Following a month of excitement, surprises and pretty decent games, the World Cup Final wrapped up the Winter Classic, as it’s known. It would be the end product of the most contentious tournament held since 2018. This edition of the World Cup featured a thrilling Cinderella story, discrimination against the LGBTQ community, several contenders failing to get past the group, FIFA ignoring what amounts to mass murder while the organization made $7.5 billion, beautiful soccer stadiums, sportswashing that lacked even a modicum of tact, joyful fans and the deaths of thousands of workers who built the infrastructure in abysmal conditions used to build the nation and host the games that was met with cold shrugs from those responsible.

With that as the backdrop, there was still a soccer game to be played.

The match would answer some massive questions that have been hovering around a certain player as his career wound down: could Olivier Giroud’s life actually get any better? No, wait, actually it’s - would Lionel Messi earn Argentina its third star and cement his place in the conversation about who the best soccer player of all time is? Would Kylian Mbappe just add to his stellar resume and announce that this is his era and has been for a few years now?

Argentina lined up with what has been a somewhat surprisingly good XI once again. While Messi gets the headlines, the play of 21 year old Enzo Fernandez in midfield and 22 year old Julian Alvarez up top has made a huge difference for the team during the proceedings. France put forward a tried and true XI of their own as mainstays Giroud, Mbappe, Griezmann, and Dembele sought to repeat as World Champions.

In the end, well, if the game was a starchy fruit it would be bananas. A penalty converted by Messi and a great counter capped off by Angel Di Maria put Argentina up 2-0 after 35 minutes. The lead would hold until the 80th minute when France scored two goals in quick succession coming off of a penalty by Mbappe and then a brace by the Frenchman. The match would hit extra time and Messi would put his side up 3-2. It seemed like Argentina would not be denied, but fate has other plans as Mbappe converted yet another penalty to even the score at 3-3 in the 118th minute. The game went to penalties where Argentina somehow defied fortune and fulfilled their destiny as World Cup champions.

GIFS OF 80 MINUTES OF JOY FOR ARGENTINA FOLLOWED BY TWO MINUTES OF WHAT? NO, WHAT? NOOOOOOOOO, I MEAN, WHAT, LIKE HOW? THEN TWO MORE GOALS IN EXTRA TIME AND THEN ARGENTINA WINNING IN PENALTIES BECAUSE A TOTTENHAM PLAYER CAN’T BE TRUSTED IN THAT SITUATION

For the opening 20 minutes, Argentina had France largely pinned in their defensive half. It was exactly how Argentina wanted the game to look. They casually passed the ball around the 18 waiting for the forwards to open space with their movement or seeing if a moment of individual brilliance would create room for chances on goal.

La Albiceleste was finally rewarded when former PSG winger Angel Di Maria cut into the box from the left to be fouled from behind by Ousmane Dembele.

Current PSG forward Lionel Messi stepped up, measured the distance as Hugo Lloris bounced back and forth on his line, and cooly slotted it past the French keeper.

The next 15 minutes looked an awful like the first 20. France had no clue how to win the ball back from the Argentines as they effortlessly found passes and made the ball glide around the pitch like a pad of butter on a hot skillet. Yet, the French pushed forward for a goal which opened them up to more space for the South Americans to exploit, and exploit it they did.

After winning the ball in their defensive third, the Argentines pushed forward and found MeD10Ssi at the midfield line. The little wizard clicked his heels and made the ball appear at the feet of Alexis Mac Allester who passed it into the path of a charging Di Maria. The winger made no mistake and floated his shot over a diving Lloris to put La Albiceleste up 2-0.

Five minutes later France would make their first changes as Giroud and Dembele would come off for Randal Kolo Muani, getting just his fifth cap in the game, and Marcus Thuram. There would be seven minutes of stoppage in the half following a lengthy injury check on Lloris early in the half, but the teams would go into the half at 2-0.

The second 45 began with the possession arrow swinging to France as Argentina didn’t care quite as much about keeping the ball. However, the South Americans wouldn’t really need it anyway. Despite dominating possession it would take France until the 70th minute to register their first shot of the match. In fact, when Argentina did create chances it seemed a bit like they were more concerned with Messi scoring the 3rd goal of the game rather than making sure Lloris was tested.

It seemed like Argentina was simply coasting to its third star over their crest until Nicolas Otamendi fouled Kolo Muani and Mbappe slotted home a penalty.

THEN THINGS WENT BONKERS BECAUSE MBAPPE SCORED A SECOND GOAL A MINUTE LATER AND THE ENTIRE LEGACY OF LIONEL MESSI SEEMED LIKE IT MIGHT SUDDENLY HAVE AN ABSURDLY TRAGIC ENDING AND THAT FRANCE MIGHT HAVE JUST WOKE UP LATE ON A LAZY SUNDAY, HAD A BAGUETTE, THREE COFFEES, READ THEIR COPY OF LE MONDE AND DECIDED TO START PLAYING SOCCER IN THE LAST 10 MINUTES.

France started truly dominating and pushing for a game winner as Argentina reeled from the shock of realizing they would not be holding the World Cup over their heads if the scoreline held. La Albiceleste regained their composure though and did create some danger. After eight minutes, because of course there was eight minutes of injury time, the regulation period ended and the game headed to extra time, but not before Messi almost gave Argentina the win.

The free soccer period would begin with both teams eager to end things before going to penalties. The game was open and free flowing, though the teams did also seem to be trying to strike that perfect balance of limiting mistakes and trying to score. Argentina did have the better of the chances in the opening 15 minutes as they nearly opened up the France defense on two tremendous efforts on goal.

The second extra time period would feature... well, something that by now is an iconic moment in World Cup history. Leo Messi set up a shot on the right and then would not be denied on the put back.

But it somehow would not be enough because the game would have a THIRD PENALTY BECAUSE OF COURSE IT DID AND MBAPPE STEPPED UP AND NAILED IT IN THE 118TH MINUTE BECAUSE OF COURSE HE DID.

Argentina would have a few more decent chances and make the most of the rest of the time to go ahead, France would force Emiliano Martinez into a game saving stop and then it would go to penalties. Messi and Mbappe would each nail their kicks, Martinez managed a save, Aurelien Tchouameni missed and the rest of the Argentinian players hit their shots. When it was all said and done La Albiceleste was victorious in what was possibly the most exciting World Cup final in the “soccer is popular in the United States” era.