On December 18, 2022, the Argentine national team secured its third World Cup star, and this Thursday marks three years since the penalty shootout victory over France in the final after a 3-3 draw in regular and extra time.
In this regard, the Argentine News Agency (NA) reviews not only what happened in that thrilling match against the French side, which featured historic moments such as Emiliano Martínez's great save in the 123rd minute, but also throughout the entire international tournament.
The disappointing debut against Saudi Arabia The 2022 World Cup started on the wrong foot for the Albiceleste, which arrived at this match on a 36-game unbeaten streak. The team led by Lionel Scaloni managed to open the scoring with a Lionel Messi penalty in the 7th minute. However, some disallowed goals for offside and several defensive lapses allowed the Saudi team to turn the score around to 2-1.
After the poor start, a phrase from the Rosario native became etched in the memory of the entire Argentine people. In this way, the team went into extra time.
The revenge against the Dutch The match against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals was one of the most memorable. After a 2-0 victory over Australia, Argentina faced the Europeans. Spicy pre-match statements, hard crosses during the game, and the legendary 'go away, fool' from the Argentina captain to Wout Weghorst after the win were some of the standout moments that described one of the most memorable matches of Qatar 2022.
After starting with a 2-0 lead, the Netherlands equalized, and the semi-finalist had to be decided from the penalty spot. With two missed penalties by the French side, Gonzalo Montiel had the chance to seal the match and did not miss. However, with less than ten minutes on the clock, Kylian Mbappé appeared twice to level the score.
The vindication against Mexico In the second match, the opponent was Mexico, a well-known rival, and Argentina arrived at this match practically obligated to win to stay alive in the World Cup and have a chance to top the group. With a brilliant Messi, who scored a low left-footed shot from outside the area, and a great goal from Enzo Fernández, both in the second half, the national team secured an important 2-0 victory, bringing peace of mind to the 'Albiceleste' fans.
The battle of Lusail vs. Netherlands Argentina faced the Netherlands in the quarter-finals after a hard-fought victory over Australia in the round of 16. The right-back took the last shot of the shootout and sealed the third World Cup title for Argentina, added to those of 1978 and 1986.
The 'Great Final' A lot of tension was felt in the moments before the whistle of the match against France, but as the first minutes passed, the Argentine national team was better positioned on the field and managed to go into halftime with a 2-0 lead with goals from Lionel Messi (penalty) and Ángel Di María.
