Photo Credits to Serena Anagbe
On Dec. 18, Argentina won the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1986 in a penalty shoot-out against France.
The final match of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was forced into extra time due to a score of 2-2 after the initial 90 minutes. This brought amazing goals from both Kylian Mbappe of France and Argentina’s Lionel Messi, moving the score to 3-3 and another draw.
Mbappe scored all three of France’s goals, a feat that secures his status as a legendary soccer player. Despite losing the Cup in the end, Mbappe will remain a hero for soccer fans of France.
As the game moved towards the penalty shoot-out, both France and Argentina fans were anxious for results that would make history. During the penalties, Argentina scored four penalty shots while France scored two, finishing the shoot-out at 4-2.
Although Emiliano Martinez, the goalie for Argentina, was not able to stop Mbappe’s goals during regulation and extra time, he played a vital role in helping Argentina win during the penalty shoot-out by blocking two shots by France.
With a great deal of pressure on the Argentinian player Gonzalo Montiel, he scored the winning penalty shot bringing victory to all fans of Argentina.
This was an immense moment for Messi, as the great soccer player has reached the age of 35 and Qatar 2022 may be his last World Cup. Nearing the end of his career, Messi was finally able to accomplish his dream of winning the World Cup.
“The truth is that nothing else I will do will be as great as this, winning the Copa America, the World Cup,” Messi said in an interview with TyC Sports after the final. “For all the struggles I had throughout my career, it was given to me almost at the end.”
Although the soccer star’s career is coming to an end and he officially has World Cup Champion on his resumé, Messi stated that he will be playing for a moment longer.
Messi fans all over social media expressed their excitement for the soccer player’s success, which has been a long time coming in Messi’s nearly two-decade-long career.
Following the win over France, an estimated 5 million fans flooded the streets of Buenos Aires to celebrate. Argentina will remember this historic World Cup victory for a long time.
Soccer fans should stay tuned in for the 2026 World Cup, which will take place across North America, including the United States, Canada and Mexico. It is great news for Canadian soccer fans that there will be two games in Canada, one at BMO Field in Toronto and the other at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver.
