Argentina won the World Cup for the first time since 1986 courtesy of a pulsating penalty shootout victory over France in the 2022 final in Qatar this evening.
One of the greatest World Cup finals of all time went all the way to penalties as France launched an incredible late comeback to force extra time, which then threw up even more drama before the shootout settled it.
Gonzalo Montiel was the unlikely hero for Argentina as he slotted the winning spot kick, after Emiliano Martinez had earlier saved from Kingsley Coman and contributed to Aurelien Tchouameni's costly miss.
Lionel Messi had given Argentina the lead with a record-breaking goal from the spot in the first half, before Angel Di Maria gave the dominant South Americans a deserved two-goal advantage when applying the final touch to a stunning team move.
An out-of-sorts France offered little in reply, becoming the first team to fail to have a single shot or touch in the opposition area during the first half of a World Cup final, while Didier Deschamps hauled off Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele before half time.
Indeed, it was not until the 80th minute that the defending champions had their first shot on target of the contest, and that sparked an incredible comeback.
Kylian Mbappe, who had barely had a kick to that point, slotted home from the penalty spot after Nicolas Otamendi had brought down Randal Kolo Muani inside the area, and just 97 seconds later France were sensationally level.
The Paris Saint-Germain star volleyed a stunning goal into the far corner after a swift one-two with Marcus Thuram, ultimately forcing extra time despite Messi having one final effort in the 97th minute.
Messi did get his second goal of the game in the second half of extra time as he scrambled the ball over the line, but his PSG teammate Mbappe was not to be denied and incredibly equalised again from the spot seven minutes later, becoming only the second man after Geoff Hurst to score a hat-trick in the World Cup final.
Messi and Mbappe both scored from the spot in the shootout too, but the misses from Coman and Tchouameni - coupled with a perfect four from four from Argentina - handed the trophy to Argentina for a third time, and the first of the Messi era as he completed the set of trophies in his legendary career.
HIGHLIGHTS
5th min: Alexis Mac Allister tries his luck from range after a sloppy start from France, but his well-struck shot is straight at Hugo Lloris.
17th min: Sloppy from France again as the ball is given away to Lionel Messi of all people. A quick one-two almost creates a chance for Messi on the edge of the box but the return ball is just too far in front of him and instead runs through to Angel Di Maria, who balloons his shot well over the bar.
21st min: Penalty to Argentina as Di Maria skips past Ousmane Dembele all too easily down the left flank, and in his haste to get back the Frenchman makes contact on Di Maria from the wrong side. It is not a lot of contact, but it is enough for the referee to point to the spot and enough for VAR to uphold the decision.
23rd min: Messi steps up with the weight of the world on his shoulders, but he shows incredible composure to wait for Lloris to move and slot the ball into the opposite corner.
36th min: Argentina have their second of the game to take complete control of this final, and what a goal it is. Some one-touch passing rips France apart as Messi flicks the ball around the corner for Julian Alvarez, who plays it in behind for Alexis Mac Allister to race on to. The Brighton & Hove Albion man has the presence of mind to pick his pass across to Di Maria, who finishes with aplomb to send the Argentine fans wild. Not quite Carlos Alberto in 1970, but that is one of the great World Cup final team goals.
49th min: Another sharp attack from Argentina as the ball is floated over from the left to Rodrigo De Paul, who gets a decent connection on his first-time volley but hits it into the ground and it bounces into the arms of Lloris.
59th min: The ball is slipped through for Alvarez on the left channel and he manages to squeeze a shot away despite being off balance. The angle is against him, but he still forces Lloris into a save down low to his right.
60th min: Sensational last-ditch challenge from Adrien Rabiot in the area, nicking the ball off the toe of Messi just as he was pulling the trigger after more great work from Di Maria down the left.
71st min: Better from France, and from Mbappe, who has been non-existent so far. He cuts inside from the left flank and finally finds a bit of space to get a shot away, but he blasts it over the crossbar. It is France's first shot of the game.
72nd min: Messi jinks away from Jules Kounde on the left channel before passing the ball back to Enzo Fernandez, whose shot is tame and into the arms of Lloris.
79th min: Penalty to France! It is poor from Nicolas Otamendi as he allows Randal Kolo Muani to nick the ball ahead of him, and in his attempts to get back he makes contact on the French winger from the wrong side in the area, bringing him down.
80th min: Mbappe steps up to take the penalty, and he just about squeezes the ball past Emiliano Martinez despite the Argentina keeper guessing the right way.
82nd min: Incredible scenes in Qatar as France complete a quickfire comeback in the most unlikely fashion! Messi is robbed of possession by Kingsley Coman and the ball is lifted to Mbappe. The French talisman nods it to Marcus Thuram, who lifts the ball back for Mbappe to unleash a clinical, brilliant first-time volley into the bottom far corner.
90+4 min: The referee plays advantage after Coman goes down right on the left edge of the area, and it is a good one as Rabiot gets a shot away. Martinez spills it, but Romero goes down on his knees to smother the ball back to his keeper.
90+7 min: Messi almost provides the dream finale as he cuts onto his left foot and lets fly from outside the area, but Lloris gets a big hand to turn the swerving effort over the crossbar.
105th min: Incredible defending from Dayot Upamecano as he flies across to make a sensational last-ditch block to deny Lautaro Martinez, who had been brilliantly set up by Messi.
105+1 min: Martinez is denied again by Upamecano as he is played through on goal and takes it on his chest before going for goal, but Upamecano gets across to make another crucial interception - although the referee does not point for a corner and instead awards France a goal kick.
108th min: Messi produces a snapshot on the volley and on the turn, almost catching Lloris by surprise but he gets down to push it away.
110th min: Argentina are back in front, and it is Messi who gets the goal once again! Martinez is played through on goal and hammers the ball from close range but a tight angle, with Lloris making a brilliant save. However, the ball bounces back out to Messi, who scrambles it over the line despite the best efforts of Upamecano. There is some confusion as they wait for the referee to confirm that it crossed the line, and then for confirmation that Martinez was onside, but both get the green light and the goal is given! Martinez looked off on first glance, but the replay proves that he was indeed on.
117th min: Unbelievable drama as the referee points to the spot after Coman's shot is blocked by the arm of Montiel, just inside the area. There isn't a huge amount he can do about it given the distance, but his arm is in a slightly unnatural position so the decision stands.
118th min: A place in World Cup history is secured for Mbappe as he becomes only the second man to net a hat-trick in the sport's biggest game, this time sending Martinez the wrong way from the spot.
120th min: France are so close to winning it at the death as Mbappe whips a cross in to Kolo Muani, who rises and gets something on the ball, but not quite enough as it bounces just past the post.
120+4 min: What a save from Martinez! Kolo Muani finds himself with only the keeper to beat and a golden opportunity, but Martinez spreads himself superbly and makes the biggest save of his career. Incredible scenes.
120+4 min: Argentina go straight up the other end and have another big chance to win it as Messi clips the ball in to Lautaro Martinez, who gets his header all wrong and skews it well wide.
Penalties - Argentina 0-1 France: Mbappe scores from the spot for the third time tonight, again just about beating Martinez, who gets a hand to it but cannot keep it out.
Penalties - Argentina 1-1 France: Messi steps up first for Argentina, and somehow looks like he is in the park with his kids as he rolls the ball past Lloris.
Penalties - Argentina 1-1 France: First blood goes to Argentina as Martinez pulls off a big save to deny Coman from 12 yards.
Penalties - Argentina 2-1 France: Paulo Dybala, brought on in the final minutes of extra time specifically for this moment, duly tucks his penalty away straight down the middle to give Argentina the advantage.
Penalties - Argentina 2-1 France: Martinez plays all of the mind games in the buildup, taking his time and then throwing the ball away for Aurelien Tchouameni to fetch. The French midfielder eventually steps up to take it, but drags his effort wide.
Penalties - Argentina 3-1 France: Argentina take complete control of the shootout as Leandro Paredes converts to put all of the pressure on Kolo Muani.
Penalties - Argentina 3-2 France: Kolo Muani keeps French hopes alive by smashing his spot kick down the middle.
Penalties - Argentina 4-2 France: Gonzalo Montiel becomes the unlikely Argentine hero, slotting his penalty into the bottom corner to win the World Cup for his nation.
MAN OF THE MATCH - LIONEL MESSI
Where to begin?
After one of the craziest matches of all time, yet alone in World Cups, there are many contenders for man of the match, with Argentina in particular dominating the nominees after being in control for 80 minutes of normal time.
Angel Di Maria was sensational and probably would have got the nod had the game not gone to extra time, while Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, Cristian Romero and Rodrigo De Paul all put in titanic displays in normal time.
Emiliano Martinez deserves a mention for his heroics, pulling off an incredible save to deny France a last-gasp winner in extra time and then having a big role to play in the shootout too.
For France, it is impossible to ignore Kylian Mbappe, who scored a hat-trick despite being largely anonymous for the first 80 minutes of the contest, equalling an achievement only previously completed by Sir Geoff Hurst in a men's World Cup final.
Randal Kolo Muani also had a huge impact off the bench for the defending champions, while Dayot Upamecano kept his side in it at the end of normal time with two huge contributions.
However, it is hard to pick anyone other than Lionel Messi, and not just for sentimental reasons either.
The legendary number 10 scored twice in the final, breaking a host of records in the process, and he also scored in the shootout, while his all-round play was once again world-class as he finally claimed the one trophy which had previously eluded him.
STANDOUT MOMENT
Take your pick.
Quite possibly the best World Cup final of all time produced memorable moments galore, from Messi's brace to Mbappe's hat-trick - the second in particular - and Martinez's sensational save to the penalty shootout drama.
There are many more stunning moments to mention too, any of which would be worthy of this award, but we are going for Argentina's second goal - one of the great team efforts in World Cup history.
It may draw comparisons with Carlos Alberto's strike in 1970 and, while history will decide whether it truly ranks alongside that iconic goal, it was undoubtedly a stunning goal as a string of one-touch passes undid the French defence before Di Maria's finish.
BEST STATS
MATCH STATS
Possession: Argentina 54%-46% France
Shots: Argentina 20-10 France
Shots on target: Argentina 10-5 France
Corners: Argentina 6-5 France
Fouls: Argentina 26-19 France
LINEUPS
ARGENTINA (4-4-2): Martinez; Molina (Montiel 91'), Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico (Dybala 120'); Di Maria (Acuna 63'), De Paul (Paredes 103'), Fernandez, Mac Allister (Pezzella 116'); Messi, Alvarez (L Martinez 103')
FRANCE (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Kounde (Disasi 120'), Varane (Konate 113'), Upamecano, T Hernandez (Camavinga 71'); Tchouameni, Rabiot (Fofana 96'); Dembele (Kolo Muani 41'), Griezmann (Coman 71'), Mbappe; Giroud (Thuram 41')
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