Creative design thanks to Canva
I'm finally down to my last post in my The World Cup Journal series and I can say this is the sweetest post I've written in my entire World Cup journey as the world was truly entertained by what happened yesterday. I must say (and what most players say), this is the best World Cup final that ever happened.
I honestly thought this was an easy match for Argentina as they were comfortably leading 2-0, after 79 mins. Literally, we're just around 11 mins until that regulation and everyone thought the French provides no threat. But in that span of 79 seconds, Mbappe gave France the needed brace that tied the game, 2-2. That made me, turn off immediately my laptop and decided to sleep (this is true). That was one of the worst moments of my World Cup experience as I was really rooting for Argentina to win and they controlled every aspect of the game. But c'mon, you can't just scrap France like that especially when they have Mbappe in their squad. That instant 2-2 gave me heartbreak and I was literally shaking writing this post because Mbappe is truly one of a kind, sensational player that can probably achieve a lot of things years to come.
I believe no one won't argue that the Argentines have completely dominated the match especially in the first-half. I just never seen Argentina played so cohesively like that that they seem to link up each other even if Messi isn't involved in that build up system. If you noticed, Messi only receives the ball to create killer passes towards the goal. It was De Paul, Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, Romero, Molina, and Tagliafico connecting each other. Di Maria is always waiting in the wing, trying to attack. This is totally a different approach of Argentina throughout the tournament as they were needing Messi in that build up attack.
Youngsters Alvarez, Fernandez, Mac Allister, Molina in the photo providing fresh legs for Argentina, photo courtesy of New York Times
There were a couple of times Messi didn't extend his help in the defense just to setup passes for the build up. Instead, he's busy annoying in front along with Alvarez. This was the first time I saw Messi hungry to defend when he was heavily criticized for his poor defending. I saw him actively defending last time was against Italy in Finalissima. The build up was only relied by the midfield trio Enzo Fernandez, Mac Allister, and De Paul in the middle. Good thing Molina, Romero, and Tagliafico have connected the lines well. This is exactly the reason why the Argentines have been so efficient in that first half because Messi, Alvarez, and Di Maria were no longer required to be involved in that build up game. The way I see it, it gives direct freedom from the attack as the spaces are already tuned even before Messi receives the pass, making him brilliantly choose the right kind of passes for that finishing.
The Nightmare
There was a reason why France football is in their back-to-back finals appearance and that's because this squad has the deepest squad depth among all. Imagine, you have an injured Benzema, Pogba, Kante, Kimpembe, and Nkunku yet you still have a very strong squad despite those injuries.
- Attack led by Mbappe, a prolific Giroud, and then Dembele on the right flank
- Midfield trio of Griezmann, Rabiot, and that $100M kid Tchouameni,
- Varane, Upamecano, Konate, and Kounde.
These things were the reason why France football will continue for years. Not to mention, having Mbappe already is a serious threat. I was really pissed off by this man after scoring that double goal in just 79 seconds. Totally insane and that second goal is one of the best goals I've seen in this tournament. There's a bright future of football with Mbappe, this guy surely entertain people. The speed, accuracy, and power combined and that's what Mbappe can offer.
The shocking 2nd goal strike of Mbappe that silenced the Argentinian crowd, photo courtesy of FIFA
Once that bell rang on the 90th minute + injury time, the battle was not over. Messi and Mbappe are still fighting for the dreams they've been fighting by leading their teams. Both of them have scored each, Mbappe getting his hat-trick of the game while Messi having a brace, what a pool of talent PSG is having. Mbappe is winning that golden boot with 8 goals in the tournament and I'm pretty sure he will be surpassing Miroslav Klose's 16 goals total in the tournament. Messi on the other hand will be stuck at 13 goals as I don't see his body can still keep up the world cup 2026 at 39 years of age.
The Penalty
The penalties were a nightmare for the French as they never experienced penalty shootout so far in this tournament. Argentina meanwhile have been fighting for that dream in penalty shootouts even at Copa America. That win against Netherlands proved that Martinez is one of the unsung hero in this tournament. The guys deserves that golden glove more than what we were expecting, Livakovic of Croatia.
Mbappe opened the penalty scoring by beating Martinez 3rd time in a row. Then Messi followed that kick with a perfectly placed left side, where Lloris was late to react. Then the heroics of Emi came stopping that Coman and lucky miss from Tchouameni hitting that outside the box.
What amazes me is that Argentina converted all of their penalties. They don't even need to take that 5th penalty, which for sure Lautaro Martinez is taking that. Messi, Dybala, Paredes, and out of nowhere Gonzalo Montiel is hitting that 4th penalty. Did anyone expected that kid to take the penalty? Goes to show the squad depth of Argentina is also respectable.
I'm quite amazed by how these guys have improved throughout the tournament. Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, Molina, and Alvarez for me are the future of Argentinian football. These guys have shown the quality and will be fighting for the La Albiceleste's shirt.
