World Cup

YOU won’t see many pieces of braver or quicker thinking in any football match than this – let alone stoppage time in the World Cup final.Argentina’s Cristian Romero wowed fans as he used his THIGH while on the ground to steer the ball to keeper Emiliano Martinez – and avoid a backpass.
Cristian Romero was on his knees to nudGe the ball back to Emiliano MartinezCredit: Reuters
Romero had a huge tussle with France hat-trick hero Kylian MbappeCredit: Alamy
Lively France sub Randal Kolo Muani was inches behind the duo – scenting blood and a dramatic winner.
But Tottenham centre-back Romero was on his knees as he calmly nudged the ball to the outstretched arms of Aston Villa’s Martinez.
That intervention summed up an astonishing climax to normal time.
Lionel Messi’s penalty and assist for Angel Di Maria’s fine strike left Argentina 2-0 up after a dominant first half.
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And France remained second best until Kylian Mbappe notched a late spot-kick and brilliant equaliser.
Social media applauded Romero’s cool head in the most heated of moments.
One fan posted: “Insanely quick thinking from Romero to thigh the ball to Martínez to avoid the pass back – that was underrated.
Another observer asked: “Back pass not a thing any more?”
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That prompted the instant response: “I wondered that too the other day but off the thigh apparently isn’t, which makes what Romero did super intelligent in the circumstances.”
Messi later reacted almost as smartly to put Argentina in front from a rebound early in the second period of extra time.
But Mbappe soon completed his hat-trick from the spot to take the final to a shootout.
That wasn’t enough to prevent Argentina prevailing however, as they ran out 4-2 winners on penalties. More

DAYOT UPAMECANO was pushed back onto the pitch and did NOT celebrate Kylian Mbappe’s equaliser in the World Cup final.France looked dead and buried heading in the latter stages of the game after they trailed 2-0.
Kylian Mbappe celebrated his equaliser but Dayot Upamecano didn’t join inCredit: Reuters
Upamecano runs over to join in the celebrations
Theo Hernandez pushes Dayot Upamecano back on to the pitch
The French stars were fearful of a quick Argentina restart
Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria scored in 13 first half minutes to put Argentina on the cusp of glory.
But the holders sprung into life late in the contest.

Firstly, they were given a lifeline when Nicolas Otamendi conceded a penalty that Mbappe swept home.
And then, just 60 seconds later, the PSG star thumped home a stunning volley to bring France back level.
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Having been so quiet throughout the game, Mbappe let his frustration out by celebrating in style.
The entire French team joined him in the corner, apart from one player.
That’s because Upamecano was pushed back onto the pitch by an alert Theo Hernandez.
The reason being, Law 8 states that for play to restart “all players, except the player taking the kick-off, must be in their own half of the field of play”.
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So had Upamecano left the field of player, Argentina could have kicked off.
And many fans on social media also worked out why.
One said: “If all players were off the pitch Argentina could’ve restarted play.”
Another chimed in with: “One player has to stay on the pitch so the other team can’t kick off.”
A third said: “Hernandez fully switched on told Upamecano to stay on pitch because Argentina could’ve kicked off immediately.”
Bernardo Silva did the same thing in Portugal’s last 16 clash with Switzerland.
Argentina ran out winners on penalties after a 3-3 draw in one of the greatest matches ever played.

After Lionel Messi’s side raced into a 2-0 lead, Kylian Mbappe fired a rapid-fire brace to take the game to extra time.
Messi and Mbappe would then net again in extra time to send the game a shootout where the Argentines won 4-2. More

FANS were in stitches as France’s President Emmanuel Macron celebrated Kylian Mbappe’s vital goal in the World Cup final.The French star stepped up and scored from the spot to give his side hope after they had gone two goals behind against Argentina.
Emmanuel Macron was overjoyed with Kylian Mbappe’s goalCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
Watching from the stands was a nervous Macron, who was clearly relieved as Mbappe converted his penalty after Randal Kolo Muani was brought down in the box.
Macron proceeded to jump to his feet and pump his fist in the air in jubilation at the goal.
Fans were quick to discuss Macron’s celebration on social media as one said: “I can’t take any more of Macron’s silly celebrations”.
A second wrote: “Incredible stuff from Mbappé. As an aside, Macron’s celebrations don’t have a patch on Michael D Higgins [Irish president]”.
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A third tweeted: “Lmao Macron looks like such a dweeb in that celebration video”.
A fourth added: “Briefly thrilled for France until I saw Macron’s display”.
A fifth commented: “Gonna need a gif of that Macron goal celebration for some evergreen tweets over the next 6-12 months”.
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Argentina ran out winners on penalties after a 3-3 draw in one of the greatest matches ever played.
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After Lionel Messi’s side raced into a 2-0 lead, Kylian Mbappe fired a rapid-fire brace to take the game to extra time.
Messi and Mbappe would then net again in extra time to send the game a shootout where the Argentines won 4-2. More

OLIVIER GIROUD was booked during the World Cup final… long AFTER he had been substituted.The veteran striker was named in Didier Deschamps’ starting XI for France’s dramatic clash with Argentina.
Olivier Giroud was booked by Szymon Marciniak long after being substitutedCredit: Getty
His match didn’t last long, however, as he was hooked by Deschamps after just 41 minutes following a disastrous opening period for Les Bleus.
Giroud, 36, responded furiously – hurling a water bottle at the ground in frustration.
And he remained fired up on the bench during the second-half.
France managed to come back from the brink late on, with a quick-fire Kylian Mbappe double bringing them back to 2-2 in the 81st minute.
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Deschamps’ men continued to push for a winner, and came desperately close to producing one.
Substitute Kingsley Coman conjured some brilliant trickery on the left wing in stoppage time before being fouled.
Rather than blowing up for a free-kick, however, the referee allowed France to play on – with Les Bleus subsequently getting a shot off at goal.
After the ball ended up in Emi Martinez’s grateful hands, France wanted play to be brought back for their free-kick – although the referee deemed that too long had elapsed to do so.
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Giroud responded angrily on the bench, and was reprimanded with a booking by the stern whistler.
Even as he was being yellow carded, Giroud continued to protest the decision.
His words fell on deaf ears, however, and Argentina clung on to reach extra time.
Messi and Mbappe would both add one further goal in extra time as the match finished 3-3 before the Argentines prevailed on penalties.

Giroud, 36, responded furiously to being substituted in the first-halfCredit: Rex More

DIDIER DESCHAMPS launched a damning assessment of his France side after watching his players get torn apart in the first half of the World Cup Final.The French boss likely could not believe his eyes as he watched outstanding Argentina dissect the World Cup holders in the opening 45.
France fell apart completely in the first halfCredit: Reuters
A penalty converted by Lionel Messi and a wonderful team goal finished off by Angel Di Maria opened up a two goal margin over France.
A desperate Deschamps even made a double first-half change to wrestle back some control.
The French manager was damning of his team after watching them get exposed in front of millions of TV viewers.
In a half-time interview with TF1, Deschamps said: “We utterly failed to show up in the 1st half.
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“We expected [their intensity], we neither had the correct attitude nor the correct response.
“It will take a lot to worry them & come back. They are really playing a World Cup final.”
France had shown weaknesses earlier in the tournament.
A rotated team in the group stages fell to defeat against Tunisia, while England and Morocco both gave Les Bleus plenty to worry about in the knockout stages.
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But few could had seen their first-half collapse coming.
They were swarmed all over by Argentina in the opening stages and conceded a penalty when Ousmane Dembele clumsily caught Di Maria.
Messi converted from the spot before helping Argentina move through the gears for a second goal.
Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister provided the final pass for Di Maria to put Argentina 2-0 up.
Despite the Argentina dominance, France launched an extraordinary second-half comeback.
However, it ended in heartbreak for the French after they lost 4-2 on penalties. More

LIONEL SCALONI was the calmest man in the stadium when his Argentina side took the lead against France this afternoon.The South Americans went ahead from the penalty spot after 23 minutes, Lionel Messi beating Hugo Lloris from 12 yards.
Lionel Scaloni remained calm as his bench wildly celebratedCredit: AFP
Messi’s strike prompted pandemonium in the stands, with wife Antonela among those to go wild.
Argentina’s substitutes also got up out of their seats to celebrate, as did most of their coaching staff.
Assistants including legends Walter Samuel and Pablo Aimar waved their fists in delight.
The only man that remained seemingly nonplussed, however, was Scaloni.
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Argentina’s boss was pictured with his arms folded and stony faced – giving little away.
Things got even better for his just 13 minutes later – with Messi again involved.
The Paris Saint-Germain star beautifully flicked the ball on as his side launched a counter-attack, with the ball eventually finding Alexis Mac Allister.
He then slid it over to Di Maria, who brilliantly beat Lloris one on one.
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Messi, 35, and his team-mates celebrate his goalCredit: Getty
France’s sluggish display led to boss Didier Deschamps taking drastic measures – making TWO substitutions just five minutes before half-time.
He withdrew attackers Ousmane Dembele and Olivier Giroud – replacing them with Randal Kolo Muani and Marcus Thuram.
Scaloni, 44, hasn’t always kept his cards too close to his chest during the tournament.
Prior to the semi-finals, the former West Ham ace burst into tears during an interview, when asked about the support his side have received from back home.
He also cried after his side’s victory over Croatia, bursting with pride at his side’s achievement.
Lionel Scaloni was emotional after his side’s semi-final victoryCredit: Getty More