By Sushil Thapa, Fairfax,VA

In one of the greatest and sensational finals witnessed in our lifetime, Argentina gingerly hung
on to lift the 22nd edition of the World Cup Football tournament in Doha,Qatar at the expense of
defending champions France.

In a ding- dong battle, Argentina barely survived the French gallant fight back.They led in the
regulation time but failed to hold onto a 2-0 and 3-2 lead.They finally came through victorious in
the nerve racking penalty shootout to crown themselves the world champions for the third time.
At long last one of the finest players in the world, Argentina skipper and playmaker Lionel
Messi’s cherished dream of World Cup glory came true.

He had a phenomenal tournament and lived up to expectations. As skipper he dazzled,inspired
teammates,delivered the goods consistently and lifted his team from a shock defeat in the
opener against Saudi Arabia to the game’s ultimate glory.

He won a record breaking man of the match award five times. Furthermore, he scored seven
goals,scoring in every match in the knockout stage. It is an enduring testament to his
greatness.

France made a valiant and astonishing comeback in the last quarter of the match after a
mediocre first half performance.

The way the match panned out in the first 45 minutes,it seemed though France was headed for
an embarrassing defeat.

Argentina was in total control of the proceedings,dominating exchanges and ball
possession.They were aggressive and in an attacking mode.

On the other hand,the French looked off-color. They struggled uncharacteristically to find
rhythm, tempo and momentum in their game.Nothing got going for them and played second
fiddle to the opposition.

As a result, they paid a heavy price for the uninspiring and lackluster performance and were on
the back foot.

Going into the second half they trailed by two goals and had a mountain to climb which they did
but the penalty shootout proved to be their Waterloo eventually.

The match took a dramatic U-turn as the French woke up from slumber and made a stunning
comeback in the final 20 minutes of play.

Ace striker Kylian Mbappe who had a quiet first half erupted like a volcano and scored a brilliant
hat-trick to sway the match in France’s favor .

After England’s Geoff Hurst (1966 World Cup against West Germany), the 23 year old became
the second player to score a hat-trick in the final.

In fact,he almost single- handedly took away the match from Argentina.The French star who
idolizes Portugal’s Ronaldo pipped Messi for the Golden boot award. He scored 8 goals in the
tournament.

Had it not been for the Golden Glove award(the best goalkeeper) winner Argentina’s Emiliano
Martinez brilliance in the dying minutes of stoppage time,it would have been a spectacular
comeback victory for the French.

He made a stunning save to deny Kolo Muani the winning goal from a point blank range.He
was at his best in the entire tournament and had played a pivotal role in Argentina’s victory over
the Netherlands in the penalty shootout as well.

Messi might have been adjudged man of the match for the two goals he scored and his
towering presence for his team but my man of the match was Martinez.

His critical save rescued Argentina and paved the way for World Cup success at the end.
By getting the better of France,Argentina confirmed the fact that they are the best team in the
world when it comes to translating a penalty shootout into victory.

The riveting,enthralling,nail biting and suspense filled final will remain in our memory for a
long,long time.