Argentina Campeones del Mundo!
World Cup Diaries: Day 27
World Cup Diaries: Day 27
18th December 2022
ARGENTINA 3 (Messi 23, Di Maria 36, Messi 108)
FRANCE 3 (Mbappe 80, 81 and 118)
Argentina win 4–2 on Penalties
I’d like to think that over the past 26 daily diary entries during this World Cup I’ve analysed a particular goal or passage of play, or brought a modicum of the colour and sounds from the partisan fans, the actual fans, who have followed their country, favourite or underdog, through this bizarre December in a faraway desert. But I have no idea where to start with this game and a game soon to be christened as simply the greatest ever as considering the enormity of the spectacle that has just taken place, I am truly struggling to form a justifiable narrative for what we have all collectively witnessed.
There’s an old English word which I’m sure translates around the world — Bonkers. That’s a summation for you: utterly stone cold, ridiculous, unbelievable, astounding and truly and utterly bonkers!
Let’s start in the 123rd minute shall we? For in that minute, that final minute of open play before the lottery of the penalty shoot-out, France had a golden chance to lift that golden trophy that will soon be winging its way in the hands of Lionel Messi to Buenos Aires, and just a minute after Kylian Mbappe had scored a second penalty to complete his hat-trick (a hat-trick in a World Cup Final!) and just a minute after the Parisian had equalised, again, this time to make an incredible game level, again, at 3–3.
We’ll return to the exploits of Kylian Mbappe shortly but, the 123rd minute and France: barely in the game in extra-time until their talisman equalised again from the penalty spot, broke away with a minute to go following Ibrahima Konate’s incisive lob pass forward, and substitute Randal Kolo Muani saw his must be World Cup winning goal brilliantly saved by the left leg of Aston Villa and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. It was an incredible, instinctive save, spreading himself as big and wide as his frame would allow and, I believe it to be the only save he had to make in the entire game in which he’d largely been a joyous and excited spectator just waiting to get his hands on that golden World Cup trophy.
But this wasn’t all.
To disbelieving eyes all around the Lusail Stadium in the desert of Qatar as well as the hundreds upon hundreds of millions around the world, Argentina, the team that had majestically already won the World Cup, twice, were now immediately breaking on a France team who had clawed their way back into a World Cup final from nowhere, twice, and with Lionel Messi still at the heart of their every move setting Paulo Dybala free, his cross was headed wide when Lautaro Martinez should have scored a breathless winning goal, and at the end of 125 minutes of football that will go down in the sport’s history as one of, if not THE greatest football game of all time, we still had the drama of a penalty shoot-out.
Now that we’ve started at the end of not just a World Cup final for the ages but just a simple game of football for all time, if we return to the beginning we’ll discover that Argentina were spectacularly good this evening.
Spectacularly good.
So much so they in effect and, to mix the first of my sporting metaphors, completely “shut out” the defending world champions for 70 minutes. For the 2018 champion French team didn’t register a single shot, on or off target, for the entire duration of the first half and it wasn’t until the 70th minute when Kylian Mbappe skied a presentable first chance and shot on goal. 70 minutes of controlled dominance, aggression, superlative skills, tactics and bloody minded desire to win every second or loose ball, to play a high defensive line but not only that but, to steal a basketball phrase, “full-court press” France all over the pitch and, if you’ll allow me one more mixed American sporting analogy, to “blitz” France at every opportunity. Every time, every time, a ball was played forward into the Argentina half of the field, the French player about to receive the ball with his back to goal was simply barged past or eased out of the way by a white and blue striped member of La Albiceleste. Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez surged into 50/50, damn it, 40/60 balls, and always prevailed and 4,5 passes later, Argentina had supreme control of the game once more and for 70 minutes were absolutely majestic.
Argentina’s forward three of Angel Di Maria, Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi run the French defensive line ragged at times and again, whenever a loose or even vaguely loose ball was up for grabs, they stole it back, cycled the ball through those 4 or 5 team passes and they had complete control of the game again. The template was set by arguably their outstanding player of the tournament (and he has stiff competition from Messi, Mac Allister and Fernandez) in their number 7 Rodridgo De Paul. From the very first minute and tackle of the game, the 28 year old Atletico Madrid ball winner got in the faces of his midfield opposition, the referee too, and ensured both knew they were in for a game. He was magnificent all evening as he danced that fine line between those oft suggested “dark arts” of winning and the overwhelming burning desire to do just that. Win.
To say France didn’t have a kick collectively as a team for 70 minutes isn’t the grand and outlandish statement it might appear to be. They didn’t and they weren’t allowed. Stalwarts, World Cup winners from 2018 and stars from this year’s competition Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud and even Kylian Mbappe were all anonymous and not only on the fringes of the game but watching a game, a World Cup final, pass by unnoticed before their very eyes. They weren’t allowed a kick due to Argentina’s relentless press and triangulation of constant attack when without the ball. One of the three, usually the hard running Julian Alvarez, would “gun” for the ball determinedly and with possession won or a mistake generated, his two mates would pounce on either side to steal the loose ball, win a throw-in or simply press France further and further into their own half of the field. This triangulation of attack without the ball happened time and again throughout the first half and for 25 minutes of the second, leaving France a loose, limp, full of pecked holes carcass of a team losing a World Cup final 2–0 without the merest whimper of protest.
For 70 minutes Argentina were incredible. There will be football coaches all around this world of ours scrutinising this evening’s first half alone and the tactics employed by the white and light blues winning coach, Lionel Scaloni. There were no real dark arts or niggly, snarky spoiling tactics. It was front foot, full press, win every second ball and always a daring and risky pass forward between the transitional lines of midfield into attack. More often than not their incisive passes that constantly played two, maybe three French players out of the current phase of the game, landed at the feet of their little genius in the number 10 shirt, and Lionel Messi was otherworldly yet again. The ball stuck to him as normal, he’d beat an opponent, and his team had turned France completely around yet again.
But it wouldn’t be Argentina if the wheels didn’t fall off! From nowhere, and in a game they had securely in their back pocket and their captain dreaming of lifting that golden trophy in just 10 minutes time, a sloppy defensive challenge from Nicolas Otamendi on France’s best player this evening, Randal Kolo Muani, presented a gift of a penalty for Kylian Mbappe to score and mere seconds later chaos reigned as sublime football ruled. Mbappe played a one-two with Marcus Thuram before crashing a brilliant volley past the despairing dive of Emiliano Martinez in the Argentina goal, and from nowhere, France were level.
Mbappe was arguably only really involved in four passages of play, scored every single time including a hat-trick, and still lost a World Cup final.
I could go on (if you read his other diary entries you’ll see that he does. Frequently, Sports Editor) the double substitution of Ousmane Dembele and Olivier Giroud on just 40 minutes by French coach Didier Deschamps as he could see his midfield constantly overloaded, outgunned and outplayed by the addition of Angel Di Maria on the Argentinian left hand side. His return to the team from injury gave Argentina a constant extra body in midfield and crucially, his first half performance was out of this world. I have no footballing love for Angel Di Maria but he was exceptional this evening. As was Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez with his tireless running, forward press and defending from the front, and let us not overlook the supreme “Goal of the Tournament” that was Argentina’s second goal. Goal line to goal line in seconds. Messi’s touch. Alvarez’s through ball. Mac Allister’s run and pass. Di Maria’s sweeping finish. Utterly sublime.
Randal Kolo Muani was easily France’s best player and the energy and footballing desire injected into the game by fellow substitutes Kingsley Coman, Eduardo Camavinga and Marcus Thuram transformed the game and arguably could have created THE greatest comeback ever as France threatened to score the winner after Mbappe’s improbable brace of goals on 80 and 81 minutes. My Red Liverpool heart is a little torn at Ibrahima Konate’s defeat, but I pleasingly and selfishly know that colossus of a young central defender will be winning major honours again soon enough.
It should also be noted that Polish referee Szymon Marciniak was exemplary this evening. I still feel Argentina’s penalty award was soft but aside from this, and with the added bonus of not having to consult with the dreaded VAR, I thought he was superb.
But the night and the world belongs to Lionel Messi and I couldn’t be more pleased. He has, to use an odious phrase so popular within today’s societal vernacular, “completed football” and I guess the little genius has now done just that. He’s won every possible honour imaginable and I’m not going to call him “The Goat” as goats live in fields and Messi lives amongst the stars.
I’m a football romantic and I’ve loved the evocative white and blue stripes of Argentina since a photo from 1978, their horrible snarky team of 1982 and the maelstrom of madness that surrounded Diego Armando Maradona.
The little genius has joined the little master.
I could go on but I’ve ripped up my notes on a game that re-wrote records galore and who needs notes for a game such as this? I’m a football romantic and I’ve loved every minute of that bonkers game of football I’ve just watched and I’ve loved penning these diaries. Longer term readers may remember that I originally planned to follow France and France alone, following a random number selection in a secret ballot with my son. But I got swept up in the intoxicating escape of writing a diary on every game watched and every underdog cheered for. Rather than writing a maximum of seven articles on France and their route to the final (or of their victors), I instead penned twenty seven diary entries that I’ve truly had fun with writing. If you’ve joined me for the ride at any time, I hope you’ve enjoyed the rambling tale told.
I watched this evening’s final with my beautiful son beside me as well as looking upon me in utter astonishment as I celebrated Argentina’s majestic second goal. To say I got rather excited would be an affront to how I really celebrated Messi’s second goal. “Don’t Cry For Me, Emmanuel Macron” I sang on Twitter. “Campeones Argentina” I sang to a bemused son. “Professor Horseman” (PhD in Football Appreciation) messaged me throughout the game as he’s done throughout the World Cup and long into a distant footballing past. He knows a game of football when he sees one and he called this evening a “spectacle”.
And that it was.
Argentina — Campeones del Mundo!
Thanks for reading. In addition to the delights that can be found within the cave of wonders that is my archives, I’ve penned a day to day diary throughout the World Cup, and here are days 24 through 26:
Croatia triumph over Moroccan pride before tomorrow’s main event
World Cup Diaries: Day 26.medium.com
3rd Place Play-Offs and other pointless ramblings from the World Cup
World Cup Diaries: Day 25medium.com
Heartbreak for the Atlas Lions as Les Bleus find a way to win. Again.
World Cup Diaries: Day 24.medium.com