Watch: How Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria stunned France with 2 quick goals in 1st half of FIFA World Cup 2022 final

Extending his free-scoring run at the Qatar World Cup on Sunday, Argentina captain Lionel Messi scored the all-important opening goal in the summit clash against defending champions France at the Lusail Stadium. One of the greatest players in the history of the game, Messi has already confirmed that the 2022 edition of the showpiece event will be his World Cup swansong.

Leading Argentina’s attack in the FIFA World Cup 2022 final, talisman Messi gave La Albiceleste an early lead in the first half of the blockbuster contest. Rising star Julián Álvarez, who scored a stunning brace in the semi-finals against Croatia, was brought down by Ousmane Dembele in the 23rd minute of the game. Cashing in on the opportunity in the first half, Messi successfully converted the spot pick to give Argentina a 1-0 lead over France in the FIFA World Cup 2022 final.

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The charismatic leader of the South American giants extended his goal tally to six goals in the Qatar World Cup. The Paris Saint Germain (PSG) superstar has also surpassed Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot. Messi has scored six goals for Argentina while his PSG teammate Mbappe has found the back of the net on five occasions for Les Bleus.

Interestingly, Messi has become the first player in the history of the World Cup to score in the group stage, round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final and final of a single edition of the showpiece event. After Messi opened the scoring for the two-time champions, veteran winger Angel Di Maria doubled Argentina’s lead with a memorable goal in the first half.

Di Maria scored Argentina’s second goal in the 36th minute of the game. Runners-up in the 2014 edition of the FIFA World Cup, Messi-led Argentina finished the first half ahead of the reigning world champions France. Earlier, Messi recorded his 26th appearance at the FIFA World Cup in the summit clash. The Argentina captain eclipsed Germany’s Lothar Matthaus to become the most-capped player in the history of the FIFA World Cup.