LUSAIL, Qatar (Reuters) - Sunday's World Cup final turned from a one-sided affair into a nerve-racking vintage showdown and it was somehow fitting that footballing diva Argentina prevailed over France amid the drama.
Tears flowed at Lusail stadium when Gonzalo Montiel buried the winning penalty for a 4-2 shootout victory after Kylian Mbappe's hat-trick had dragged France back into the contest twice following Angel Di Maria's opener and Lionel Messi's double.
Leading 2-0 after 73 minutes, they were forced into extra time after Wout Weghorst's late double, but instead of collapsing after the Dutch substitute's equaliser 11 minutes into stoppage time, they rallied back to win the shootout. France, instead, might have entered the match with some sense of self-entitlement and were punished for it with Messi's penalty and Di Maria's goal at the end of a lightning-quick counter attack.
Mbappe, with ice running through his veins, made it 3-3 with another penalty two minutes from time. Di Maria, who was back on the bench, buried his face in his bib to hide the tears that were flowing down his cheeks.Argentina seemed to have the upper hand as France keeper Hugo Lloris is far from being a shootout specialist and Deschamps believes players cannot master the art of taking penalties in training.
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