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Doha (AFP) – France and Argentina will meet Sunday in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 final, four and a half years after they faced each other in the final price of the World Cup Russia, when coach Didier Deschamps’ men achieved a remarkable 4-3 victory on their way to their second title.
Early in that match, Kylian Mbappe revealed his credentials to the world. At the age of 19, the speedy Paris Saint-Germain striker achieved an impressive sprint over 60 meters that lasted seven seconds.
He received the ball 30 meters from the area of his goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, he accelerated deep into the field between two Argentine players, then a second acceleration that killed veteran defender Javier Mascherano and a third missile that forced defender Marcos Rojo to bring him down inside the area: a penalty kick that Antoine Griezmann successfully translated into the goalkeeper’s net Franco Armani, and France advanced 1-0 in the 13th minute.
The son of the Parisian suburb of Bondi, he did more that night in Kazan. He decided the match in five minutes, scoring the third and fourth goals for Al-Zarq (64 and 68).
After a cross from Luca Hernandez, he set the ball up for himself inside the area and fired a left-foot into the net (3-2), then stood in an exposed position to send a deadly ground into the goalkeeper’s net (4-2).
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Mbappe’s double, which was achieved in a period in which the French explicitly dominated the match, embodied the superiority of the Blues, while Sergio Aguero’s goal in stoppage time (3-4) did not spare his team the bitter exit from the final price round, depriving Argentina of continuing the journey towards a third title. After 1978 and 1986, or the star Lionel Messi from reaching the first world title in his rich career with his Spanish club Barcelona.
But Albiceleste, even if tired of Mbappe’s speed, had terrified Didier Deschamps’ team. Before the break, Angel Di Maria responded with a very beautiful long left shot, which equalized the numbers 1-1 (41).
After returning from the dressing rooms, Argentina advanced with a lucky goal by Gabriel Mercado, who took advantage of goalkeeper Lloris falling to the opposite corner after a shot from the “flea” Messi (48).
The French became in a difficult situation, but the night witnessed a magical moment: a long cross and a dispersed ball reached the entrance to the right side of the area, and half-back Benjamin Pavard launched a missile from the opposite angle, and it exploded wonderfully into the Argentine net, scoring the equalizer 2-2 (57).
The French equalized, went unstoppable on their way to Moscow for a second title. In order to win the third title in their history, Argentina stands again against them on Sunday in Doha.
It will be the thirteenth match in the history of the two teams’ confrontations, as Argentina has achieved six victories so far, compared to three losses and three draws.
They met three times in the World Cup. Before Kazan’s last meeting in 2018, Argentina won the first edition that was held in Uruguay in 1930 with a goal, and repeated it in the 1978 edition that was held at home in the group stage 2-1.
© 2022 AFP