It had seemed that Lionel Messi had got his wish to be a World Cup winner in his last ever game for Argentina in the competition but superstar French striker Kylian Mbappe had other ideas, netting a hat-trick in an extraordinary game.
Argentina had a pretty easy ride for much of the game, with them racing into a 2-0 lead after a penalty from Messi and a goal from Ángel Di María had put them firmly in control at half-time.
With the game seemingly heading to a conclusion and an Argentine win, France came alive with two stunning goals in a minute from Mbappe which brought scores level at 2-2.
Going into extra-time, France looked clear favorites to win back-to-back World Cup Finals and become only the second team to have achieved the feat.
With the teams deadlocked at half-time in the extra 30 minutes, it looked like it could be heading to penalty kicks to settle the final.
Just over ten minutes remained when Messi had a seemingly decisive intervention. French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris parried a shot into the path of the superstar, which Messi fired over the line.
It wasn’t over yet though as France won another penalty in the dying moments and Mbappe stepped up to complete the first hat-trick in a World Cup Final since Sir Geoff Hurst did so for England in 1966.
With the scores at 3-3 after extra-time, it was penalties that decided the winner with both Messi and Mbappe scoring once again for their countries.
But the pressure appeared to get the better of France in the end and after a save and a miss, Argentina won the trophy 4-2 on penalties, with Messi getting his wish in the most dramatic fashion.
The reaction on social media was of joy for the game, with one declaring: “This is the best World Cup final EVER!!!”
It was a statement that was echoed by many more on Twitter, as Argentina lifted the iconic trophy.
This is a breaking news story and will continued to be updated.
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