Argentina win the World Cup!

Lionel Scaloni's men have won the World Cup after defeating France in a World Cup thriller. Lionel Messi and Di Maria made it 2-0 before half-time, but two Mbappe goals in the last 10 minutes forced extra-time. Messi looked to have won it when he scored again in extra-time, but a 116th minute Mbappe penalty meant it went to penalties. In the shootout, Messi, Dybala, Paredes and Montiel all scored while Coman and Tchouameni missed for France. It is the first time the South American outfit have lifted the trophy for 36 years. 

Argentina's first game ended in a shock 1-2 defeat to Saudi Arabia. They fought back terrifically from that setback though as they then beat Mexico 2-0 thanks to second half goals from Messi and Enzo Fernandez. They then required a draw from the match with Poland and ended up winning 0-2. Messi saw a first half penalty saved, but it proved to be academic as Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez netted in the second period.

In the last 16, Argentina defeated the Socceroos 2-1 as Messi and Julian Alvarez found the target. In the quarters, they were involved in a very ill tempered clash with the Netherlands which Argentina won on penalties after a 2-2 draw. Finally, the semi-final clash against Croatia was much more one sided than many expected. Messi scored a penalty and assisted twice for Julian Alvarez while the Man City forward also won the penalty which Messi scored. They peaked at exactly the right time. 

Lionel Messi top scored for Argentina with seven goals in the tournament, but did not win the Golden Boot award because of Mbappe's hat-trick. He scored in every game in the tournament except in the Poland match when he saw a penalty saved. Man City's Julian Alvarez also had a terrific World Cup as he netted on four occasions, including twice in the semi-final victory over Croatia. He also won the penalty for Messi's goal and scored against Poland and Australia. 

The other standout performer was goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. Goalkeepers were very important throughout the tournament and he was crucial in the quarter-final match with the Netherlands. The hard fought and ill-tempered encounter saw the Aston Villa shot stopper make two saves in the shootout to send Scaloni's side through to the semis. Without those saves, Argentina's participation at the tournament would have end there. The World Cup triumph sparked jubilant scenes across Argentina and Lionel Messi finally won the trophy he was missing.