 Gonzalo Montiel's match-winning penalty kick in the penalty shoot-out. | |||||||
| Event | 2022 FIFA World Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Afterextra time Argentina won 4–2 onpenalties | |||||||
| Date | 18 December 2022 (2022-12-18) | ||||||
| Venue | Lusail Stadium,Lusail | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Lionel Messi (Argentina) | ||||||
| Referee | Szymon Marciniak (Poland) | ||||||
| Attendance | 88,966 | ||||||
| Weather | Partly cloudy 22 °C (72 °F) 64%humidity[1][2] | ||||||
←2018 2026 → | |||||||
| Part of a series on the |
| 2022 FIFA World Cup |
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The2022 FIFA World Cup final was the final match of the2022 FIFA World Cup, the 22nd edition ofFIFA's competition formen's national football teams. The match was played atLusail Stadium inLusail, Qatar, on 18 December 2022,the Qatari National Day, and was contested byArgentina and defending championsFrance. With a record 1.5 billion people watching on television, the final became one of the most widely watched televised sporting events in history.[3]
The tournament comprised hostsQatar and 31 other teams who emerged victorious fromthe qualification phase, organised by the sixFIFA confederations. The 32 teams competed in a group stage, from which 16 teams qualified forthe knockout stage. En route to the final, Argentina finished first inGroup C, first losing to Saudi Arabia 2–1, then defeating bothMexico andPoland 2–0. They then beatAustralia 2–1 in the round of 16, theNetherlands in the quarter-final through apenalty shoot-out after it ended 2–2 in extra time, andCroatia in the semi-final 3–0. France finished first inGroup D with two wins and one loss (4–1 win overAustralia, 2–1 win overDenmark, and a 1–0 loss toTunisia), defeating Poland 3–1 in the round of 16,England 2–1 in the quarter-final, andMorocco 2–0 in the semi-final. The final took place in front of 88,966 spectators and wasrefereed bySzymon Marciniak.
Argentina took the lead through apenalty byLionel Messi in the 23rd minute beforeÁngel Di María further increased their lead in the 36th minute with a low shot into the corner of the goal after a sweeping Argentina counterattack. France failed to register a shot at the goal for the vast majority of the match until a 97-second brace byKylian Mbappé tied the game 2–2 in the 81st minute. Duringextra time, Messi then scored again to give Argentina a 3–2 lead. However, Mbappé scored a second penalty to tie the game 3–3 with just a few minutes remaining, becoming the second man to score ahat-trick in a World Cup final afterGeoff Hurst in1966. Argentina then won the ensuing penalty shoot-out 4–2 to win their third World Cup, and first since1986.
It was the second time that Argentina reached the World Cup final after losing their opening match (the other occasion being in1990), a feat three other teams have achieved (West Germany in1982,Italy in1994, andSpain in2010); it was only the second time in history that a team went on to win the tournament after losing their opening match (following Spain in 2010). France became the first team in history to score three goals in a World Cup final and lose. Messi was named theman of the match and won theGolden Ball as FIFA's best player of the tournament, becoming the first player to win the award twice, having previously won it in2014.
The match was ranked by the football media and fans alike as one of the greatestWorld Cup finals, and one of the greatest football matches in the history of the sport.[4][5]
Argentina had won the World Cup twice before, in1978 and1986.[6] They had also finished 2nd place three times, in1930,1990 and2014. After the 2014 final loss, they went on to lose two consecutiveCopa América finals toChile, in2015 and2016. After a string of disappointing performances in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where they lost to eventual champions France in thefirst knockout round, and the2019 Copa América,[7] where they finishedthird, newly appointed coachLionel Scaloni led Argentina to their first international title since1993 by defeating title holders Brazil 1–0 in the2021 Copa América final and handing captainLionel Messi his first senior international title.[8][9] After winning the2022 Finalissima, beatingEuropean champions Italy 3–0,[10] Argentina entered Qatar as one of the favourites to win.[11][12]
France were the defending champions from the2018 World Cup, which made this the first time since the2002 final in which a team had consecutive appearances at the finals, and the first since1998 in which the title holders qualified for the subsequent final – both feats achieved byBrazil. France had claimed two World Cups, in1998 and 2018. The French also reached the2006 final, but fell toItaly onpenalties. Under the management ofDidier Deschamps, who won the 1998 tournament as a player, the French failed to conquer the2014 World Cup andUEFA Euros 2016 and2020, but successfully clinched the 2018 World Cup title.[13][14] Due to their status as the world champions, France also entered Qatar as one of the favourites to win.[15] France aimed to emulate the achievement of Italy in1934 and1938 and Brazil in1958 and1962 as the third country to successfully defend the World Cup title. Deschamps was seeking to become the second manager to win two men'sFIFA World Cup titles, afterVittorio Pozzo with Italy in 1934 and 1938.[16] Having won the 1998 tournament as a player, Deschamps was also seeking to become the third person to win three FIFA World Cup titles, after Brazilian legendsPelé (all as a player) andMário Zagallo (two as a player, one as a manager).[17][18]
The two nations met in the knockout stage for the second straight World Cup. In 2018 in Russia at theKazan Arena in the round of 16, France won the encounter 4–3 in whatThe Independent called "one of the greatest World Cup games of all time".[19]Antoine Griezmann opened the scoring with a penalty beforeÁngel Di María andGabriel Mercado put Argentina in front, with France then scoring the next three goals courtesy ofBenjamin Pavard's volley outside of the box – which was later voted as the goal of the tournament[20] – and thenKylian Mbappé twice.[21]Sergio Agüero reduced the deficit to one in stoppage time, but Argentina was unable to equalise and send the match toextra time.[22]
The match ball for the2022 FIFA World Cup semi-finals,third place match and final was announced on 11 December 2022. It was a variation of theAdidasAl Rihla used in the rest of the tournament named theAdidasAl-Hilm, meaning "The Dream" inArabic, a reference to every nation's dream of lifting the FIFA World Cup.[23] Whilst the technical aspects of the ball are the same, the colour is different from theAl-Rihla balls used in the group stages and preceding knockout games, with aGold Metallic, maroon,Collegiate Burgundy, and red design, a reference to thenational colours of host nationQatar and the golden colours shared by the final's venueLusail Stadium and theFIFA World Cup Trophy. It is the fifth special ball for FIFA World Cup final matches, after the+Teamgeist Berlin,[24]Jo'bulani,[25]Brazuca Final Rio,[26] andTelstar Mechta.[27]
The final was played at Lusail Stadium inLusail, Qatar, located about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of the city centre ofDoha.[28] The stadium was intended to host the final as part ofQatar's World Cup bid,[29] and was confirmed as the final venue on 15 July 2020.[30] The stadium was allocated to also host nine previous World Cup matches, with six in the group stage and three other knockout fixtures.[31]
Lusail Stadium, owned by theQatar Football Association, was built as part of Qatar's winning bid for the World Cup. The stadium was designed by British firmFoster and Partners andPopulous,[32] supported byMANICA Architecture.[33] The stadium uses solar power to be cooled and is claimed to have a carbon zero footprint.[34] Construction began in April 2017,[35] and was planned to finish in 2020. Completion of the stadium was postponed, with construction ultimately finished in November 2021.[36] The stadium hosted its first match, the Lusail Super Cup, on 9 September 2022,[37] later than expected.[38]
| Opponent | Result | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Saudi Arabia | 1–2 |
| 2 |  Mexico | 2–0 |
| 3 |  Poland | 2–0 |
| R16 |  Australia | 2–1 |
| QF |  Netherlands | |
| SF |  Croatia | 3–0 |
Drawn ingroup C and coming off a three-year, 36-game-long unbeaten streak,[39] Argentina were defeated in their opening game 2–1 bySaudi Arabia.[40][41] Lionel Messi's opener from the penalty spot was followed by several disallowed Argentina goals which were ruled offside.[42] Immediately after half-time, Saudi Arabia stunned Argentina with two goals fromSaleh Al-Shehri andSalem Al-Dawsari in a span of five minutes before shutting out any further attempts by the South Americans in a disciplined defensive performance.[43] However, the Argentines bounced back from the shock loss to overcomeMexico 2–0 after a long-range effort by Messi who then assistedEnzo Fernández for the second, reigniting their World Cup hopes.[44] Boosted by the win, Argentina then beat Poland with the same scoreline with goals fromAlexis Mac Allister andJulián Alvarez despite a first-half penalty miss from Messi, taking first place in Group C and condemning both Mexico and Saudi Arabia to World Cup elimination.[45]
In the round of 16, the Argentines found themselves matched againstgroup D runners-upAustralia; Messi's first-ever knockout-stage goal was followed by an astute goal by Alvarez, who intercepted Australian goalkeeperMathew Ryan to finish into an empty net as Argentina overcame Australia 2–1, despite an own goal from Fernández creating a frantic finish which required a late save from point-blank range byEmiliano Martínez.[46] Continuing arivalry, they proceed to square off against theNetherlands in the quarter-finals. In acontroversial match noted for its dramatic nature, chaotic atmosphere, and fury between both teams,[47][48] it saw Argentina lead by two goals coming fromNahuel Molina and a penalty from Messi, but succumbed to two late goals byWout Weghorst as regulation time ended 2–2 after 90 minutes; neither could find the breakthrough in extra time and penalties were used to decide the winner. Emiliano Martínez saved the first two Dutch penalties fromVirgil van Dijk andSteven Berghuis, while only Fernández missed for Argentina asLautaro Martínez scored the decisive last kick of the game, a result reminiscent of their 2014 most recent, alsoknockout stage meeting and sending them through the semi-finals, as they meet 2018 runners upCroatia.[49][50] In a rematch of the2018 encounter when Croatia had won 3–0, Argentina decisively beat Croatia by the same scoreline. Lionel Messi scored a first-half penalty before Alvarez scored a solo effort five minutes later. Messi then assisted Alvarez for his double in the second half, as Argentina booked their place in the final for the second time in eight years.[51]
| Opponent | Result | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 4–1 |
| 2 |  Denmark | 2–1 |
| 3 |  Tunisia | 0–1 |
| R16 | Poland | 3–1 |
| QF |  England | 2–1 |
| SF |  Morocco | 2–0 |
France started their World Cup campaign as the defending world champions, having won the most recent tournament in Russia, and was drawn in group D. Their first meeting was againstAFC representative Australia. The French suffered a shock deficit after nine minutes due to a goal byCraig Goodwin, but were able to stage a comeback with a double fromOlivier Giroud together with goals fromAdrien Rabiot and Kylian Mbappé to win 4–1.[52] Empowered by the win, France overcame a highly organised and threateningDenmark side with Mbappé striking twice in the second half, despite conceding an equaliser fromAndreas Christensen. France won 2–1 and became the first team to progress to the knockout stage of the World Cup in Qatar and the first European world champions to do so since1994.[53] With progression assured, France rotated most of their team, resting their key players for the final game against a desperateTunisia; France resultantly lost 1–0 courtesy of a goal by French-bornWahbi Khazri before having an equaliser by Antoine Griezmann disallowed. France maintained top of the group due to a superior goal difference over Australia.[54]
In the round of 16, France overcame group C runners-upPoland 3–1 with goals from Giroud and Mbappé, despite conceding a late penalty fromRobert Lewandowski.[55] The quarter-finals saw France battling old rivalsEngland in a tense match, with France defeating England 2–1 with goals fromAurélien Tchouaméni and Giroud; England found an equaliser for 1–1 courtesy of a penalty byHarry Kane but a second penalty to equalise the game was missed by Kane, granting France a place in the semi-finals.[56] France then faced the biggest underdog of the tournament,Morocco, who had beaten bothIberian representativesSpain andPortugal in the process; the French were able to end the history-making run by the African nation with two goals fromThéo Hernandez andRandal Kolo Muani for a 2–0 result. France reached their second consecutive World Cup final for the first time in their history.[57]
Polish refereeSzymon Marciniak was named as the referee of the final on 15 December 2022, with fellow Poles Paweł Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz appointed as assistant referees.[58][59] Marciniak became aFIFA referee in 2011[60] and had previously served as a referee at the UEFA Euro 2016 and 2018 FIFA World Cup, as well as during the2018 UEFA Super Cup.[59] Earlier in the tournament, Marciniak officiated the France–Denmark group stage game, as well as the Argentina–Australia match in the round of 16. It was the first time that a Polish referee led the team of officials at a World Cup final, and the second time that a Polish referee was included among the officials during such a match, afterMichał Listkiewicz (father of Marciniak's assistant Tomasz) served as a linesman during the 1990 FIFA World Cup final.[59]
Ismail Elfath and Kathryn Nesbitt of the United States were appointed as fourth official and reserve assistant referee, respectively,[61] while another Pole, Tomasz Kwiatkowski, led the video assistant referee team.[58] VenezuelanJuan Soto served as assistant video assistant referee, American Kyle Atkins was the offside video assistant referee, and the role of support video assistant referee was assigned to MexicanFernando Guerrero.[58] GermanBastian Dankert and American Corey Parker served as stand-by video assistant referee and stand-by assistant video assistant referee, respectively.[62][61]
Several heads of state were in attendance, among them Qatari EmirTamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Turkish presidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan, and French presidentEmmanuel Macron. Various members of theFIFA Council and FIFA presidentGianni Infantino were also in attendance.[63] Argentine head of stateAlberto Fernández did not attend after having reportedly refused to travel to Qatar due to potential political backlash.[64][65] However,Claudio Tapia, the president of theArgentine Football Association was present in the final.[66]
The tournament's closing ceremony was held prior to the start of the match; it featured a collaboration between Puerto Rican singerOzuna and French singerGims. Also performing wereNora Fatehi,Balqees,Rahma Riad andManal.[67]
The winners trophy was unveiled by World Cup winning captainIker Casillas and Indian actressDeepika Padukone.[68]
Argentine singerLali Espósito sang the "Argentine National Anthem"[69] and Egyptian mezzo-sopranoFarrah Eldibany sang the French national anthem, "La Marseillaise", before the match.[70]
_(cropped).jpg)
France kicked off the match at 18:00local time (15:00UTC) in front of a crowd of 88,966.[71] Argentina were awarded a penalty in the 23rd minute when Ángel Di María was fouled in the penalty area byOusmane Dembélé as Di María cut in from the left. Lionel Messi scored the penalty with a low shot to the right corner. In the 36th minute, Di Maria finished a sweeping Argentina counter-attack to make it 2–0, shooting with his left foot over the goalkeeper to the right corner of the net after a pass from Alexis Mac Allister from the right.[72] France made two early substitutions near the end of the first half and went into half-time trailing 0–2.[73]
Argentina were on course for the win, controlling possession, and defensively shutting down France, who failed to make an attempt on goal until the 80th minute, at which point France was awarded a penalty after Randal Kolo Muani was brought down in the penalty area byNicolás Otamendi. Kylian Mbappé scored the penalty low to the left corner, despite Emiliano Martínez getting a hand on the ball, making the game 2–1. 97 seconds later,Kingsley Coman tackled Messi right as the game restarted, starting a rapid counter-attack which finished with Mbappé first-time volleying a lofted pass fromMarcus Thuram with his right foot as he was falling to the ground to the bottom-right corner of the net to make the game 2–2; Martínez again attempted to parry the ball but couldn't keep it out.
Five minutes after Mbappé's equaliser, Thuram went down in the penalty box after slightly tripping on Enzo Fernández's leg, only to be booked fordiving. Both teams came close to finishing the game near the end of added time as Adrien Rabiot fired a quick shot inside the box, forcing a fumbling save from Emiliano Martínez; then three minutes later Messi had a hard shot parried over the bar byHugo Lloris. With the score tied at the end of regulation time, the match went to extra time.[74]
After first half of extra time finished goalless, notably highlighted by twoone-on-one opportunities missed by Lautaro Martínez,[74] Messi scored again for Argentina in the second period of extra time when he finished from close range after Lloris had parried a shot from Lautaro Martínez on the right, in what seemed to be the winning goal. However, France was awarded a second penalty in the 118th minute after a shot by Mbappé hit the arm ofGonzalo Montiel.[74] Mbappé scored his third goal with his penalty kick to the left, sending Martínez the wrong way and becoming the second player to score ahat-trick in a men's World Cup final afterGeoff Hurst for England in1966.[73]
In the 123rd minute, with 15 seconds of the extra time to spare, a loose ball fell to an unmarked Kolo Muani at the edge of the box, who shot low to the right of the goal; however, Emiliano Martínez blocked the shot with his left shin. Argentina counter-attacked immediately, ending with Lautaro Martínez heading wide of the goal from 10 yards.[73] France produced one last attack when Mbappé dribbled in the penalty box, passing three Argentina defenders, only forPaulo Dybala to make a timely clearance off the field.[75] The referee then blew the final whistle of extra time and the match went to a penalty shoot-out.
For the third time in history, the World Cup final would be decided on penalties. WithItaly participating in the1994 and2006 finals, this would be the first final not featuring them to go to penalties (they failed to qualify for the tournament to begin with after suffering a shock defeat toNorth Macedonia. Mbappé and Messi successfully converted the first two attempts to begin the penalty shootout at 1–1. Argentina goalkeeper Martínez would continue to use the psychological tactics and means ofgamesmanship that he utilised during thepenalty shoot-outs in the quarter-final against the Netherlands. After delaying Kingsley Coman's attempt by arguing with the referee, Martínez then saved Coman's shot, which was down low to Martínez's right.[76] Dybala sent a shot into the net up the middle to give Argentina a 2–1 lead.
Before Aurélien Tchouaméni's shot, Martínez picked up the ball and then threw it to the edge of the box. Tchouaméni then sent his shot wide of the goal to the left.[76]Leandro Paredes then scored to put France on the brink of defeat at 3–1. Kolo Muani kept France alive by scoring his chance and reducing France's deficit to 3–2; Martínez attempted to use his psychological tactics on Kolo Muani but was instead shown a yellow card.[77] Montiel was then given a chance to make up for his late handball by clinching the championship for Argentina. Montiel scored low to the left, securing the 4–2 penalty shoot-out victory for Argentina and giving them their third World Cup trophy and first since 1986.[78]
          Argentina |      France |
|  |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Man of the Match: Assistant referees: | Match rules[82]
|
| Statistic | Argentina | France |
|---|---|---|
| Goals scored | 2 | 0 |
| Total shots | 6 | 0 |
| Shots on target | 3 | 0 |
| Saves | 0 | 1 |
| Ball possession | 59% | 41% |
| Corner kicks | 2 | 0 |
| Fouls committed | 10 | 11 |
| Offsides | 3 | 0 |
| Yellow cards | 1 | 0 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
| Statistic | Argentina | France |
|---|---|---|
| Goals scored | 0 | 2 |
| Total shots | 6 | 6 |
| Shots on target | 4 | 3 |
| Saves | 1 | 4 |
| Ball possession | 45% | 55% |
| Corner kicks | 2 | 3 |
| Fouls committed | 9 | 5 |
| Offsides | 0 | 2 |
| Yellow cards | 1 | 3 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
| Statistic | Argentina | France |
|---|---|---|
| Goals scored | 1 | 1 |
| Total shots | 8 | 4 |
| Shots on target | 3 | 2 |
| Saves | 1 | 2 |
| Ball possession | 62% | 38% |
| Corner kicks | 2 | 2 |
| Fouls committed | 6 | 3 |
| Offsides | 1 | 2 |
| Yellow cards | 3 | 0 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
| Statistic | Argentina | France |
|---|---|---|
| Goals scored | 3 | 3 |
| Total shots | 20 | 10 |
| Shots on target | 10 | 5 |
| Saves | 2 | 7 |
| Ball possession | 54% | 46% |
| Corner kicks | 6 | 5 |
| Fouls committed | 26[note 3] | 19 |
| Offsides | 4 | 4 |
| Yellow cards | 5 | 3 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
Pundits, commentators, and audiences praised the intensity, stressful atmosphere, and thrilling back-and-forth nature of the match, highlighting the number of goals scored, and with many media outlets spotlighting it as a duel betweenParis Saint-Germain teammates Messi and Mbappé.[85][86][87][88] The match has since been hailed as one of the most excitingWorld Cup finals, and among the greatest football matches ever.[89][90][91][92]
With the victory, Argentina won their third FIFA World Cup title to surpass France andUruguay, their titles ranking behind only Brazil's five and the four of Italy andGermany. They became the first South American and first non-European side to win the World Cup since Brazil in 2002,[93] and the first reigning champions of the Copa América to win the World Cup.[94] Having won on penalties against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, Argentina became the first team to have won on that method twice en route to the title.[95] It was the tenth World Cup title for a South American side, and the eighth South American victory in eleven finals facing European opposition. France became the third defending champions to lose in the following final, after Argentina in 1990 and Brazil in 1998.[96] The match was the third FIFA World Cup final to be decided by a penalty shoot-out, after1994 and2006, the latter of which France lost to Italy.[97] This meant that France had not won on penalties in all competitions since the1998 World Cup quarter-final against Italy. The six goals in the final brought the total number of goals in the tournament to a record 172, surpassing the 171 goals scored in 1998 and 2014.[98]
FIFA president Gianni Infantino was present on the pitch stage during the awards ceremony to hand out the medals and present the trophy to the Argentine captain Lionel Messi. He was joined by Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, French president Emmanuel Macron, Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia,French Football Federation presidentNoël Le Graët,CONMEBOL presidentAlejandro Domínguez andUEFA presidentAleksander Čeferin.[99]Sergio Batista andNery Pumpido, World Cup winners with Argentina in 1986, brought the trophy onto the pitch for the ceremony.[100] Before being presented with the trophy by the Emir and Infantino, Messi was given abisht to wear by the Emir prior to the trophy celebration. The trophy presentation had scenery unlike previous tournaments, withconfetti replaced bypyrotechnics and lights with a backdrop of some orchestral cinematic music.[101]
Messi was named as theplayer of the match[81] and won his secondGolden Ball award after 2014 as the best player of the tournament, becoming the first (and so far only) player to receive the award twice.[102] He also won theSilver Boot award with the second-most goals at the tournament, seven.[103] Messi's appearance in the final, his 26th World Cup game, meant he surpassedLothar Matthäus as the player with themost appearances in the World Cup.[104] With his goals, Messi became the second player to score in the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final of a World Cup tournament, after Hungary'sGyörgy Sárosi in 1938, and the only player to score in all of those knockout rounds as well as the group stage.[105] Having scored once in the previous final, Mbappé's hat-trick made him thehighest-scoring player in the final of the World Cup with four goals, surpassing the three of Hurst, Pelé,Vavá andZinedine Zidane.[106] In addition, with his three goals, he surpassed Messi to win theGolden Boot award as the top scorer of the tournament with eight goals,[103] the most in a World Cup since Brazil'sRonaldo in 2002, and also was awarded the Silver Ball as the second-best player of the World Cup.[107] Argentina's Emiliano Martínez won theGolden Glove award as the best goalkeeper of the tournament, while his teammate Enzo Fernández won theYoung Player Award as the best player at the World Cup who is at most 21 (born on or after 1 January 2001).[102]
In Argentina, celebrations erupted across the country, most notably in the capitalBuenos Aires and inRosario, Messi's hometown.[108] On 20 December, the celebration in the streets of Buenos Aires after the arrival of the players of Argentina gathered a crowd estimated by local media at over four million people, forcing the team to be airlifted by helicopter out of their bus.[109] On 22 December, the French Football Federation confirmed to have lodged a formal complaint against the Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez for unsporting behaviour which included incidents such as a sarcastic prayer for silence for French forward Kylian Mbappé in the Argentine locker room after the match, as well as being seen holding and laughing at a toy with a facial cut of Mbappé's face stuck to it during the Argentine victory parade.[110][111] In France,riots erupted across the country in cities including Paris,Lyon andNice;[112] these were very similar to those aftertheir victory in 2018, as well as after victories againstEngland andMorocco earlier in the tournament. Some French players like Kingsley Coman, Randal Kolo Muani and Aurélien Tchouaméni were racially abused online due to their performances by their own fans.[113] Within 48 hours of Messi posting, theInstagram post with the World Cup trophy had surpassed75 million likes, and in doing so, it became the most-liked social media post ever across all social media platforms surpassing the previous most-liked Instagram post, theworld record egg.[114][115]
Each of the last three reigning champions to reach the World Cup final failed to win that final, with France joining Argentina in 1990 and Brazil in 1998 in doing so.
Of the previous seven, only two have gone to penalties: Brazil's win over Italy in 1994 and the Azzurri's triumph against France in 2006.
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