spoke to the media as well.
In the grand scheme of the tournament, a loss in the opening match isn’t necessarily the end of the world – after all, Spain won the 2010 World Cup after losing its opening match of the tournament to Switzerland.
Argentina will still likely qualify for the knockout rounds if it wins both of its next games against Poland and Mexico but the defeat was felt particularly hard at home.
Thousands of people in blue and white shirts sang Messi’s name while they went to the game and continued to celebrate their hero as he gracedQatar with a penalty in the opening 10 minutes.
Constantly trying to give Messi the ball, is not the Argentina of old. The team of hard-working players kept the game going until Messi decided he wanted to influence the game.
CNN was told by fans that after Messi went missing they asked the volunteers if they had seen him.
Jubilant fans leaving the stadium took the Metro back into downtown Doha where celebrations continued, many singing until their voices started to break.
“Unbelievable Final” – The First Mass Brawl of a World Cup Champion for Argentine captain Lionel Messi
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud subsequently ordered a national public holiday for Wednesday as the world came to terms with such an unexpected result.
The dream of Argentina captain Lionel Messi to guide his country to World Cup glory will stay alive until the last day of the event, in which they defeated Croatia in Tuesday’s semifinal.
The Netherlands was two goals up with eight minutes to go, but they were unable to hold on as Wout Weghorst scored twice in the extra time to bring the game to extra time.
Martinez has made a name for himself as an expert in penalty shootouts, saving three in Argentina’s Copa America semifinal against Colombia last year, and further cemented his place as an Argentine hero in Qatar.
After Enzo Fernandez missed the first penalty that would have given Argentina victory, Lautaro Martinez stepped up and hammered home the winning spot kick to send the thousands of Argentine fans inside the Lusail Stadium into delirium.
The players remained on the pitch, basking in the adulation of their delirious fans, who will no doubt be celebrating long into the night in the middle of the ocean.
We are breathless up here. It was just an unbelievable final. It was great to be here. I’ve never seen anything like it I don’t think I will ever see anything like that again. Alan Shearer, the former England international, was a guest on the programme.
Spanish referee Mateu Lahoz, known for his eccentricity and enjoyment of the limelight, certainly added to the drama, dishing out an numerous yellow cards, including one in the shootout, as he struggled to keep control of the game.
The first mass brawl occurred after Leandro Paredes smashed a ball into the Netherlands bench at the side of the pitch.
This match will undoubtedly go down as an all-time World Cup classic, but Argentina will quickly need to bring itself down back to earth ahead of the semifinal against knockout specialist Croatia.
The 35-year-old Messi has done everything within his powers to ensure Argentina had the best chance possible to win a first World Cup title since 1986.
Even though Argentina is seen as a favorite to win the tournament, having Lionel Messi in the team means anything is possible at any time.
Under head coach Lionel Scaloni, a former Argentine international, the team is in a better place than it has been for some quite some time and in 2021 won the Copa America, the national team’s first major trophy since 1993 and Messi’s first in the famous blue and white shirt.
However, Argentina was yet to put together a convincing 90 minutes in Qatar and defensive frailties that has hindered it in recent years undoubtedly remain.
The Dutch, meanwhile, failed to impress in the group stages but were greatly improved in the 3-1 round of 16 win over the the United States Men’s National Team and Memphis Depay’s opener in that game, a patient, probing team move, is without question one of the best goals of the tournament so far.
This was the sixth World Cup meeting between these two teams and this fixture has provided plenty of history over the years. The rivalry was ready for another player to write their name in soccer folklore, from Mario Kempes inspired victory in the 1978 final to Dennis Bergkamp stunning goal in the 1998 quarterfinals.
The Argentina captain played an absurd reverse pass into the path of Molina, who took a touch and poked the ball past Andries Noppert.
Replays showed Messi didn’t once look up to see Molina’s run; how he saw the pass, let alone played it, only he will know. Even when you think you have seen all of it, Messi still finds a way to leave holes in your mind.
With both side’s feeling the effects of the scintillating finale, Messi looked to have scored a winner in the 108th minute but Mbappé, yet again, replied with an equalizer from the spot to take the game to penalties.
Having offered so little for more than 80 minutes, the Netherlands opted to hammer long ball after long ball towards the Argentina penalty area, aiming for the 6 feet 6 inch substitute Weghorst and Virgil Van Dijk.
It looked as though either Cody Gakpo or Teun Koopmeiners were going to take a shot at goal, but the latter played an ingenious pass into Weghorst, who turned his defender and slotted the ball past Martinez.
Unexpected moments of Cristiano Messi and his legacy in the final whistle: Argentina walked away from a World Cup winner with a brane
That goal sparked wild scenes as the entire Netherlands bench emptied to celebrate by the corner flag, silencing the thousands of Argentina fans that had been so boisterous throughout the game.
It was an almost inconceivable turn of events with Weghorst, who struggled to make an impact at Burnley and is currently loaned out to Besiktas, temporarily putting a halt to Messi’s seemingly inevitable march towards a World Cup title.
Argentina got two first-half goals, the first a Messi penalty and the second a solo effort, from which Croatia never looked like recovering.
Messi spent parts of the game feeling his left hamstring, though you wouldn’t have guessed he was in any discomfort by the way his mazy, twisting run bamboozled Joško Gvardiol, one of this tournament’s best defenders, to create Argentina’s third goal.
“Messi has always lived in the shadow of Diego Maradona, the leader of our last World Cup-winning team in 1986,” Ardiles wrote in the UK’s Daily Mail. “He could never escape the similarities. They are both No. 10s, both the best players in the world, both left footed and both capable of magical, extraordinary moments.
He’s now matched his hero Diego Maradona, who guided Argentina to the World Cup 36 years ago, and further staked his claim as the greatest player in history.
In their support of the team, there are an estimated 40,000 Argentines traveling to the tournament in order to watch the final.
The Argentina bench and coaching staff were singing and chanting from the stands after the final whistle as they watched the victory go beyond doubt.
Algerian vs. Croatia in the final of the World Cup: a match between Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé
Messi and Modri have both led their countries to lose World Cup finals and this would be their last chance to win it.
Though Croatia started the match marginally the better of the two teams, these players had played as many minutes as were possible so far in Qatar, winning against Japan and Brazil on penalties following two energy-sapping spells of extra time.
In the biggest matches, Luka Modri and his teammates have become battle-hardened and have been a part of arguably the best in Qatar.
Argentina, similarly, has also improved as the tournament has gone on – though it was hardly able to get any worse after that stunning defeat to Saudi Arabia.
The team that took the field that day is almost indistinguishable from the one that they will play on Sunday.
That proved to be the case for Croatia as, surprisingly, Modrić of all people gave the ball away in midfield and Gvardiol failed to track Alvarez, leaving Dominik Livakovic – twice Croatia’s shootout in Qatar – exposed one-on-one against the Manchester City forward.
After Borna Sosa gave away a poor cross into the box, it led to a counter attack which ended with a goal by Alejandro in the 72nd minute.
Only a stunning reflex save from Livakovic prevented the score getting any worse for Croatia before half time, but it would take something extra special, even for a team that is used to conjuring footballing miracles, to come back from this one.
However, Croatia offered little going forward in the second half, a combination of weary attacking play and stout Argentine defending, and its stay of execution lasted until the 70th minute.
After a month of unpredictable results, we are left with two World Cup heavyweights going head-to-head in a mouthwatering final as reigning champion France faces two-time champion Argentina Sunday.
Both Argentina and France played to their strengths with two gifted individuals, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, who have delivered many times.
Lionel Scaloni said that he had watched a lot of people back home watching the semifinal and celebrating.
“Of course we know what Lionel Messi means in the history of football, but this is a match between France [and Argentina] at the end of the day and there are some very good players in the two squads.”
France will look to Mbappé to light the spark on Sunday after a less-than-ideal build-up to the game. Several players, including central defensive pair Ibrahima Konaté and Raphaël Varane, as well as midfielder Adrien Rabiot, were infected with a virus that has hit the French camp.
Konaté, Varane and winger Kingsley Coman all missed collective training on Friday, and Deschamps said there was no further update to give on the eve of the game.
Messi and Mbappe have different roles in forward goals at the 2018 World Cup, but what do they tell us about their players?
Both sides were close to scoring in extra time but Messi poked the ball over the line. But Mbappé wasn’t done, and the 23-year-old completed his hattrick from the penalty spot in front of a stunned stadium.
He has scored five goals and contributed to two more at this tournament, compared to the one goal and one assist he had at this tournament last year.
His influence has been felt as he has not scored in the previous two games. He was crucial to both France Goals in the 2-0 win against Casablanca.
The last two tournaments of this World Cup have both been won by Messi and Mbappé, and each they have scored eleven goals.
The last time the two teams played was at the 2018 World Cup. France came out on top with a 4-3 win in the best game of the tournament, which they played in the round of 16.
Argentina has had a much higher percent of possession across the tournament, but showed that against the best teams, it prefers to have less of the ball.
When Les Bleus are playing counter- attacking football, they look at their best. Using Giroud’s strength and Mbappé’s speed, the French can dominate any defense on the transition.
Argentina is not as quick in moving the ball from defense to attack, but similarly the team prefers to keep the opposition at arm’s length, rather than try control the game with the ball.
Both teams will control the ball for periods of the game, but will also allow other teams to take control at other times.
Instead the questions will center more around those individuals. Can Argentina hold onto the ball to prevent him from running into it? Can France stop Messi receiving the ball around its own box?
The players have intangible achievements, which are often overlooked, including how they stir up the fans and make them feel as if they are on the pitch.
What did Messi think about winning the World Cup? He told TVP: ‘What has happened in Argentina’s 20th birthday?’
The journalist from national broadcaster TVP decided to have a message for Messi after the win over Croatia, instead of asking him a question.
Argentina’s President,Alberto Fernndez, thanked the players and coaching team. They are the example that we should not give up. That we have great people and a bright future.
There is no child who doesn’t own a jersey, a real one or a fake one, you have touched everyone’s lives and for me, winning the World Cup is more important than that. Nobody can take that away from you.
The three defeats in major finals in the space of three years hurt Messi so he announced his retirement from football.
The rumor that Messi had even considered representing Spain over Argentina persisted, despite numerous denials. According to Messi, he never doubted for a second.
The most common moment in which people felt that was in the year 2011 and that is why, if I had to choose, it would be theCopa America. There were a lot of hopes for that team and specifically for Messi, who had just come off winning the Champions League in emphatic fashion for Barcelona – and in the quarterfinals they were playing in his province in Santa Fe.
Fans staged marches and demonstrations in the streets, train and road signs were changed and Mauricio Macri personally called Messi to try and convince him to change his mind
He has nothing to do with anyone at this point. “He even broke that 28-year drought with Argentina when they won the Copa America, which already has cemented him at a very important place in the country’s history by helping, being crucial towards winning finally an international title with the national team.
If he wins the World Cup, I believe he can match him without the World Cup, but the arguments of those who say that he doesn’t just become pointless will be different.
Former Argentina midfielder Ossie Ardiles, who was in the team for the country’s World Cup victory in 1978, says these comparisons, though perhaps unfair, are unavoidable.
“And yet they were very different in terms of personality. Diego was very forceful, charismatic and sometimes aggressive. Messi was almost timid and wouldn’t say much. People were always looking for a leader like Maradona and Messi wasn’t that person.”
If you ask them, they’ll probably say that Messi won’t reach that because he wasn’t the same person as Maradona.
Lionel Messi and his teammates were made to suffer, but ultimately they got their hands on the World Cup trophy after beating France on penalties in arguably the greatest final in the tournament’s history.
Messi then looked to have scored an extra-time winner with his second of the game but Mbappé, with the bit between his teeth, forced the match into penalties after completing his hattrick from the spot in the 118th minute.
In the quarterfinals of the tournament, he saved two penalties and was also named the tournament’s goalkeeper.
He made a wonderful save in the final moments of extra time when it looked like he would score the winning goal.
The Sound of Lionel Messi versus Gonzalo Montiel: It’s the World Cup Final for the Ages
The sound in the stadium was captured when Lionel Messi lifted the trophy. Or the calmness with which Kylian Mbappé slotted a penalty to equalize in extra time?
My god, it’s the world cup. This game is a gorgeous, evil curse. Ryan Reynolds loves it so much he wanted to stop after Messi scored the winning goal in extra time.
What a great game man. If someone still doesn’t think this is the best sport ever…,” former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas tweeted as the players lined up to take penalties.
France’s Kingsley Coman saw his spot kick saved by Emiliano Martínez, who was named as the tournament’s best goalkeeper, and Aurélien Tchouaméni pulled his effort wide before Gonzalo Montiel secured Argentina’s third World Cup title and a first since 1986.
Telemundo’s commentator Andrés Cantor simply repeated: “Argentina es campeón del mundo” – Argentina is world champion – as he called the winning moment, hugging his co-commentator Claudio Borghi and his voice cracking with emotion.
Former England striker Michael Owen tweeted: “Congratulations Argentina. Incredible game. It should be the best ever final. Messi puts the top hat on an unbelievable career but spare a thought Mbappe, a hat trick in a World Cup final yet goes home empty handed.”
France’s Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne also tweeted, saying: “Thank you Les Bleus! We have been watching you all, just until the end. Thank you for the adventure, thank you for the game, and thank you for making us dream.
It was a final for the ages, with momentum swinging both ways throughout a pulsating 120 minutes before Gonzalo Montiel scored the winning penalty after the game had finished 3-3 after extra time.
Messi and Mbappé reunited in the first group stage of a World Cup final after Deschamps’s death
The opening stages were dominated by Messi, with him picking up pockets of space and intigating attacks, while Mbappé didn’t see much of the ball.
According to Opta, Messi was the first player to score in the group stage, round of 16, quaterfinals, semifinals and final of a single World Cup.
France manager Didier Deschamps wasted no time in changing things, substituting Olivier Giroud and Dembele before half-time, but it initially made little difference as Argentina continued its domination into the second half.
But just when it looked like the trophy was heading to Argentina, France was handed a lifeline after Randal Kolo Muani was brought down in the box and talisman Mbappé, who was peripheral for much of the match, scored the resulting penalty in the 80th minute.