SPORTS
Argentina Win Dramatic World Cup Final on Penalties
Argentina won their third World Cup in extraordinary style on Sunday, beating France 4-2 in a penalty shootout after Lionel Messi scored twice in a 3-3 draw that featured a hat-trick for Kylian Mbappe as the holders recovered from 2-0 down after 80 minutes.
It was an incredible night of drama and fluctuating fortunes, delivering one of the all-time great finals to cap a wonderful tournament.
Argentina had looked to be cruising to a one-sided victory after Messi’s penalty and a brilliant goal by Angel Di Maria in the first half put them in total control but Mbappe converted an 80th-minute penalty and volleyed in an equaliser a minute later to take the game to extra time.
Messi put Argentina ahead again but Mbappe leveled with another penalty, becoming the second man to score a World Cup final hat-trick after Geoff Hurst for England 1966.
That took the game to a shootout where Argentina keeper Emiliano Martinez saved Kingsley Coman’s penalty and Aurelien Tchouameni fired wide to give Gonzalo Montiel to chance to win it, which he gleefully took.
It meant that after his record 26th World Cup match, at the fifth and final time of asking, the 35-year-old Messi finally claimed the trophy that he and his nation demanded, lifting him up alongside Diego Maradona after the country’s first football God carried them to their emotional second triumph in 1986 following their first in 1978.
Di Maria, with just a few minutes under his belt since the group stage, looked dangerous from the start and when he left Ousmane Dembele flailing with a neat turn, the flummoxed Frenchman clumsily tripped him from behind after 23 minutes.
Messi took the penalty, calmly steering the ball low beyond Hugo Lloris and then Di Maria took centre stage again after 36 minutes when he finished off one of the best goals to grace a final.
Nahuel Molina cushioned a first-time clearance to Alexis Mac Allister, who instantly played the ball to Messi. The captain changed the direction of attack with a great turn and layoff on halfway, Julian Alvarez clipped it back to Mac Allister, who advanced and slid the ball perfectly across the field for Di Maria to take in his stride and slot home.
France had barely had a kick and coach Didier Deschamps took decisive action, hauling off Oliver Giroud and Dembele and throwing on Marcus Thuram and Randal Kolo Muani after 41 minutes.
It made little impact until they were given a lifeline in the 80th minute when Nicolas Otamendi tripped Kolo Muani and Mbappe, previously anonymous, expertly converted the penalty.
A minute later he swept in a brilliant equalising volley after combining cleverly with Thuram, stunning the massed Argentine fans watching their team concede two quick-fire goals for the third time in the tournament.
Argentina regained the lead after a counter-attack when the tireless Lautaro Martinez smashed a shot at Hugo Lloris and Messi pounced on the rebound, technology confirming the ball had crossed the line.
The drama was not over, however, as Mbappe hammered a shot against the arm of Montiel to produce another penalty in the 117th minute, which he calmly dispatched.
Holders Nigeria’s Super Falcons will discover their group opponents at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations on Thursday.
The draw ceremony will be held at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat.
The Confederation of African Football, CAF, has expanded the biennial competition to 16 teams.
The Super Falcons, hosts Morocco Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde are among the teams that will compete for the title.
Others are Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.
The 16 qualified teams will be seeded into four pots based on the FIFA Women’s World Ranking from 11 December 2025.
CAF will also announce the winners of the CAF Women’s Coach of the Year and other outstanding women’s football awards at the draw ceremony.
The WAFCON 2026 finals will run from 17 March to 3 April, 2026.
Super Eagles players have threatened not to travel to Marrakech for their next Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) match against Algeria unless all outstanding winning bonuses are paid by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
A highly reliable source within the team disclosed.
According to the source, players and officials are reportedly still awaiting their bonus payments from the tournament.
It was gathered that win bonuses for the four matches against Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, and Mozambique have yet to be settled.
While the team remains committed to the competition, they have made it clear that they will not train or travel to Marrakech for the next match unless the outstanding payments are resolved, our source confirmed.
Recall that in November, the team also threatened to boycott their 2026 World Cup qualifier against Gabon, citing unpaid entitlements.
In a joint statement signed by players and staff, the squad said, “The full squad, including officials, withheld from training today in Morocco because of unresolved issues with outstanding payments. The Super Eagles are awaiting a quick resolution to continue preparations for Thursday’s game with Gabon.”
Chelsea have announced the appointment of Liam Rosenior as their new head coach.
Rosenior will take charge at Stamford Bridge following Enzo Maresca’s departure last week.
The 41-year-old signed a contract until 2032.
Rosenior arrived at the London club after coaching overseas with RC Strasbourg, where he led the French club to European qualification for the first time in 19 years in his first season, and following earlier roles in England with Hull City and Derby County.
‘I am extremely humbled and honoured to be appointed Head Coach of Chelsea Football Club. This is a club with a unique spirit and a proud history of winning trophies,” Rosenior told the club’s official website.
‘My job is to protect that identity and create a team that reflects these values in every game we play as we continue winning trophies. To be entrusted with this role means the world to me and I want to thank all involved for the opportunity and faith in undertaking this job. I will give everything to bring the success this club deserves.
‘I believe deeply in teamwork, unity, togetherness and working for one another, and those values will be at the heart of everything we do. They will be the foundation of our success.
‘I am excited to work with this extremely talented group of players and staff, to build strong connections on and off the pitch, and to create an environment where everyone feels united and driven by the same goal.
‘There is a real hunger to win, and I will give everything, every single day, to help this team compete and win at the very highest level to make everyone connected and proud to be a part of Chelsea Football Club.
‘I want our fans to be proud of who we are and what we represent in every single game that we play. They are the soul of this enormous, historic and huge football club.
‘I cannot wait to meet you all. I cannot wait to get started.’
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