Argentina faces defending champion France in men's World Cup final
It's now or never for Lionel Messi.
Lionel Messi Sport News
Argentina v France teams
LUSAIL, Qatar : Following are the starting lineups for Argentina and France for Sunday's World Cup final at Lusail Stadium:
Sunday sport: World Cup final pits Lionel Messi against Kylian Mbappé
France would become only the third nation to win back-to-back World Cups if they clinch victory over Argentina in this afternoon's final.
Quotes of the World Cup
DOHA: Rousing team talks, feuding teammates and pithy one-liners — AFP looks back at some of the best quotes of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar: “Take your phone and take a picture with him if you want!” — Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard suggests a novel approach to dealing with Argentina’s Lionel Messi in his half-time team-talk. Renard’s words did the trick as Saudi Arabia upset the South Americans 2-1. “People say the favorites are France.
World Cup hits and misses
DOHA: Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have dazzled at the World Cup in Qatar, while Morocco caught the imagination of a continent on their run to the semifinals. But the host nation flopped badly, Germany made a swift exit and Cristiano Ronaldo discovered he was no longer an automatic pick for Portugal. AFP Sport looks at the hits and misses from a month-long festival of football. Overachievers Morocco became the first African side and the first Arab team to reach the semifinals of a World Cup. And it was no fluke. Walid Regragui’s men, ranked 22nd in the world, beat Belgium and drew with Croatia on the way to topping their group before dumping 2010 champions Spain and Portugal out of the tournament. Roared on by tens of thousands of fans and supported across Africa and the Arab world, they came up short in the semifinals, losing 2-0 to France, but they have broken new ground. Japan shocked Germany and Spain to top their group before losing on penalties to Croatia in the round of 16. South Korea underlined the progress Asian football is making by beating Portugal to qualify from their group but came unstuck against Brazil in the first knockout round.
World Cup of firsts ends with clash of titans
DOHA: There is no new name on the trophy and many of football’s global superstars are taking their final bow but the most controversial World Cup in history will be remembered as a tournament of firsts. Heavyweights France and Argentina progressed to the final, each looking to win the trophy for a third time after a tournament packed with shocks and surprises. Four-time winners Germany crashed out at the group stage for the second successive time while Argentina were beaten by Saudi Arabia in their opener in one of the biggest shocks in the tournament’s history.
Five most memorable goals of 2022 World Cup
DOHA: Acrobatic volleys, long-range piledrivers and sweeping team goals: AFP looks at some of the most memorable goals of the 2022 World Cup:
World Cup Final preview: Messi's final waltz must be magical to allay Les Bleus
Will the 2022 tournament be remembered as Messi's World Cup or can this famous France side stand shoulder to shoulder with that great back-to-back Brazil team of the Pele era?