France’s Kylian Mbappe beats Lionel Messi to World Cup Golden Boot award

Argentina beat France in soccer’s World Cup on Sunday, but France’s Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot award, beating out Argentina’s Lionel Messi, after Mbappe scored a hat trick of goals in what has been describd as the best ever World Cup final.

Mbappe scored his sixth, seventh and eighth goals of the 2022 tournament to take his total to 12 in the competition overall, according to ESPN.

It said that Mbappe edged out Messi, who scored twice in the final himself, and ended the World Cup with seven goals and received the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. 

Mbappe scored his first of the tournament in France’s opening game, a 4-1 win against Australia. He then scored both in a 2-1 win against Denmark but did not get on the scoresheet in the 1-0 defeat to Tunisia, ESPN said.

It said that, in the round of 16, Mbappe `scored two more in a 3-1 win over Poland before again not scoring in the 2-1 quarterfinal victory against England and the 2-0 semifinal win against Morocco. 

Argentina won the grand final 4-2 on penalties after the game ended 3-3 after extra-time.

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who won the Golden Glove, saved Kingsley Coman’s penalty, and Aurelien Tchouameni fired wide to give Argentina their first world title since 1986 and third overall, ESPN said. 

It said France had come from two goals down to level over 90 minutes with Mbappe netting twice in two minutes, including an 80th-minute penalty.

ESPN said the French striker completed his hat trick in the 118th with another spot-kick after Messi had tapped in for a 3-2 lead in the 109th minute.

Argentina had gone 2-0 up in the first half with Messi, making a record-breaking 26th World Cup appearance, converting a 23rd-minute penalty, ESPN said.

“They struck again with a sublime four-pass counter-attack as Alexis Mac Allister’s cutback found Angel Di Maria, and he finished well.,” ESPN said. 

“It was a game where we suffered,” said Martinez, who saved one penalty in the shootout on Sunday after previously saving two more spot kicks in their quarterfinal against Netherlands, according to ESPN.

“Two crappy shots, and they [France] levelled,” Martinez added. “They give them another penalty, they scored. Thank God later I did my thing, what I dreamed of.”