It’s finally here.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup comes to a close Sunday on FOX with France taking on Argentina at Qatar’s Lusail Stadium in the tournament’s final match.
Either outcome will be historic, between France’s bid to be the first repeat champion in 60 years or Lionel Messi’s pursuit of the one accomplishment his resume lacks: a World Cup title.
Our experts made their predictions – now it’s time to see how it all plays out.
Follow along here for the top plays!
8′: Argentina close to getting on the board first
Rodrigo De Paul had a solid opportunity for Argentina in the early minutes but his shot was blocked and went out for a corner kick.
10′: Hugo Lloris slow to get up
The French goalie needed a few moments to gather himself after a collision on a contested ball in the box. Lloris remained in the match.
17′: Opportunity wasted for Argentina
Argentina controlled much of the match in the early minutes. It got a golden opportunity after France turned the ball over on its own side of the field, but Angel Di María wasn’t able to capitalize on the chance.
20′: Giroud a little too aggressive
Olivier Giroud‘s header of the set piece sailed over the net, though he committed a foul while trying to get to the ball.
21′: Argentina draws a penalty kick
Di María got a clear path into the box but was fouled by Ousmane Dembélé, giving Argentina a penalty kick.
23′: Messi magic puts Argentina up 1-0
Did you expect anything different? Lionel Messi took advantage of the opportunity and scored on the PK to give Argentina a 1-0 lead. With the goal, Messi became the first player in World Cup history to score in all four knockout rounds.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi scores goal vs. France in 21′
The goal certainly brought a lot of excitement to the Argentinian fans in Doha.
And Messi played it cool in the celebration.
36′: Di María makes up for missed chance and puts Argentina up 2-0
Argentina got out in front on the attack after forcing a turnover around midfield. Alexis Mac Allister found an open Di María on the other side of the box to make it 2-0 Argentina. While many questioned his insertion into the lineup, Di María has proved he belongs as he drew the PK that set up Argentina’s first goal of the match.
Argentina’s Angel Di Maria scores goal vs. France in 36′
41′: France already making changes
Down 2-0, France is pulling out all the stops. It subbed out Giroud and Dembélé for Marcus Thuram and Randal Kolo Muani.
Halftime: Argentina holds a 2-0 lead
The defending World Cup champs’ quest to be the first nation to win back-to-back titles is in jeopardy. Argentina has dominated much of the final, scoring two goals while France has yet to even record a shot.
Fans back in Buenos Aires are certainly feeling the excitement.
60′: Argentina searching for a 3-0 lead
Di María found Messi open in the box, but the superstar striker wasn’t able to create magic.
63′: Argentina close again
Julián Álvarez‘s pass to Mac Allister was just a bit too hard on what would’ve been a golden chance to make it 3-0 Argentina.
64′: Di María subs out and gets an applause
The decision to start Di María paid off for Argentina as he scored its second goal and played a major role in its first one.
71′: Mbappé finally gets a shot off, but misses
France has struggled to get a shot off all match and its superstar didn’t record his first shot until the 71st minute, which sailed over the net.
79′: Penalty kick for France!
France has a chance to make it interesting after Randal Kolo Muani drew a penalty.
80′: Mbappé gets France on the board
Kylian Mbappé put France on the board with his PK to make it 2-1 with at least 10 minutes remaining.
81′: Mbappé magic ties it!
We’ve got a thriller in the World Cup final as Mbappé capitalized on the Messi turnover to even the match up and bring France back from the dead.
87′: No PK for France here
France looked like it was going to have an opportunity to take a 3-2 lead on a penalty kick. However, Thuram was hit with a yellow card instead for diving.
90′ + 4′: France so close to taking the lead
France created chaos in front of the net in added on time, believing it also drew a penalty in the box. But the ball found its way back to Argentina.
90′ + 7′: Messi nearly wins it
Messi nearly scored a goal for the ages as his strike was on target but Lloris made the big save to send the match to extra time.
Onto extra time
France’s hopes to repeat as World Cup champions looked finished for much of the second half. But a penalty in the 80th minute kept it alive and Mbappé scored a second goal to even the match in the blink of an eye.
105′: France gets a huge tackle to keep the match even
Lautaro Martínez was 1-on-1 with the goalie but Dayot Upamecano slide in almost out of nowhere to stop the shot and keep Argentina off the board.
105′ + 1′: Martinez misses again
The Argentinian striker had another great chance but it went wide.
108′: Messi does it again for Argentina!
Messi might have just won the World Cup for Argentina with a crazy goal in front of the net. Argentina was just barely on side and Messi got the ball off a rebound and kicked it in the net even though a French defender got a foot on it as the ball already crossed the line.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi scores goal vs. France in 108′
116′: Handball gives France a PK!
France will get at least one more great opportunity to even the match after Mbappe’s strike hit the arm of a Gonzalo Montiel in the box.
118′: Mbappé scores on the PK to even the match!
Mbappé completed the hat trick by converting on the penalty kick.
120′ + 3′: What a save!
Emi Martinez made the boot save to save Argentina and send the match to PKs.
Mbappé, Messi trade goals in opening round of PKs
Martinez gets the stop for Argentina, Dyabala scores in Round 2
Pregame scene
Looking back at how we got here
Tom Rinaldi recapped the 2022 FIFA World Cup and how Sunday’s matchup between Argentina and France came about.
The journey to the 2022 FIFA World Cup final as told by Tom Rinaldi
Tom Rinaldi reflects on the 2022 FIFA World Cup and all of the top storylines along the way.
What’s at stake on Sunday for the game’s biggest superstars
Tom Rinaldi previewed Sunday’s match by saying what’s on the line for the legacies of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.
Will Kylian Mbappé take the torch from Lionel Messi in the 2022 FIFA World Cup?
Tom Rinaldi breaks down the significance of both Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé’s legacy ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Keys to the match
France vs. Argentina: Keys to the match for Lionel Messi to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup
The “FIFA World Cup Now” crew discuss the keys to the match for both squads.
Almost go-time.
Goals goals goals!
Not buying the Messi narratives?
Messi preparing for one last World Cup match
Before Lionel Messi took the pitch for warmups on Sunday, he took some time to say hello to some fans.
Stay tuned for updates!
Read more from the World Cup:
Top stories from FOX Sports:
Check out the full schedule for the World Cup and how to watch each match live here.
Get more from FIFA World Cup 2022 Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Sponsored Content
Juega en grande con cryptomonedas
