The 2022 World Cup in Qatar ended at Lusail Stadium. In the final, Argentina defeated defending champion France 7-5 (4-2 on penalties), winning the World Cup for the third time in team history. The 35-year-old Messi participated in the World Cup for the fifth time, scored two goals in the final, and finally won the Hercules Cup.

Argentina and France met in the 1/8 finals of the 2018 World Cup. At that time, the two teams fought 4 to 3. With Mbappe's brace, France passed through danger. Four years later, in Qatar, the lineups of the two teams have undergone considerable changes, but there are also many familiar faces. In the starting lineup, France's Giroud, Griezmann, Mbappe, Varane, Lori and Messi, Di Maria, Otamendi, and Tagliafico all participated in the game 4 years ago Contest. This game is also Messi's 26th appearance. He surpassed the famous German star Matthaus and became the king of World Cup appearances in history.

Compared with the previous semi-finals, Argentine coach Scaloni and French coach Didier Deschamps have made some adjustments to the lineup. On the Argentine side, Di Maria, who has been affected by injuries, returned to the starting lineup, and he has also become a key figure in determining the outcome. Upamecano and Rabiot, who missed the semi-final due to illness, returned, and France appeared in the final with the strongest lineup. According to the big screen at the scene, the audience on the final night reached 88,966 people.

After the start of the game, Argentina's offensive desire was stronger and their enthusiasm was higher, while the defending champion France seemed more conservative. Messi penetrated one after another in the middle, and Di Maria made continuous breakthroughs on the left. Argentina got more opportunities and quickly received results.

In the 21st minute, Di Maria broke into the penalty area and was brought down by Dembele. The referee decisively awarded a penalty kick. Messi made it overnight in the 23rd minute and Argentina took the lead. This is Messi's sixth goal in this World Cup. According to statistics, in a single World Cup, Messi scored goals in the group stage, 1/8 finals, 1/4 finals, semi-finals, and finals, making him the first person in history.

"Angel" Di Maria's performance was not over yet. In the 36th minute, Argentina counterattacked quickly after stealing the ball. After a few simple passes, McAllister assisted Di Maria, who scored successfully and Argentina tied the score. Extended to 2 to 0.

In order to reverse the unfavorable situation on the field, before the end of the first half of the game, French coach Didier Deschamps changed players, replacing Giroud and Dembele with Thuram and Mouani. In the second half, France's offensive situation improved, and they set off an offensive climax in the last 10 minutes. In the 80th minute, Otamendi fouled Mouani in the penalty area. The referee awarded a penalty kick and Mbappe made a point shot. One minute later, Mbappe scored another goal to help the French team miraculously equalize the score. Mbappe scored two goals in just 97 seconds. He scored 7 goals in this World Cup scorer list, temporarily overtaking Messi.

Since then, both sides have a chance to score, and Messi's strong shot in stoppage time was resolved by Lori. The two sides had to enter overtime. In the 109th minute, Lautaro, who came off the bench, was blocked by Lloris, and Messi succeeded in making a supplementary shot to help Argentina lead 3-2. However, Mbappe scored a penalty kick in the 118th minute. The two sides tied again 3-3 and had to enter a penalty shootout. In the penalty shootout, Mbappe opened the scoring for France, and then Messi also easily scored a penalty kick. The French team Koeman played second. His penalty was saved by Martinez, and then Chuameni also missed the penalty. The French team eventually lost the penalty shootout.

After winning in 1978 and 1986, Argentina won the World Cup for the third time in history. Since his debut in the World Cup in 2006, Messi has stopped in the top 16 and top 8 with the team, and also lost the final, but in his last World Cup, he finally won the Hercules Cup.