- 2 days ago
This is simply incredible. After 120+ minutes of thrilling football, Argentina and France find themselves in a penalty shootout with the World Cup on the line. It really doesn’t get any better than this. But before we see what comes next, we need to understand how this chaos somehow topped their last meeting,
why we're in the Middle East in the dead of wintertime, and what a win would mean for two of the game's top stars, one of whom is still seeking the biggest prize in the football world. Man, we need to rewind.
why we're in the Middle East in the dead of wintertime, and what a win would mean for two of the game's top stars, one of whom is still seeking the biggest prize in the football world. Man, we need to rewind.
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00:00This is simply incredible. After 120 plus minutes of thrilling football, Argentina and France find
00:08themselves in a penalty shootout with the World Cup on the line. It really doesn't get any better
00:15than this. But before we see what comes next, we need to understand how this chaos somehow topped
00:21their last meeting. Why we're in the Middle East in the dead of wintertime, and what a win would
00:26mean for two of the game's top stars, one of whom is still seeking the biggest prize
00:31in the football world. Man, we need to rewind.
00:39Reaching the World Cup final is no easy feat, and after two plus hours of footy, neither
00:44of these teams would break. It's not a surprise to see these two nations here, but whenever
00:48they've met recently, it's been absolute cinema.
00:54You just don't trip and fall into a World Cup. If that were the case, more than eight
00:59countries would have clumsily fallen into one, and I would have certainly tripped comfortably
01:04into a beach house off the coast of Spain by now. We don't always get what we want.
01:09Just ask the people who've been waiting for it to come home since 1966. Argentina and France
01:15did the damn thing twice. They've only met three times in the World Cup, including the
01:20inaugural tourney in 1930, but their most recent Round of 16 matchup set the bar high. In
01:272018, what was meant to be a coronation for Lionel Messi, the world's greatest player still
01:33searching for his country's first title in decades, turned into the global introduction
01:37of the young'un gunning for his throne. With the match level in the second half, 19-year-old
01:42Kylian Mbappe blew the top off, dropping back-to-back goals within minutes to stun Messi and Argentina.
01:49Teenagers ain't supposed to be performing at that level on this stage. The last one was
01:55Pele. Then he kept following in legendary footsteps and won the whole damn thing. Mbappe wasn't
02:02really feeling the Pele comparisons, respectful of a legend, but was out to blaze his own path.
02:08However, it's hard not to forecast an amazing career for a kid already knocking off a current
02:14GOAT in action.
02:18And now, here they are, four years later, excuse me, four and a half years later, duking
02:25it out again. The enduring king vs. the young prince ready to kick the old man off the throne.
02:31It's a pleasure we find ourselves in Qatar, in the middle of winter, exactly when this tournament
02:36is supposed to be played. Wait. Actually, something sounds off about all that. I'll shoot it with
02:44you straight. FIFA ain't the cleanest organization. Shady dealings came to light in 2010, but they've
02:50been securing backroom deals since the 90s, including one that landed us here in the Middle
02:55East decades later. The Qatar decision was absurdly unethical for a number of reasons, and unfortunately,
03:02led to thousands more you can directly point to, but the tournament produced unforgettable
03:07moments in World Cup history.
03:10Two extremes can be true at the same time. First, the moral complexity of this tournament
03:15sucks. Second, the football played has been at its highest level, and the final was no different.
03:21For nearly 80 minutes, Argentina had their foot on France's neck, sitting comfy just ready
03:28to lift the trophy.
03:32Whoa, now, wait a goddamn minute. This match was a wrap. Now, we're in PKs to decide it all?
03:40That just doesn't feel right in such little time, but you never know what to expect from
03:45this French squad.
03:49France hoisting the trophy in 2018 stamped a football revival for the country following
03:55a period of upheaval. Unfortunately, sports are a very what-have-you-done-for-me-lately
04:01type of game. French legend Diadette Champ got caught in his crosshairs. Brought on as manager
04:06in 2012 after winning the World Cup as a player, the Frenchman shrugged off previous criticism
04:11and went on to make history in 2018. Nearly three years later, the media were on its head
04:18about getting knocked off in the Euros early despite being heavy favors. From hero to zero,
04:24really trying to work that one back into the lingo. Hopefully it landed.
04:28France looked strong in qualifiers and entered the 2022 World Cup primed for a bounce back,
04:33but were playing from behind even before the tourney kicked off. Their roster was depleted
04:39as they arrived at the cup missing key contributors from the 2018 run, and the country's top striker,
04:44fresh off an award-winning season, got hurt at the most inopportune time.
04:49Yet, the shop made adjustments, fought through further injury concerns, and still led his
04:54country to the final. They overcame an ugly trend that's previously swallowed recent champs,
05:00and had a shot to join an elite list. But sometimes, you just can't catch a break.
05:07And whether it was the virus still holding them down, Argentina put belt to ass for most of this
05:13game, but here we are. Football is a team sport, and while the French have proved unbreakable,
05:22one player in particular entered the tournament under added pressure and has more than answered
05:27the call for his country. The last time we heard from our guy Kylian in 2018, he was on top
05:37of the world,
05:38riding the high of firmly entering the conversation as football's top player.
05:42Remember though, sports is a nasty game. Mbappe vanished at the 2020 Euros. More than his manager,
05:51the breakout star became the face of one of the biggest upsets in tournament history,
05:55when his decisive miss in PKs was etched into the minds of French supporters.
06:00I know I keep yapping about sports being a cruel game, but football, especially on a national level,
06:09holds a different weight. It wasn't just family members hitting Mbappe's line to console their
06:14sweet boy after a heartbreaking loss. The country's president was in his DMs.
06:20It's tough not to fold under that kind of pressure. But Mbappe was young. Yeah, he pissed down his leg
06:28the last time we saw him in a tourney with major stakes, but with a squad quite literally limping
06:33into this year's World Cup, he could be the difference maker. Or just carry the team on his
06:39back all the way to the final. Now, he was forgettable for most of the first half and well into
06:45the second
06:46against Argentina, but he showed up when they needed him most. His clever flick late in the
06:51game led to a foul in the box, and with the ghost of Euro 2020 still looming, Mbappe stepped up
06:58and
06:59with one strike, exorcised his past demons. He wasn't finished. 97 seconds later, with French supporters
07:08likely still catching their breath from celebrating, Mbappe volleyed in a stunning second to level
07:14play. Two goals in four minutes to finish Argentina in 2018. Today, two goals in less than two to rip
07:23Argentina's hands off a trophy they thought they already claimed. The South American side punched
07:29back, snatching the lead in the second period of extra time. But have you been paying attention?
07:34You. Can't. Count. Out. Friends. After a handball in the box, Mbappe completed a hat-trick to become
07:43just the second man ever to drop three goals in a World Cup final. Off the pins, France elected to
07:50go
07:51first and put their faith in Mbappe to set the tone, and even though the keeper guessed right, there was
07:56no
07:56denying the man. He's the reason they're here. Back from the dead, France their penalty kicks away from
08:06a miracle. With a win, they'll further establish themselves as one of the greatest nations in
08:12football and yank the trophy from one that's been desperately waiting for their moment again.
08:18Argentina's been living off past glory. The 2018 loss to France marked their fifth straight loss of the
08:24decade, and with whispers of dysfunction within the squad, it seemed like the end of a generation
08:29that could never win the big one despite so much promise. Football ain't horseshoes. And for a nation
08:36with a rich history championed by Diego Maradona in the late 70s and 80s, a man seen more as the
08:42country's savior than a footballer, just getting close was never gonna be enough. But things can change.
08:49After bowing out to France in 2018, Argentina parted ways with their manager and handed the reins to his
08:55relatively inexperienced assistant, Lionel Scaloni. Three years later, Argentina won the Copa America,
09:02the nation's first major trophy in 28 years. They looked to carry that momentum into this World Cup
09:08on a 36-match unbeaten streak, surely looking to make it 37 against an inferior Saudi Arabia in their
09:15opener. Well, not so much. Not the greatest look, but they recovered. Smashed through the remainder of
09:24group play, survived a feisty shootout with the Netherlands in the quarters after conceding two
09:29goals, and throttled Croatia in the semis. In the final, Argentina hadn't just looked like contenders,
09:36they looked destined. Until, you know, this guy.
09:44Yet, hope is still very much alive. It's been a hell of a rollercoaster ride for Argentina, but
09:51there'll be no better thrill for a proud nation than walking away from penalties as champions.
09:57They say the journey is a true reward, but this could ultimately be the final road for one of the
10:02game's
10:02greats. Oh, look at me. I'm Messi. I got all these awards. I'm a magician with the ball at my
10:12feet.
10:13I can't stop winning. It's really hard to feel bad for a guy with plenty success, but Messi is severely
10:21underwhelmed for his country. Hell, even when he kinda had a bright spot winning the award for the
10:272014 World Cup's best player, his own nation's hero, and FIFA's president believed losers shouldn't be
10:35rewarded. That's tough. For a man slotted as Maradona's heir, how can he hold the title for
10:41greatest player in the world when he can't even deliver for his own country? At 29, Messi seemed
10:47ready to escape it all. His announcement to retire sent shock waves through Argentina,
10:52with the country's president pleading for him to return in a rather unique way. If that didn't
10:59tickle a messiah complex and Messi, he ultimately gave in, citing his love for his nation and desire
11:05to fix things from within. I guess if you can't point the finger at someone else, at least you can
11:11have the comfort of knowing you screwed things up yourself. But again, things can change.
11:19Argentina not only broke their nearly three-decade-long title drought in 2021, but Messi firmly orchestrated
11:26the run. Now at 35 years old, entering his fifth World Cup, there was no guarantee he'd have another
11:33chance at adding the elusive trophy that's escaped him for years. And he left everything on the field.
11:39Messi was masterful throughout the tournament, scoring or assisting in virtually every match.
11:45Pressure builds diamonds after all. In the final, he not only had to stare down the country that sent
11:51him home last World Cup, but needed to fend off the young protege to his throne, a player he's come
11:57to
11:57know as a teammate at PSG. When the whistle blew, Messi didn't back down. After Argentina was awarded a
12:04penalty kick following a foul in the box, Messi calmly stepped to the ball and with ice in his veins,
12:10drilled the opening goal to give Argentina the lead. Minutes later, a beautiful flick sparked the attack
12:17that led to Argentina's soul-snatching second goal. Seriously, just look at that touch that got things
12:24going. Then an extra time, despite initial confusion of an offside call, he stabbed in the loose ball
12:31during a crazy scramble to give Argentina the lead at the 109th minute. It was an all-time performance
12:38fit for a monumental match with his country on the verge of glory, but this guy just won't go away.
12:48It's been a back and forth between the generations, and as Mbappe smashed his PK with the brash
12:54confidence of a young'un knowing the world as his oyster, Messi, older and wise, gently rolled the ball
13:01into the net after seeing which way the French goalkeeper would dive. His potential last kick at the
13:06World Cup was an equalizer in penalty shootouts with everything on the line. While that might be
13:12incredibly hard to top as a climax, Messi, like us, could only sit back and watch the action unfold.
13:20Two more Argentina penalties? Both successful. Two French penalties? Not quite the same result.
13:29Down 3-1 in pins, France converted a must-score penalty, and with the outcome of the tournament
13:35lying on one kick, that brings us here. Not saying that you doubted me or anything at the top, but
13:43this,
13:44forget recency bias, is the greatest final I have ever seen. The stakes, the history on the line,
13:52neither nation backing down, and in the thick of it were two of the greatest stars on the planet.
13:58Mbappe, still wet behind the ears, could go two for two at the World Cup and pry the trophy out
14:04the
14:04hands of a legend. This is it for Messi. For all the greatest of all time talk, he's been unable
14:10to
14:11escape the pressure of bringing his country a World Cup, and this could be a fairytale ending. I really
14:17can't believe we're here. Welcome to a moment in history.
14:23Montreal! Argentina! Champions of the World! Again! At last!
14:48The World Cup, we have plenty of more dope content for you to check out right here on our YouTube.
14:48The series needed a bit of a refresh, so I want to quickly shout out Charlotte and Phil on our
14:52team,
14:53who made this video look so damn pretty. If you enjoyed it, we have plenty of more
14:58dope content for you to check out right here on our YouTube.