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The Final Penalty Kick That Clinched The World Cup for Argentina

Here is how Argentina clinched its first World Cup title since 1986.

Daniel Chavkin

The men’s World Cup final was an epic battle between Argentina and France. Ultimately, it was Argentina that executed flawlessly in penalty kicks to claim its third men’s World Cup title.

Gonzalo Montiel approached the ball needing to score to clinch the victory, and the 25-year-old defender came through to seal the win.

Montiel had the opportunity in large part due to his goalie. Emiliano Martínez came through with a huge save, and France missed a second penalty kick in its first three tries. As Argentina scored on each of its first three tries, that meant the team only needed to score once in its final two attempts to claim victory.

Of course, the win means Lionel Messi finally has a World Cup title. One of the greatest players in soccer history, Messi scored twice and successfully converted his penalty try, allowing him to reach the top of the soccer world for the first time in his career.

Despite a strong French resistance, Argentina can say it is the World Cup champion for the first time since 1986.

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Daniel Chavkin
DANIEL CHAVKIN

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