With back-to-back goals, Mbappé is suddenly ahead of Messi in the Golden Boot race
With back-to-back goals, Mbappé is suddenly ahead of Messi in the Golden Boot race
The race for the Golden Boot — the award for the player who scores the most goals in the tournament — hung in the balance heading into Sunday’s clash between Argentina and France.
With his first-half goal on a penalty kick, Argentina’s Lionel Messi pulled one ahead of France’s Kylian Mbappé.
But with two goals in the span of about 90 seconds in the second half, Mbappé leapfrogged the legend in the goal count. He now leads Messi by one heading to extra time in the final.
Here’s where things stand:
7 goals
- Kylian Mbappé (France) (2 assists)
6 goals
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) (3 assists)
Tiebreaker explained: According to FIFA’s criteria, if two players have scored an equal number of goals at the end of the World Cup, the one with the most assists gets the Golden Boot award.
If two or more players are equal on both goals and assists, then the person who played the fewest minutes in the tournament (thus, scoring their goals in a shorter period of time) will win the award.
Argentina and France all tied 2-2 after a wild 90 minutes at the World Cup final
We’re heading to extra time in an instant-classic World Cup final.
Lionel Messi and Argentina built a 2-0 lead in the first half and appeared to be cruising to the title. But Kylian Mbappé had other plans.
The 23-year-old French superstar got two goals in under two minutes late in the second half to tie the game at 2-2. That’s where things stand after 90 minutes.
How extra time works: The two sides will now play two 15-minute periods of extra time. If no team is leading after that, it’ll be a penalty kick shootout to decide the champ.
Argentina 2-2 France
After a stunning sequence to draw even, France’s supporters have come alive
From CNN’s Don Riddell in Doha
How has this happened? The French have come from nowhere to tie the game.
The masses of Argentine fans have been stunned into silence. The French supporters behind the goal that Mbappé scored in twice are going absolutely bonkers.
Just a short time ago, a 2-0 deficit seemed insurmountable for France. They only took their first shot in the 71st minute.
Now we’re even at 2-2, and the outnumbered French contingent in the stands can dream once again of a back-to-back World Cup title.
Mbappé again! The French superstar ties it up
OMG! Just moments after he cut Argentina’s lead to one with a penalty shot goal, France’s 23-year-old superstar Kylian Mbappé got his second.
It had all seemed so certain. Argentina was coasting. But a moment of brilliance from Mbappé has changed the entire complexion of the 2022 World Cup.
Messi lost possession in midfield and the ball popped up to Marcus Thuram, who found Mbappé on the volley. The superstar forward rifled the ball into the net.
Just like that, we’re tied in a 2022 World Cup final that looked all but over.
Argentina 2-2 France
France gets a penalty — and Mbappé gets a goal!
Trailing late in the second half, France was awarded a penalty for a foul on Kolo Muani.
Kylian Mbappé stepped up for his side and beat Emiliano Martínez, who got a hand on the shot.
Mbappé picked the ball up out of the net and ran straight back to kickoff again.
His side has life! Game on!
Argentina 2-1 France
Argentina is giving their loyal fans the performance they deserve
From CNN’s Don Riddell in Doha
If any team deserves to win this World Cup for their fans, it’s Argentina.
Whilst many countries, especially in Europe, sent only a smattering of supporters, tens of thousands of fans traveled in from South America. We’ve heard their enchanting songs from Day One — in Qatar’s souqs, on the metro and in the stadia.
They saw their team humbled here in their opening match against Saudi Arabia, but they never gave up, and now they’re being rewarded with a brilliant performance. Soon it could be a historic win.
Messi continues to shine in the second half, while France looks like a shadow of itself
We are into the last half-hour of the 2022 World Cup, and Argentina has continued to dominate during this final.
Les Bleus have seemed to be a shadow of themselves, with little of the defensive sharpness that has defined their tournament. Star man Kylian Mbappé has barely touched the ball, finally managing his side’s first shot of the match in the 71st minute.
Messi, meanwhile has continued to shine on what could be a golden night for him. He almost put away his team’s third goal but an intervention from Adrien Rabiot pushed the ball wide and allowed France to maintain a sliver of hope.
But anything can happen in a World Cup final, and the tension is ratcheting up as Argentina and Messi edge closer to that elusive trophy.
The second half is underway in the World Cup final
Argentina and France have just kicked off the second half at Qatar’s Lusail Stadium in the 2022 World Cup final.
Argentina leads France 2-0 thanks to goals from Lionel Messi and Ángel Di María.
Messi and his side absolutely dominated the first half of play. The defending champions from France were unable to muster a single shot on goal.
Something to watch in the second half: French manager Didier Deschamps is shaking things up. He’s pulled two of his starters — Ousmane Dembélé and one of the team’s leading goal-scorers of the tournament, Olivier Giroud.
Argentina 2-0 France
It’s euphoria inside Lusail Stadium, where Argentina fans have packed the stands
From CNN’s Don Riddell in Doha
Argentina is blowing France off the field, and this crowd dominated by Argentine fans is in dreamland.
As the French coach Didier Deschamps tries to pick his players up off the floor of the dressing room at halftime, they’ll all have the sound of La Albiceleste fans ringing in their ears.
Tens of thousands of them are here in Lusail, confident they’re now just 45 minutes away from a third world title and the completion of Lionel Messi’s fabled quest to stand atop the world.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/sport/live-news/world-cup-final-argentina-france-12-18-22/h_73c8eaf2b10ebd70ff5aa1e5a205649d
