Argentina beat reigning men's champions France on penalties, giving football icon Lionel Messi the crowning glory.
He was one of the most dramatic major sporting events in history, as the team drew 3-3 after extra time. The Frenchman ultimately missed his chances with his two penalties, but Gonzalo Montiel earned a tough emotional win.
With just under ten minutes left Argentina dominated most of the match with his 2–0 lead, but the star of his striker Kylian Mbappe scored his two goals in his two minutes. So France suddenly revived. His 30 minutes of extra time saw tensions flare up in the penalty shootout after both sides traded late goals for missed chances.
The match capped off his month of sports drama and geopolitical controversy in Qatar. The tournament featured amazing results and a fairytale run, but the final saw the two giants of the game battling it out for the title.
Mbappe solidified his claim as a young contender for Messi's throne when he scored a hat-trick as France came close to winning his second consecutive title, the first since Brazil in 1962.
But it was Messi who finally grabbed the glory and the trophy. This cemented his status as perhaps the greatest player of all time, as the 35-year-old brought his third title to his football-loving country and farewelled him on the world stage.
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Worth knowing about the World Cup final
In extra time he saw Argentina win on penalties after a dramatic final that ended 3–3. France scored two goals within the last 90 seconds of the game to overwhelm Argentina to win the final.
Argentina led 2–0 in the first half thanks to goals from Angel di Maria and Lionel Messi.
Sunday's final was held in Lusail. Lusail is a city set up hastily for the World Cup, overshadowed by criticism of host country Qatar's human rights record and the environmental and economic costs of the tournament.
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