London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Qatar World Cup: Fairytale ending for Messi – Argentina beat France in penalty shootout

Qatar World Cup: Fairytale ending for Messi – Argentina beat France in penalty shootout

One of the most exciting World Cup finals of all time saw France come back from 2-0 down against Argentina before finally falling in a penalty shootout.

Argentina have won the World Cup after a thrilling match which saw them take the lead and then lose it again twice before winning a penalty shootout, in what is already being described as one of the greatest finals in history.

It was a special moment for Lionel Messi, who finally won the biggest prize in football, and heartbreak for his club teammate Kylian Mbappe whose hat-trick was not enough to see France triumph.

Messi was crowned player of the tournament for his role in bringing World Cup glory to his country - the first time Argentina had won the trophy since Diego Maradona scored his infamous "hand of God" on the way to winning the 1986 competition.


Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Boot award

The genius forward has scored 793 goals for club and country, but his cool finishes in the final in Qatar may be the sweetest of his career.

The win elevates him into a similar league as Maradona - who won the World Cup only once, but is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, in part because he scored the "goal of the century" against England in the controversial 1986 World Cup quarter final - and Pele, a record three-time World Cup champion from Brazil.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe scored three goals - two from the penalty spot and again in the shootout - as France came from 2-0 and again from 3-2 down during the match.

His hat-trick emulated the historic triple by England's Sir Geoff Hurst in the 1966 World Cup final - the only other player ever to do so.

It made him the top scorer in the tournament, the Golden Boot winner.

Despite a heavy dose of Mbappe magic, France were unable to overcome the heroics of Argentina keeper Emiliano Martinez.

The Aston Villa goalie - known for his penalties prowess - saved a shot from Kingsley Coman and watched Aurelien Tchouameni fire wide as Argentina ultimately prevailed.

The South American side took the lead half-way through the first half, after a foul in the box by France winger Ousmane Dembele led to Messi scoring his sixth goal of the tournament from the penalty spot.


Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates with fans and fellow players after receiving the World Cup trophy


Later, a thrilling counter-attack down the right flank through Brighton's Alexis Mac Allister to feed Angel Di Maria, who scored Argentina's second.

France pulled back a goal after a foul on Kolo Muani led to another penalty, which was slotted home by Kylian Mbappe.

Just 90 seconds later, it was Mbappe again, putting France level with a stunning volley.


France's President Emmanuel Macron conforts France's Kylian Mbappe at the end of the World Cup final.


The score was 2-2 after full-time forcing an extra 30 minutes of play to decide the result.

In extra-time, Messi scored again, knocking in on the rebound, despite Kounde's efforts to clear off the line.

Mbappe then drew France level again with a penalty with just minutes to go in extra time, sending the game to a penalty shootout.

On to penalties and it was Argentina keeper Emiliano Martinez's moment of glory, saving one shot and seeing another go wide.

Argentina's Lionel Messi is surrounded by fellow players, fans and photographers as his team celebrates


In the end, Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties.

With his two goals and successful penalty in the shootout, Messi's win was crowned by taking the play of the tournament award, the Golden Ball.

Afterwards, Messi told reporters: "I knew God would bring this gift to me, I had the feeling that this World Cup was the one.

"It took so long, but here it is. We suffered a lot, but we managed to do it. Can't wait to be in Argentina to witness the insanity of this."

France's Kylian Mbappe poses with his Golden Boot award during the award ceremony after the match


It wrapped up what had been one of the most controversial World Cups in history - with pretournament rows raging over the treatment of migrant workers, LGBT+ rights and the shift of the tournament to winter to avoid the baking summer heat.

The end of the World Cup in Qatar starts the countdown to the next World Cup finals, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada - the first time the tournament will have been co-hosted since Japan and South Korea in 2002.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
×