Watch – ‘It’s the match of a lifetime’: Mbappe’s stirring speech before France comeback in World Cup final goes viral

France missed out on a golden chance to become the first team since 1962 to successfully defend the World Cup title. The Les Bleus endured a tough 2-4 defeat in the penalty shootout against Argentina as both teams finished 3-3 after the regular 90 minutes, plus 30 minutes of extra time in the final.

Kylian Mbappe, who won the Golden Boot for netting eight times during the course of the World Cup, scored a hattrick in the final as France crashed Argentina’s party, coming back to level terms after trailing twice in the contest.

Argentina were almost home as they had a two-goal cushion with just 10 minutes, plus additional time remaining on the clock. However, Mbappe smashed two goals in the span of a minute forcing the match into extra time.

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The second half of the extra time saw Lionel Messi once again handing Argentina a one goal lead, but with just two minutes remaining Mbappe joined the party yet again as he netted his third goal of the contest.

Mbappe was arguably France’s most impactful player at the Lusail Stadium on Sunday evening. Not only he left football lovers in awe with his A game, but a video doing rounds on social media speaks volume of his leadership abilities.

Mbappe, who is usually not associated with leadership qualities, was the one taking charge during the halftime interval as France were trailing 0-2 after the first 45 minutes. While the rest of the group seated down, Mbappe took the centerstage and delivered a rousing speech in a hope that his team draw some inspiration from it.

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“It’s the match of a lifetime, it’s every four years. We can’t do worse than what we did. We can come back!” Mbappe can be heard shouting in the viral video.

Meanwhile, Mbappe became the second player in the history of the sport to score a hattrick in the finals of the World Cup. He joined England’s Geoff Hurst, who had achieved the feat against West Germany in 1966. Hurst also reacted to Mbappe’s incredible feat as he tweeted: “Many congratulations to Mbappe, whatever happens. I’ve had a great run.”

Argentina, on the other hand, claimed their third World Cup title, something which was eluding football’s biggest name Lionel Messi for a long time. They had earlier won the prestigious tournament back in 1978 and 1986.