After Ousmane Dembele fouled Angel Di Maria in the penalty box and referee Szymon Marciniak pointed to the spot, all eyes went in one direction.
Lionel Messi picked up the ball. With the pressure of a nation upon him, that ball might have felt like it weighed as much as a sack of bricks to a mere mortal. Instead, he bounced it like a basketball several times as he walked over to the penalty spot. He stared at the ball after placing it down, wiped the sweat off his forehead, then looked to his left bicep and adjusted his captain’s armband. A deep breath followed.
Not many can make a ritual of having such high expectations on their shoulders, but few know this feeling as well as Messi.
The penalty itself was as routine as ever, an initial burst leading to a few slow and steady steps, eyes directed at France’s captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris the whole way. His chest and shoulders then sent Lloris one way, his foot directed the ball the other.
Twelve minutes later, Messi turned defence into attack from just inside his own half with a silky, exquisite pair of touches befitting of the bisht – usually worn by Arab royalty – he was gifted after the match. He drew both French central defenders Raphael Varane and Dayot Upamecano with the first touch, then flicked the ball for Julian Alvarez on the right, who instantly one-timed a through pass to Alexis Mac Allister, who had acres of space to run into because of the attention drawn by Messi. His first time ball found Di Maria, who finished with aplomb and celebrated the goal with tears after missing the 2014 World Cup final with injury.
Di Maria missed the Round of 16 in this latest tournament against Australia with injury, came on for penalties in mind against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, then missed the semifinals entirely. In a rampant first half for Argentina in the World Cup final, he earned the penalty that led to his side’s first goal and had now doubled the lead. What a call from manager Lionel Scaloni to start Di Maria, who like Messi was dreaming of a World Cup win in what may be his last hurrah on the international stage.
Messi seemed destined for his crowning achievement, but no great movie is complete without an antagonist or a few twists and turns.
Even in a state of despair, teams will rarely make changes before halftime. It is a bone-chilling, isolating feeling to be a starter taken off before even having a chance to regroup during the break, but France manager Didier Deschamps decided there could be no waiting for the sake of emotions.
Seemingly furious with how his side was being exposed on the wings, Deschamps took off star striker Olivier Giroud – who gave a rather puzzled look when he saw his time was up – and moved Kylian Mbappe into centre stage after having the fewest touches of any outfield player to that point. Dembele, who conceded the penalty, was also removed and in came Marcus Thuram into Mbappe’s slot on the left wing to offer more resistance. Randal Kolo Muani also came in and would look to do the same on the opposite side.
Argentina remained in control through the first 20 minutes of the second half and a French team that had never in this tournament trailed at the half in six matches played remained without a shot on goal.
Desperate times call for desperate measures and Deschamps took off the only man in the entire tournament worthy of being mentioned alongside Mbappe and Messi. Antoine Griezmann’s tournament of brilliant guile and grit was over and it was previously flu-stricken Kingsley Coman, who along with Mbappe, Muani and Thuram, presented an all-in bet on pace and power to turn things around.
Argentina still retained control, but as if bored by the script, the occasionally erratic veteran defender Nicolas Otamendi showed his age as fresh-legged substitute Muani – a decade younger – scampered past him to a hopeful ball in the box and earned an 80th minute penalty kick.
Now it was Mbappe’s turn to show how strong his shoulders were.
Six of those famous sky blue and white jerseys surrounded him to remind of what was at stake. They may have also tried to get him to recollect how he missed the penalty against Switzerland that sent France crashing out of the European championships. It was of no consequence.
Knowing time was of the essence, Mbappe was on his toes and looked to the referee. Almost like a sprinter waiting for that sound that signals ‘Go!’ No. 10 in navy blue eyed goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez as soon as the whistle blew and buried the ball into the bottom left corner with such power you’d have missed it with a blink. Another sprint to recover the ball, and then a race to the halfway line to restart the match.
France’s president Emmanuel Macron rose and applauded along with plenty others, his nation’s speed racer now seemingly infused with nitrous oxide.
Within a minute, the score was level. Messi, of all people, lost the ball in the middle of the pitch, and it was substitute Coman who was brave enough to challenge him and win. Soon after, an aerial ball from Adrien Rabiot – who was too sick to play the semifinal – found Mbappe’s head, but all he wanted was to run again to where no one could catch him. Thuram chipped the ball over a defender, Mbappe seemingly teleported and smashed a sliding volley into the far corner of the net to produce one of the great World Cup final goals.
If Messi can kill you with a thousand feints and a thousand more tiny steps that you’d barely hear but always retreat from in fear, Mbappe stares you down as if you are the finish line itself and thunderously gallops past. Pressure or fear itself can’t keep up.
Extra time beckoned and both teams, as if spurred on by Mbappe’s daring brilliance, searched for a winner. Chances came at both ends, and then in the third minute of the second half of extra time, it was the turn of one of Scaloni’s substitutes to announce themselves.
Forgotten man Lautaro Martinez had come on for Julian Alvarez, and after spurning a chance earlier, combined on a play with Messi and Enzo Fernandez -- who won Young Player of the Tournament -- before firing a shot that required a spectacular save from Lloris from close range. As Messi has done time and time again for Argentina in its hour of need, he was ready to pounce on the rebound and turn a “what if” into a “but of course” moment.
But there was one more “of course” moment left in the match.
A Gonzalo Montiel handball in the box while trying to block an Mbappe shot put the French superstar in position for the men’s World Cup’s first hat trick since Geoff Hurst in 1966 and a second overall.
Again, he couldn’t wait for the referee to allow him to take the kick, again he stared down Martinez and again he went the same way and scored.
Never had there been six goals shared equally in the men's World Cup final before. And there was so very nearly a seventh.
In the final minute added on to extra time, French substitute defender Ibrahima Konate sent a hopeful ball from the halfway line toward Argentina’s penalty box. Otamendi attempted a wild bicycle clearance and missed and Muani was through one-on-one with Martinez. He smashed a half volley that seemed destined for the corner of the net, but Martinez’s outstretched left foot made the save of the tournament.
It was a sign of things to come in the game-deciding penalty kicks to follow, as it was Martinez’s dancing and prancing 6-foot-5 frame’s turn to be the hero. After Mbappe and Messi both delivered goals as expected, it was France’s Coman and Aurelien Tchouameni who missed while Paulo Dybala and Leandro Paredes both delivered for Argentina before Gonzalo Montiel inscribed his name in history with the winning penalty kick.
Messi waved to a crowd of nearly 90,000 fans that shared in Argentina’s joy. Mbappe stared into the distance in shock. The disbelief was understandable, what was perhaps the greatest match had just been played and no one watching could truly comprehend what they had just witnessed. How could the man who scored a hat trick in a World Cup final but finish on the losing side?
No legacies were tarnished on this day. The two main characters scripted chapters in gold ink, but both teammates and coaches alike found their own moments to make it a match for the ages.
