It was a final for the ages as Argentina superstar Lionel Messi finally got his hands on the World Cup with a penalty shootout win over France.
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After tasting defeat in 2014 against Germany, it all came down to today in Doha to see whether he could finish his career with the game’s biggest prize.
Things were going smoothly in the first-half with Messi and Angel Di Maria scoring to give Argentina a much deserved 2-0 lead at the break.
France failed to register a single shot on target in the opening 45 minutes and Didier Deschamps was forced to make two changes in the 40th minute, such was his dismay with what he was seeing.
Rarely has a neutral World Cup final seen so many people favour one team, with many desperate for Messi to finally win the trophy.
But Messi’s night was threatened by a remarkable intervention from Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Kylian Mbappe.
The 23-year-old scored two goals in 90 seconds to put France back on level terms and, after Messi celebrated earlier in the game in front of Mbappe, the Frenchman took his opportunity to get revenge on his team-mate by celebrating in the same way.
There is believed to be tension between the two players at club level, with Mbappe feeling undermined since Messi’s arrival in the French capital.
Messi’s arrival at the club has seen Mbappe moved to a central position, which he is unhappy with as he likes to play on the wing.
It was far from the last impact the pair had on the match, with Messi scoring again in extra-time. But, Mbappe scored just three minutes from the end to take the game to penalties.
Emi Martinez saved two spot kicks after Messi and Mbappe both converted their penalties, with Montiel scoring the winning spot kick for Argentina.
