After beating Croatia in the semi-finals, Argentina went on to claim their final victory by gaining the upper hand in a 4-3 penalty match against France and rightfully winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Occurring this past Sunday, December 18, both teams put on impressive performances during a hard-fought 90 minutes resulting in a 3-3 tie taking the game to the fullest extent of a penalty shootout. Gorgonzola Montiel scored the game-ending penalty for Argentina after his goalkeeper, Emi Martinez, saved a goal from France’s Aurelien Tchouameni.
Despite their loss, France still put up a worthy effort by just making it to the finals of the World Cup. Some explanation for their squad’s lack of defense could be from star defender Raphael Varane, who confirmed he “was not feeling well” following the conclusion of the match. Goalkeeper for France Hugo Lloris even stated during a postgame interview, “ We are not going to hide behind excuses… it has not been easy over the last few days.” He concluded, “Despite the virus, we tried to prepare for the match in the best way possible. One less recovery day may have counted, too” — Both Varane and Lloris also admitted to feeling “drained” and “empty” throughout periods of the game.
This specific win marks the third victory in the history of Argentina’s national team while making a total of five finals appearances: 1978 (Netherlands), 1986 (West Germany), and, of course, 2022 against France – they made other defeated appearances in the World Cup finals during 1930, 1990, and 2014. Star forward for Argentina Lionel Messi currently has a total of 35 trophies being four Champions League titles, seven Copa del Rey crowns, three UEFA Super Cups,10 La Liga titles, and now his highly-sought-after 2022 FIFA World Cup championship.