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A Newspaper For All Nations!
Argentina wins as Messi, Mbappé create World Cup final for the ages
ith 11 minutes remaining in reguW lation, only one question hung over an
and a half apart squared the final at 2-2, launching this World Cup, the planet onto the wildest of rides.
And then in 133 breathtaking seconds, 133 clicks where on plazas and boulevards in Buenos Aires and Paris, around TV sets at millions points in between and far and wide, inside the glittering sports palace glowing in the darkness of Qatar’s moral and physical desert, the world’s soccer fans turned to each other in stunned disbelief as France’s Kylian Mbappé turned the final, this World Cup upside down with the biggest “holy (expletive)” moment this tournament has ever seen.
and asked, “Did we really see that?”, after we’ve been assured that indeed we had, we can fully appreciate the masterpiece created on Qatar’s barren canvas by Messi and Mbappé, two wouldbe kings, lifting their nations, and their game to a place only a few even dare to dream of.
otherwise seemingly decided World Cup By the end of a match decided only affinal Sunday. ter two hours by a penalty kick shootPele? Or Maradona? Or Messi? out, secured by a goalkeeper who had The final result a forgone conclusion, the spent nearly a decade on loan to teams closing minutes of Qatar 2022’s dream fi- in England’s lower divisions, the world nal between Argentina and France were had witnessed Messi and Argentina shaping up as a victory lap for Argentine and arguably the best World Cup in hisgenius Lionel Messi around Lusail Sta- tory crowned by the greatest final ever dium, his closing — or opening — ar- played. gument to claim the title as the sport’s When the planet has finally caught its greatest ever. breath, after we’ve turned to each other
Messi, 35 and playing in his fifth World Cup, struck first, sending a penalty past France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in the 23rd minute. Thirteen minutes later he also played a key role in the build up to A pair of Mbappé goals barely a minute an Angel DiMaria goal strung together by CONTINUES ON PAGE 3