LUSAIL, Qatar — Kylian Mbappé sat on the bench — legs spread, his navy France jersey pulled up high enough to cover his entire head. Cameras flashed in his face, looking for a tear or two, but this is what he had to do to escape. Even if only for a moment.
Mbappé eventually got up and took a deep breath. Argentina had just beat the defending champion Les Blues in an epic World Cup final via penalty kicks following a 3-3 tie in extra time. And it was Mbappé who willed an otherwise drained France side into a game that looked lost for most of regulation.
France's Kylian Mbappé looks dejected after the defending champions fell short in their bid to repeat. (Photo by Michael Regan - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Down 2-0 approaching the 80th minute, Mbappé scored two goals in less than two minutes to force extra time. Then, after Lionel Messi heroically scored in the 109th minute to give Argentina a 3-2 edge, Mbappé responded with his third goal in the 118th to make it 3-3 and force penalty kicks.
"We came back from the dead," French manager Didier Deschamps said.
Argentina-France highlights
In an epic World Cup final, Lionel Messi earned his long-awaited title, and France was denied its bid for back-to-back championships.
Mbappé became the first men's player to score a hat trick in a World Cup final since England's Geoff Hurst in 1966. Carli Lloyd did it in the 2015 Women's World Cup final for the United States.
His gutsy scoring barrage brought his grand total of goals here in Qatar to eight, earning him the Golden Boot for the tournament. Mbappé has now scored 12 goals in 14 World Cup games, just like Pelé decades ago. Former German star Miroslav Klose holds the all-time record with 16, which is one that Mbappé will almost surely break. Likely in four years.
"It was a scintillating performance, magnificent," Deschamps said of his star. "Kylian has really left his mark on this final. Unfortunately, he didn't leave it the way he would have liked, which is why he was so disappointed at the end of the match like the rest of his teammates."
To know anything about Mbappé, though, is to understand that he doesn't care about individual awards or glory. His performance Sunday night, which was certainly good enough for France to win, was one from a player with a steadfast refusal to quit.
So, when he walked on stage to accept the small golden scoring trophy shaped like a soccer cleat, he didn't smile. He wore the same dejected and solemn expression as he and his teammates received their silver medals.
Earlier in the tournament, when France beat Poland in the round of 16 after Mbappé scored two goals, he was asked about what it might be like to finish as the top scorer. But he shook his head at the question and deflected.
"If I win, I'll be happy, but that's not why I'm here," Mbappé said then. "I'm here to win the World Cup."
France was unable to do that.
The fairy-tale ending of Messi, Mbappé's Paris Saint-Germain teammate, finally achieving the one thing that had eluded the living legend was too grand to overcome.
The first 70 minutes of the match were a disaster for France. Argentina completely overpowered and overwhelmed Les Bleus and even coming out of halftime, it looked like France was ready to surrender.
Argentinian manager Lionel Scaloni had his defense well-organized and kept France's attack in check. By halftime, Mbappé had only 11 touches and France had zero shots — on or off target. Anytime Mbappé got close to the ball, some combination of Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero and Enzo Fernandez was there to pile on pressure.
"Our players were 100% fit, some tightness, perhaps," Deschamps said. "But that's not an excuse. We didn't show the same energy we had in previous matches. That's why our first hour or so we just weren't in the match."
Then in the 71st minute, Mbappé got his first shot. The ball flew over the crossbar, but it felt like something was brewing.
In the 80th minute, Argentina defender Nicolas Otamendi made an unnecessary foul on Randal Kolo Muani in the box. Mbappé converted the spot kick to give France a boost.
Then 97 seconds later, he scored again after a give-and-go with Marcus Thuram resulted in the 23-year-old forward volleying the ball past goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez into the bottom right corner.
In extra time, France had the momentum. Argentina appeared flustered and briefly lost its composure. Messi had a silly foul on Eduardo Camavinga to start, and players on both sides were exhausted and a bit chippy.
Then Argentina got a few chances. Lautaro Martinez had back-to-back opportunities that were fearlessly saved by French captain Hugo Lloris. The game grew tighter and more stressful. Cameras showed French president Emmanuel Macron in a box with his sleeves rolled up.
In the 109th minute, Messi scored and the majority of the 88,966 fans roared. Martinez's right-footed shot from the right side of the box was saved by Lloris, but Messi got a hold of the rebound and boomed in his second goal of the match. Jules Kounde tried to save it, but the ball went over the goal line giving Argentina the lead.
Would Argentina hold on this time, or would France mount yet another comeback?
Mbappé ensured the latter.
In the 116th minute, Gonzalo Montiel had a handball in the box, and Mbappé scored his third goal on the ensuing penalty kick.
"That changed things in a blink of an eye," Deschamps said. "But it wasn't enough."
Kylian Mbappe evens it in 116th minute
Mbappe's penalty kick eventually sent the game to a shootout, where France ended up falling short.
Ultimately, the World Cup final came down to a shootout and Argentina made four penalties to France's two.
The evening ended with Messi and his teammates hoisting the coveted trophy as their loyal fans, which outnumbered their French counterparts by the tens of thousands and turned Lusail Stadium into a home-field advantage, waved their blue-and-white striped jerseys over their heads in uncontrollable celebration.
Early on in the tournament, Deschamps said, "Kylian can make a difference on his own in a match." He did as much as he could — so much so that France deserved to win just as much as Argentina did. Les Bleus wanted to make history and become just the third team to win back-to-back World Cup titles.
The good thing for France, however, is Mbappé has many more World Cups ahead of him. This was only his second. His disappointment in Qatar will surely fuel him, at least through 2026.
"It wasn't meant to be," Deschamps said before later adding, "I'm not worried. I'm optimistic about the future."
Just as France should be, thanks to Mbappé.
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Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.
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