Three memorable moments from a memorable World Cup final
BEAUTY: Argentina's Angel Di Maria celebrates his goal. Pic: AP Photo/Petr David Josek
Angel Di Maria's goal in the 36th minute was a thing of beauty, a team goal of the highest order and looked like setting Argentina on course for a comfortable and straightforward victory. The move started with a hoofed clearance from the French defence, which was struggling to contain the rampant Argentines. So confident in control were the South Americans that they did not just clear the ball, they played it forward quickly and with precision, cutting through French ranks. The ball was played forward from right back Nahuel Molina, Lionel Messi flicked it on with the outside of his boot to Julian Alvarez who sent Alexis Mac Allister racing away. The Brighton forward could have gone for goal, but he was unselfish and astute to see Di Maria arriving on the left side of the penalty area, and his pass across the box fell perfectly for his team-mate to hit a crisp, first-time finish.
Kylian Mbappe's second goal and first equaliser, in the 81st minute, was something special, and the moment this game really took off. Mbappe had scored his first goal from the penalty spot just over a minute earlier, to give France feint hope. A game that looked to be heading for a routine 2-0 win suddenly became more interesting, but exploded into life when Mbappe scored again. Incredibly, Messi was at fault, losing possession to Kingsley Coman. When the ball reached Mbappe, he played a one-two and hit the return pass with such a clean and powerful volley that Martinez had no chance to react as the ball flew past him. It was a sensational strike, arguably the goal of the tournament given its significance, and set the tone for a scintillating climax to the final game of an amazing tournament.
When Gonzalo Montiel went on to replace Molina at the start of extra time, the Sevilla defender can hardly have envisaged he was about to write his name in Argentina's long and illustrious World Cup history. Yet when it went to penalties after two hours and three goals each, we all knew someone was going to become a hero – we just didn't expect it to be Montiel, who had conceded the penalty from which Mbappe had made it 3-3 late in extra-time. But come the shootout, the 25-year-old was as cool as they come. Mbappe and Messi scored the first two, as expected, but Kingsley Coman had his shootout kick saved by Emi Martinez, and when Aurelian Tchouameni put his wide, Argentina had a two-goal advantage. It meant that Montiel only had to score to win the World Cup. He sent Hugo Lloris the wrong way, and the celebrations could begin. For Argentina and their fans, 36 years of hurt had gone in an instant.
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