Argentina National Football Team vs France National Football Team Lineups: Messi and Di Maria Lead Argentina to a Penalty-Shootout Triumph for the Ages

Losing a two-goal lead in a World Cup final should end most teams’ hopes. Argentina almost let that happen against France, watching a commanding advantage evaporate inside two second-half minutes.

Instead, a mix of Lionel Messi’s composure and a nerveless penalty shootout turned near-disaster into history, and the argentina national football team vs france national football team lineups from that night are still picked apart by analysts years later.

The Lead

On December 18, 2022, at Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, in front of 88,966 spectators, Argentina and France produced arguably the most dramatic FIFA World Cup final ever played. Argentina won 4-2 on penalties after the match finished level at 3-3 following 90 minutes and extra time, with Lionel Scaloni’s side lifting the trophy for a third time in the country’s history.

Argentina dominated for long stretches, going 2-0 up through a Messi penalty and a brilliant team goal finished by Angel Di Maria, and looked set to cruise to the title until Kylian Mbappe scored twice in 97 seconds to drag France level at 2-2.

Messi restored Argentina’s lead in extra time before Mbappe completed a hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 118th minute, forcing a shootout that Argentina won thanks to composed finishes from Messi, Paulo Dybala, Leandro Paredes and match-winner Gonzalo Montiel.

Match Overview Table

Core Match Statistics Overview

The underlying numbers back up the eye test: Argentina controlled the game for long periods but France’s ruthless finishing kept them alive until the very end.

Shot Conversion and Territory

• Argentina doubled France’s shot volume, a clear sign of how much time La Albiceleste spent camped in French territory.
• Despite facing fewer attempts, France converted at an extraordinary rate, with Mbappe alone scoring from three of his side’s ten total efforts.

Goalkeeping Under Pressure

• Hugo Lloris made seven saves to keep France within touching distance, a workload that reflected Argentina’s relentless first-half pressure.
• Emiliano Martinez needed just two saves in normal time but became the hero of the shootout, having already been the penalty specialist of the tournament.

Discipline and Physicality

• Argentina picked up five yellow cards to France’s three, a byproduct of a midfield battle won largely through Rodrigo De Paul and Enzo Fernandez’s combative approach.
• The foul count and card tally reflected how physical the France vs Argentina lineups clash became once Mbappe dragged France back into the contest.

Set-Piece Involvement

• Both sides created danger from corners, with Argentina’s 6-5 edge in the count matching their overall territorial dominance.
• Neither team scored directly from a corner, with all six goals coming from open play or the penalty spot.

Period-by-Period Analysis

First Half (0-45 minutes)

• Argentina seized control early, with Di Maria and Messi combining repeatedly down the left.
• A 23rd-minute penalty, won by Di Maria and converted coolly by Messi, gave Argentina the lead.
• Di Maria doubled the advantage in the 36th minute, finishing a sweeping team move that is still replayed as one of the great World Cup final goals.

Second Half (46-90 minutes)

• France looked toothless for most of the half until Didier Deschamps’ substitutes changed the game’s complexion.
• Randal Kolo Muani won a penalty in the 79th minute that Mbappe converted a minute later, then Mbappe volleyed in an instant equalizer 97 seconds after his first.
• The momentum swing was one of the fastest in World Cup final history, turning a comfortable Argentina lead into a genuine contest inside two minutes.

Extra Time (91-120 minutes)

• Messi restored Argentina’s lead in the 108th minute, becoming just the second man to score twice in a men’s World Cup final.
• Mbappe leveled again from the penalty spot in the 118th minute to complete his hat-trick, matching Geoff Hurst as the only players with three goals in a final.
• Both goalkeepers were tested late, with Martinez and Lloris each making key stops to force the shootout.

Penalty Shootout

• Argentina converted all four of their attempts, with Messi, Dybala, Paredes and Montiel all scoring.
• France missed twice, as Tchouameni and Coman both failed to beat Martinez, sealing Argentina’s triumph 4-2 on penalties.

Argentina Player Statistics

Lionel Messi — 2 goals (23′ pen, 108′), 1 penalty converted in the shootout Messi’s influence stretched across all 120 minutes, and he capped the best individual World Cup of his career by scoring in the final itself and then converting the opening penalty in the shootout.

Angel Di Maria — 1 goal (36′), 1 penalty won Di Maria was the standout attacking outlet in the first half, winning the opening penalty and then finishing a team move that many pundits still call the best goal ever scored in a World Cup final.

Enzo Fernandez — Match-high 118 touches, 77 successful passes, 10 tackles Fernandez controlled the tempo from midfield, and his tackle count was the highest by any player in a World Cup final since Gennaro Gattuso in 2006.

Emiliano Martinez — 2 saves in normal time, 1 penalty save in the shootout Martinez’s shootout save on Kingsley Coman was the decisive moment that swung the contest in Argentina’s favor after Kylian Mbappe had already scored his effort.

France Player Statistics

Kylian Mbappe — 3 goals (80′ pen, 81′, 118′ pen), 1 shootout penalty converted Mbappe delivered only the second hat-trick in men’s World Cup final history and still finished on the losing side, single-handedly dragging France back into a game Argentina had dominated.

Antoine Griezmann — Deep involvement in France’s build-up play throughout Griezmann worked tirelessly out of possession, but his influence on the final product faded as the game wore on and he was substituted before the second-half fightback fully materialized.

Ousmane Dembele — Conceded the 23rd-minute penalty, substituted before halftime Dembele struggled to retain possession and was replaced early, a change that ultimately helped France find more balance once Kolo Muani entered.

Randal Kolo Muani — Won the 79th-minute penalty that started France’s comeback Introduced as a substitute, Kolo Muani’s direct running immediately unsettled Argentina’s tiring back line and was the spark for France’s stunning fightback.

Statistical Leaders Summary Table

Why Argentina Won

Balanced Attacking Threat

Argentina didn’t rely on Messi alone to break France down. Di Maria’s goal and penalty won, alongside sustained pressure from Julian Alvarez and Rodrigo De Paul, meant France had to defend multiple threats at once.

Midfield Control

Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister repeatedly won the ball back high up the pitch, starving France’s front line of service for long spells and forcing Kylian Mbappe to drop deep just to get touches.

Composure From the Penalty Spot

Argentina converted all three of their penalties across normal play and the shootout combined, an extraordinary rate under the highest pressure imaginable, while France missed twice in the shootout.

Why France Lost

Slow Start and Early Substitutions

France looked disjointed for the first hour, with Dembele and Olivier Giroud both hooked before halftime as Deschamps searched for a spark that didn’t arrive until Kolo Muani and Marcus Thuram came on.

Overreliance on Individual Brilliance

Outside of Mbappe’s hat-trick, France mustered little collective attacking rhythm. Their comeback owed almost everything to one player’s finishing rather than a sustained team performance.

Historical Context & Advanced Insights

Season Series Breakdown

Advanced Statistical Insights

Enzo Fernandez’s passing efficiency was central to Argentina’s control: leading all players in touches and successful passes in a World Cup final is a workload usually reserved for deep-lying playmakers on dominant sides, and it explains why Argentina’s overall shot volume nearly doubled France’s despite the two teams finishing level after 120 minutes.

On the other side, France’s shot-to-goal conversion was remarkable — scoring three times from just ten attempts — showing how a team can lose the territorial and possession battle by a wide margin and still push a final to penalties purely through elite individual finishing.

Game Implications & Key Lessons

What This Means for Argentina

• A third World Cup title cemented Messi’s legacy and validated Lionel Scaloni’s tactical setup built around midfield control.
• The win, paired with the 2021 Copa America title, made Scaloni just the third manager in history to win both trophies.
• Emiliano Martinez’s shootout heroics reinforced his status as one of the game’s premier penalty-saving goalkeepers.

What This Means for France

• Despite the loss, Mbappe’s hat-trick and Golden Boot performance signaled he would remain the sport’s most dangerous attacker for years.
• France’s slow start highlighted a recurring vulnerability: needing a jolt from the bench rather than starting matches at full intensity.
• The illness that swept through the French camp in the days before the final was a reminder of how fragile tournament preparation can be.

Key Lessons

• Two-goal leads in football are never safe, especially against elite individual talent.
• Midfield ball-winning (Fernandez’s 10 tackles) can be as decisive as attacking output.
• Composure under maximum pressure, not raw talent alone, often decides shootouts.
• Bench depth matters — France’s turnaround began the moment their substitutes entered.
• A goalkeeper’s shootout preparation can single-handedly swing a final.
• Individual brilliance can push a game to the wire, but collective control usually wins finals.

FAQs

Who won the Argentina vs France World Cup final?

Argentina won 4-2 on penalties after the match finished 3-3 following extra time.

Who scored the most goals in the match?

Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick (3 goals) for France, while Lionel Messi scored twice for Argentina.

What were Messi’s stats in the final?

Messi scored twice in normal/extra time (a 23rd-minute penalty and a 108th-minute strike) and converted Argentina’s first penalty in the shootout.

Where and when was the match played?

The final was played on December 18, 2022, at Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, in front of 88,966 fans.

What were the starting lineups?

Argentina lined up in a 4-3-3: Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Nicolas Tagliafico; Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister; Angel Di Maria, Julian Alvarez, Lionel Messi. France also used a 4-3-3: Hugo Lloris; Jules Kounde, Raphael Varane, Dayot Upamecano, Theo Hernandez; Antoine Griezmann, Aurelien Tchouameni, Adrien Rabiot; Ousmane Dembele, Olivier Giroud, Kylian Mbappe.

Who missed penalties in the shootout?

France’s Aurelien Tchouameni and Kingsley Coman both missed their attempts, while all four Argentina takers — Messi, Paulo Dybala, Leandro Paredes and Gonzalo Montiel — scored.

Conclusion

The numbers from this final tell a clear story: Argentina’s control of possession, midfield tackling and shot volume outweighed France’s reliance on Mbappe’s individual brilliance. Teamwork built the platform, but it took nerve from the penalty spot to finish the job — a fitting way for one of the greatest World Cup finals in history to be decided.