LIVE BLOG: Argentina perfect in penalties, win World Cup over France 3-3 (4-2)
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Keep up with all the latest news and reaction ahead of the World Cup final game as Argentina takes on France LIVE at 10am et/7am pt on TSN, TSN.ca and the TSN App.
Argentina vs. France
Here are the starting lineups employed by each team for the World Cup final:
Argentina: Emiliano Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico, Rodrigo De Paul, Julian Alvarez, Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, Nahuel Molina.
France: Hugo Lloris, Raphael Varane, Jules Kounde, Antoine Griezmann, Aurelien Tchouameni, Olivier Grioud, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Adrien Rabiot, Dayot Upamecano, Theo Hernandez.
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Penalty kicks
Mbappe strikes first, giving France a 1-0 lead.
Messi gets the first attempt for Argentina, and rolls it cheekily by Lloris to even the score at 1-1.
Martinez makes the save on Kingsley Coman and Argentina hold the advantage.
Paulo Dybala gets the second try for Argentina, and he scoots it straight by Lloris as Argentina lead 2-1.
The third French try is for Tchouameni, and he rolled it wide of the net.
Leandro Paredes drilled his try through the keeper, and Argentina lead 3-1 through three.
Randal Kolo Mouani scored his try to keep the French hopes alive.
Gonzalo Montiel drilled his try, as Lloris guessed the wrong side. Argentina have won the World Cup, 4-2 on penalties.
Extra Time
120+2' - France found a perfect pass into the Argentine crease, but Martinez made a perfect save and launched an Argentinian counter-attack, but the header try sailed just wide of the net.
120' - Three minutes of stoppage time to decide a possible winner. Dybala has replaced Tagliafico for Argentina, and Axel Disasi has replaced Kounde for France.
118' - Argentina have earned a corner kick in the dying moments of a chaotic period of extra time, and Messi's try landed in the French crease but no Argentine player was there to collect.
116' - Mbappe struck the hat trick on the penalty try as France miraculously evened the score yet again at 3-3.
116' - The French side have earned a corner kick try, while German Pezzella has replaced Mac Allister. The corner try came to Mbappe, who fired on net and was ruled a hand ball against Argentina, awarding a penalty try to Mbappe.
112' - Seeking a miracle, Ibrahima Konate has replaced Varane for the French side.
108' - Argentina are saved by their all-time hero Messi, as he struck a rebound in a chaotic sequence into the goal to give his side a 3-2 lead late.
107' - Messi threatened Lloris with a sharply struck ball towards the corner of the net off of an Argentine throw-in, but Lloris was able to deflect it to safety.
105' - Marcos Acuna found Lautaro Martinez charging into the French crease, but his shot went just wide as Argentina are piling on with pressure to break the extra-time tie.
104' - Argentina found a great scoring chance after a good passing sequence spearheaded by Messi, but Upamecano of France made a critical deflection to help clear the ball out for an Argentinian corner, which provided no threat.
101' - Two more substitutions for Argentina, as De Paul and Alvarez head for the bench in exchange for Lautaro Martinez and Leandro Paredes.
99' - France have earned a free kick from outside the Argentine crease, and the try was deflected rather easily. France possessed and earned a corner try moments later, which again Argentina were able to corral and clear rather easily.
95' - Rabiot has been removed from the game, as France used a concussion substitution to bring Youssouf Fofana onto the pitch. Rabiot was hurt a few minutes earlier.
94' - The South American side, who looked deflated in the final minutes of regulation time, have controlled possession in the opening minutes of extra time and generated some scoring chances.
91' - Gonzalo Montiel has entered the game to replace Molina in extra time for Argentina.
90' - France have taken first possession as extra time opens and the World Cup awaits a winner.
Second Half
90+6' - Messi nearly tore the cover off the ball as he fired a rocket towards the French goal, but Lloris was able to deflect it over the cross bar. The Argentine corner try was cleared easily.
90+3' - Mbappe took off with the ball and proved too much for Argentina to keep up with, but his shot was deflected for a corner that Martinez was able to clear momentarily. France collected quickly and tried a hard shot on net, but Martinez held true again.
90+2' - France have earned a free kick from a dangerous spot outside the Argentine crease, but the kick was low and never threatened a goal.
90' - Eight minutes of stoppage time as each team seek a winner.
86' - Marcus Thuram picked up a yellow card for a perceived dive in the Argentine crease.
82' - Mbappe generated an unbelievable chance with a volleying header pass, and he drilled the return into the corner of the net for his second goal in a span of 97 seconds.
79' - France have maybe found a pulse, as Kolo Muani charged into the Argentine crease and was taken down, earning a penalty try for his side. Mbappe scorched it by Martinez to get France on the board, though they trail 2-1.
77' - De Paul made a good charge into the French crease, but his shot couldn't fool Lloris as the score remains 2-0, though the pace is still firmly controlled by the South American side.
70' - More changes for France: Griezmann and Hernandez are off, to be replaced by Eduardo Camavinga and Coman.
67' - The French side, who have yet to possess the ball in the Argentine crease, earned a corner kick, but once again the ball did not threaten the Argentinian defence.
63' - Argentina made their first substitution of the game, with Marcos Acuna replacing Di Maria.
60' - Di Maria, ever the fire starter in the game, rolled a pass through the French crease that did find Messi on the other side, but he was unable to fire on goal.
58' - Alvarez made a quick charge into the French crease with the ball, and his shot forced a diving save out of Lloris, who was up to the task.
54' - Rabiot was shown a yellow card for a late challenge against De Paul of Argentina.
51' - France earned a corner kick with some nifty offensive pressure, but the try was caught by Martinez in net.
48' - Di Maria found De Paul with a great cross at the top of the French crease, which forced Lloris to make a difficult save on the sharp try.
45' - Argentina opened the second half with a quick try on net, as they continued the action the same way the first half ended.
First Half
45+6' - Fernandez has received a yellow card for a late challenge on the French attack.
45+3' - Argentina continue to control possession in the French half, as they've dominated play from start to finish in the first half.
45' - Seven minutes of stoppage time are provided to account for two goals and some injuries through the first half.
41' - In an effort to get the team back into the game, Thuram and Kolo Muani have replaced Dembele and Giroud in the French lineup.
36' - Messi controlled at midfield with a beautiful touch, and a string of perfect passes found Di Maria wide open in the crease, who buried to give Argentina a 2-0 lead.
31' - France are still seeking a burst of energy or inspiration, as Argentina continue to control possession and have been the far superior side in the first half.
26' - Seeking an equalizer, France earned a free kick from outside the Argentine crease, which Griezmann sailed into the danger zone, but Argentina were able to defend.
21' - Di Maria of Argentina jolted by Dembele into the French crease and earned a penalty kick on the sloppy challenge - Argentina's hero Messi struck the bottom corner of the net to give his side the early lead.
18' - France finally found their first real threat of the match, earning a free kick just a few feet outside the Argentine crease - Griezmann lofted a cross that found the head of Giroud, but his touch went over the crossbar.
14' - Argentina have played far more crisply early; their attack has generated good opportunities and have been the better passing team by a wide margin early on.
8' - The first corner kick try of the match goes the way of Argentina, and Messi lofted one to the near post, which was cleared easily.
4' - Mac Allister chanced the first shot on goal of the match, but it did not trouble Lloris for France. The French side have showcased sloppy passing early on.
2' - Alvarez was just a touch offside as Argentina threatened the first scoring chance of the match early on.
1' - France take the opening kickoff in their navy blues, but also commit the first foul in the opening moments.
Support in the crowd is heavily in favour of Argentina, per reports. Cheers rained down as the Argentine side were introduced and the crowd voiced their displeasure for the French side announcement, especially Mbappe.
The winner of the Golden Boot will take the pitch today, but will it be for France or Argentina? The stars of the tournament, Messi for Argentina and Mbappe for France, sit atop the podium with five goals each. It all comes down to the final.
Each team seek to claim their third title, with France being the more successful side of late - their two previous titles came in 1998 and 2018, while Argentina's titles were in 1978 and 1986.
Messi, who was likely surpassed even the titan Diego Maradona in the eyes of Argentinian soccer supporters, will add another accolade to his esteemed resume today when he takes the field. His 26th World Cup match cap will place him atop the all-time list, breaking a tie with Germany's Lothar Matthaus. Additionally, he will set the record for minutes played at the tournament after playing 23 in Sunday's final.
All that remains for Argentina's hero is to earn a World Cup title, the one trophy missing from his case.
Some famous faces have been spotted around the stadium, including football stars Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a booth with French President Emmanuel Macron. Pogba was unable to play for France this World Cup due to injury, but he was a goal scorer for the French side in their 2018 World Cup final victory against Croatia.
Historically, a battle between a South American and European squad in the final has gone in favour of the South American side. Brazil and Argentina have combined to win seven of the last 10 meetings between the two continents in a final, though France was victorious in their only final against South American competition, and Argentina lost to Germany in 2014.