Messi, Argentina win epic World Cup finale over France

A thrilling World Cup finale between Argentina and France Sunday came down to penalty kicks. There, Agentina and soccer star Lionel Messi emerged 4-2 in the shootout win the Cup.

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December 19, 2022 - 1:51 PM

Leandro Paredes (right) of Argentina scores on a penalty kick during the final of the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament between Argentina and France at Lusail stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. Photo by (Juan Ignacio Roncoroni/EFE/Zuma Press/TNS)

LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — Lionel Messi, wearing a black Qatari robe over his blue-and-white Argentina shirt, kissed the World Cup, shuffled toward his teammates and hoisted the golden trophy high in the air.

It was an iconic sight that finally — definitively — places the soccer superstar in the pantheon of the game’s greatest players.

Messi’s once-in-a-generation career is complete: He is a World Cup champion.

In probably the wildest final in the tournament’s 92-year history, Argentina won its third World Cup title by beating France 4-2 in a penalty shootout after a 3-3 draw featuring two goals from the 35-year-old Messi and a hat trick by his heir apparent, France forward Kylian Mbappé.

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