It took France 70+ minutes to have a shot on target. Then a penalty gave France a potential lifeline. Just 93 seconds after that penalty, this World Cup final really turned on its head.
If France wins this FIFA World Cup, it might already cement 23 year old Kylian Mbappé as the soccer GOAT. His brace gave France new life in a final that was largely dominated by Argentina before that.
Like Argentina’s first goal, France’s first goal was the result of a penalty. Nicolás Otamendi took down Randal Kolo Muani in the box and Mbappé stepped up to make it a 2-1 match.
While it was 2-1, Argentina was still in control before that and if they played the game they had been playing, they would still cruise to a third World Cup trophy. But France knew Argentina was stunned and if they were going to have a shot at winning this, they needed to immediately score. That’s what Mbappé did over a minute-and-a-half later. And not only did he put France level, he surpassed Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race.
Suddenly, this contest got a lot more exciting and the two sides head to extra time. One person who was amazed was basketball GOAT LeBron James, who could only tweet, “WOW!!!!!!!! MBAPPE,” along with four “fire emojis
A lot of us had that same reaction.
About Phillip Bupp
Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them.
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