World Cup 2022 

Final: ARG vs FRA

Preview

The headline act of a dazzling World Cup 2022 programme kicks off on Sunday afternoon at the Lusail Iconic Stadium, as Argentina and defending champions France compete for world dominance in a thrilling final.

Les Bleus will take to the Lusail grass as the first holders in 24 years to compete in the final, which they secured with a 2-0 win against African trailblazers Morocco in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Lionel Scaloni's side denied Croatia a second consecutive appearance in the showpiece event with a 3-0 win in the last four, and the build-up has centred on one player, unexpectedly. This week, a video of Lionel Messi has been making the rounds on social media. Not one of his magnificent strikes or awe-inspiring assists, but a journalist waxing poetic about the 35-year-ageless old's traits and telling him how much he inspires all the boys and girls back home.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has checked practically every box on his footballing checklist, save the big one, and the scriptwriters are already hard at work scripting the scene of Messi hoisting the famous trophy aloft in what will be his final World Cup play. 

As articulate as the Paris Saint-Germain striker has been during the Qatar tournament, one guy cannot lead his country to the world's largest athletic event. Nicolas Otamendi has turned back the clock in defence, Enzo Fernandez has the potential to be the next nine-figure player, and Julian Alvarez has certainly stolen a page from his striking partner's book.

There was a penny for Argentinian thoughts when Salem Al-Saudi Dawsari's Arabia stunner flashed past Emiliano Martinez or when Wout Weghorst nearly made the impossible possible for the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, but the Copa America champions are determined not to join fellow illustrious nations Spain, Belgium, and Germany on the list of giant killings.

Croatia, who had previously knocked out one of the tournament favourites in Brazil, were not supposed to be pushovers in the semi-finals, but La Albiceleste breezed through the 2018 runners-up, owing in no little part to their effervescent striking duo.

When Dominik Livakovic was ruled to have fouled Alvarez, Messi did what he does best from 12 yards, and the Manchester City striker increased his side's advantage simply by racing through the Croatia lines and getting lucky with a couple of ricochets.

Messi then joined an exclusive club of players who have made Josko Gvardiol look like a fool at this World Cup, twisting and turning the 20-year-old breakout star before picking out Alvarez to put the tie beyond any measurable doubt, and the 1978 and 1986 champions are now in line for a sixth World Cup final.

However, three major events have ended in tears for Argentina, including the 2014 edition, and they may now equal Germany's unenviable record of losing a joint-high four World Cup finals, although scoring two goals in every game from the first matchday is undoubtedly heartening.

Only Spain in 2010 managed to win the World Cup after losing their opening encounter, but Scaloni's side have not faced more than six shots per game on average in Qatar, and they will need to deploy such defensive expertise lest Messi's clubmate Kylian Mbappe have a field day.

Before they boarded their trip to the Middle East, nearly everything that might go wrong for France did. A slew of crucial player injuries, constant turmoil off the field, and an almost inconceivable relegation from the Nations League, which they just avoided.

 Few expected France to go all the way in Qatar, but those who received Les Bleus in the sweepstakes may be feeling a bit more smug right now, as the reigning champions illustrate why the trophy still gleams in their cabinet.

No Paul Pogba? No N'Golo Kante? No reigning Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema? No problem for Didier Deschamps. The World Cup-winning player and manager - one of only three men in history with such a title - was even asked about the possibility of bringing Benzema back for the final after his recovery from a thigh injury, but his exhausted sigh and refusal to answer the question were those of a man who only has eyes for his current protagonists.

After preventing football from returning to England, France faced the first-ever African team to reach the World Cup semi-finals, and they were definitely given a couple of scares against a Morocco side shouted on by their ever-vociferous fans.

Hugo Lloris' gloves and Ibrahima Konate's heroic interventions were needed on occasion for Les Bleus, who faced a squad that had yet to surrender to an opposing player in the tournament, but Theo Hernandez altered everything with his acrobatic fifth-minute opening.

Randal Kolo Muani then needed only 44 seconds as a substitute to increase his side's advantage and end the Moroccan fairytale for another four years, making them the first defending champions to reach the final since the Brazil squad of 1998, whom they also defeated in that major event.

Finally, keeping their first clean sheet of the tournament was just what Deschamps' men needed before facing off in their fourth World Cup final, and they now want to become only the third nation in history to win back-to-back World Cups, joining Italy and Brazil.

The two time champions have not lost to a South American side in the world's greatest competition since the 1978 group stage, but that was against Argentina, and football will take centre stage for another 90 or 120 minutes at Lusail before the inquest begins.

Fans will remember the Qatar tournament fondly for its consistent capacity to generate shock after shock, with the likes of Morocco and Japan winning the hearts of the neutrals. However, the pressing issues regarding migrant worker fatalities, LGBT treatment, and other human rights concerns ensure that a heavy dark cloud will long hang over a competition that even Sepp Blatter conceded should not have gone to the Gulf state in the first place. 

Match Details

Match: Final- ARG vs FRA 

Date: 18 December 2022

Time: 8:30 PM  

Venue: Lusail Stadium

World Cup Form

ARG: LWWWWW

FRA: WWLWWW

Key Players

ARG

Lionel Messi: The 35 year old is Argentina's heart and soul, co-leading the tournament in scoring with five goals and tying for the most assists with three. When he senses an opportunity to make something happen, expect the Paris Saint-Germain striker to spring into creative life. A World Cup victory would cement Messi's icon stature alongside Diego Maradona.

Julian Alvarez: As the World Cup progressed, Alvarez came off the bench to replace Lautaro Martinez and scored four goals in four starts for Argentina. The 22-year-old Manchester City star is a strong runner who formed an ideal relationship with Messi in the semifinals 3-0 win over Croatia.

FRA

Kylian Mbappé: He is France's quickest and most dynamic scoring threat. The Paris Saint-Germain forward, 23, is level with Messi for the World Cup lead with five goals. A memorable performance against Argentina will cement his status among the all-time greats.

Antonio Griezman: Griezmann, 31, has been a revelation for France in this year's World Cup. Once a goal-scoring winger, the Atletico Madrid attacker has added unwavering defensive protection to his creative abilities. Between Argentina's forward lines, a clash with Messi might develop.

Possible Starting XIs

ARG: E. Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Acuna; De Paul, Fernandez, Mac Allister; Di Maria, Messi, Alvarez

FRA: Lloris; Kounde, Varane, Upamecano, T. Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Dembele, Griezmann, Mbappe; Giroud

Head To Head 

Argentina and France will meet for the 13th time in all competitions on Sunday, with the South American champions winning six times to three for their European counterparts, while another three have ended all square.

The most recent meeting between the two teams, though, concluded in a dramatic 4-3 Bleus win during the 2018 World Cup last 16, with the Benjamin Pavard thunderbolt still fresh in the minds of France fans.

The Albiceleste won the first two World Cup meetings between the two sides, in 1930 and 1978, and there have only been three instances when Argentina and France both scored in this titanic fight.

Match Prediction

Messi vs. Mbappe. Tchouameni vs. Fernandez. Mac Allister vs. Griezmann. Countless individual battles should decide the fate of the World Cup in a final where goals are almost certainly a given.

Deschamps' illness-affected team have seldom found the ideal defensive formula in Qatar and may very well have lost to Morocco on another day, but their tendency for rapid-fire counter-attacks should come to the fore anyway.

However, an Argentina team that has only failed to score more than once against Saudi Arabia may expose Les Bleus' defensive flaws while also channelling their own defensive ability. In sports, fairytale endings are never guaranteed, but fans across the world can now finally expect to see Messi with both hands on the 18-karat gold trophy.

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