Drama specialists Argentina deserve their World Cup title

LUSAIL, Qatar: Sunday's World Cup final turned from a one-sided affair into a nerve-racking vintage showdown and it was somehow fitting that footballing diva Argentina prevailed over France amid the drama.

Tears flowed at Lusail stadium when Gonzalo Montiel buried the winning penalty for a 4-2 shootout victory after Kylian Mbappe's hat-trick had dragged France back into the contest twice following Angel Di Maria's opener and Lionel Messi's double.

Argentine, somehow, were ready for an emotional, nail-biting encounter, having already gone through a dress rehearsal in the same stadium against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.

Leading 2-0 after 73 minutes, they were forced into extra time after Wout Weghorst's late double, but instead of collapsing after the Dutch substitute's equaliser 11 minutes into stoppage time, they rallied back to win the shootout.

They did just that again on Sunday, playing like only Argentina can, with a mix of aggression bordering on gamesmanship, sheer talent, heart and guts.

France, instead, might have entered the match with some sense of self-entitlement and were punished for it with Messi's penalty and Di Maria's goal at the end of a lightning-quick counter attack.

Didier Deschamps substituted Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele with Marcus Thuram and Randal Kolo Muani before the break, to no immediate effect.

"Argentina have been playing a World Cup final, not us," Deschamps said at halftime.

Kingsley Coman and Eduardo Camavinga then came on for Antoine Griezmann and Theo Hernandez, and as Kolo Muani's influence grew, Argentina were hit by some kind of shaky legs syndrome.

Mbappe scored two within 97 seconds in the 80th and 81st, the second with a jaw-dropping volley.

But again, Argentina got back