Argentina Beat France on Penalties to Win 2022 World Cup: The Picture Show: NPR
Argentina’s Lionel Messi sits on the shoulders of Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero as his side celebrate their win over France in the 2022 World Cup Final on Sunday (December 18) at Lusail City’s Lusail Stadium, Qatar.
David Ramos/FIFA via Getty Images
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David Ramos/FIFA via Getty Images
Argentina’s Lionel Messi sits on the shoulders of Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero as his side celebrate their win over France in the 2022 World Cup Final on Sunday (December 18) at Lusail City’s Lusail Stadium, Qatar.
David Ramos/FIFA via Getty Images
The 2022 World Cup ended on Sunday, with Argentina as the winners. Argentina started strong in the final game with a 2-0 lead over France, but Frenchman Kylian Mbappé quickly turned the tide of the match with two goals for his side in the second half. With minutes to go, Argentine star player Lionel Messi broke the tie and scored another goal, and it looked like Argentina had once again sealed victory – until Mbappé, for the second only time in the history of the World Cup final, achieves a hat trick. , scoring a third goal from a late penalty.
After a tense penalty shootout, Argentina emerged victorious. Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez blocked France’s second attempt and French winger Kingsley Coman missed his penalty. The game ended 3-3 with Argentina leading 4-2 on penalties.
Left: Argentina fans celebrate the team’s 2022 World Cup win over France at the Obelisk in Buenos Aires on Sunday, December 18. Right: Argentina fans react as they watch the live broadcast of the 2022 World Cup final between France and Argentina at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday, December 18.
Tomas Cuesta/AFP via Getty Images; Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images
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Tomas Cuesta/AFP via Getty Images; Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images
Argentina’s Lionel Messi holds the winner’s trophy after the team won the 2022 World Cup final against France on Sunday (December 18th) at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar.
Manu Fernandez/AP
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Manu Fernandez/AP
Argentina’s run to this year’s World Cup began with a shocking loss to Saudi Arabia. It looked like Messi’s journey into the tournament would end quickly. Instead, Argentina kept pushing forward, winning every subsequent game they played.
Their last opponent and holders, France, dominated their games in Qatar. In the last match, France struggled to maintain that momentum in the first half. After half-time, Mbappé’s hat-trick nearly turned the tide of the game. The pressure peaked in the penalty shootout, affecting the France team’s ability to score.
Frenchman Kylian Mbappé celebrates scoring his side’s third goal in a penalty shootout to settle the 2022 World Cup final with Argentina on Sunday (December 18th) at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar.
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Natasha Pisarenko/AP
French fans cheer on their team during the 2022 World Cup final against Argentina on Sunday (December 18th) at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail City, Qatar.
Cui Nan/China News Service via Getty Images
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Cui Nan/China News Service via Getty Images
Argentina’s Lionel Messi scores his team’s third goal in the 2022 World Cup Final with France on Sunday (December 18th) at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar.
Hassan Ammar/AP
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Hassan Ammar/AP
Team fans reacted around the world. In Buenos Aires, hundreds of thousands of people poured into the streets to celebrate.
In this aerial view, Argentina fans celebrate their team’s 2022 World Cup victory over defending champions France at the Obelisk in Buenos Aires on Sunday, December 18.
Emiliano Lasalvia/AFP via Getty Images
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Argentina fans celebrate their team’s victory in the 2022 World Cup final in Buenos Aires on Sunday, December 18.
Victor R. Caivano/AP
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Victor R. Caivano/AP
Argentina fans watch the 2022 World Cup final in Ternate, Indonesia on Sunday, December 18.
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RISQULA/AFP via Getty Images
In the fight for third place, Croatia and Morocco also faced each other this weekend. Croatia emerged victorious on Saturday, with a score of 2-1. This defeat did not detract from Morocco’s historic run as the first African and Arab team to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup.
Croatian Joško Gvardiol and Moroccan Achraf Dari scored early in the game. After intense exchanges in the first half, Mislav Oršić scored and cemented Croatia’s lead just before half-time. Despite several attempts, Morocco failed to score again.
Croatia’s Joško Gvardiol heads for goal during the 2022 World Cup third place match with Morocco on Saturday (December 17th) at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
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Ding Xu/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
Croatian Luka Modrić celebrates with his team mates after the team secured a third place finish in the 2022 World Cup play-off match against Morocco on Saturday (December 17th) at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
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Jia Haocheng/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
Left: One of the Moroccan fans cheers for his team ahead of the start of World Cup qualifiers with Croatia on Saturday (December 17th) in Doha, Qatar. Right: Croatian fans celebrate in Zagreb, Croatia after the team beat Morocco 2-1 to secure third place at the 2022 World Cup.
Francisco Seco/AP; Stipe Majic/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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Francisco Seco/AP; Stipe Majic/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The 2026 World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. In the meantime, football fans can tune in to matches across Europe, where favorite players like Messi go head-to-head throughout the year.
Soccer fans wave an Argentina flag while celebrating the team’s 2022 World Cup win over defending champions France in downtown Buenos Aires on Sunday, December 18.
Victor R. Caivano/AP
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Victor R. Caivano/AP
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