Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur praised Cristian Romero and Paulo Dybala on his Instagram story after Argentina beat France to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
In perhaps the greatest-ever game to be played, both teams played out a stunning, heart-stopping and enthralling 3-3 draw, after extra-time, on football’s biggest stage.
Yet, with 15 minutes left of normal time, Argentina were 2-0 up and easing to a win against what looked like a helpless, lifeless and energyless France side.
That’s when a certain Kylian Mbappe started to cook, he scored two penalties, including a stunning equaliser in normal time to become the first man since Sir Geoff Hurst in 1966 for England to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final.
But when it came to the penalty shootout, Aston Villa number one Emiliano Martinez stood tall, whilst Hugo Lloris failed to save a spot-kick, including Dybala’s, as Argentina became world champions for the first time since 1986.
Whilst it’s heartache for Lloris, it’s the greatest day of Romero and Dybala’s life, as Bentancur, whose Uruguay side got knocked out of the group stages, sent this message to his current and former teammates.
“Congratulations brothers,” he wrote on his IG story. “But well deserved. Cheers champions.”
A FINAL OF THE AGES
After 70 odd minutes, this World Cup final was heading towards being dull and one of the most one-sided because France just simply weren’t turning up.
But when you have a player of Mbappe’s ilk, then anything can happen and he proved that with a stunning hat-trick to take the game to places it shouldn’t have gone.
From then on in, it was pure chaos, all-action, rough challenges flying about, a Lionel Messi brace, a Mbappe hat-trick, and game-winning saves.
It was a final of the ages, and for some, perhaps the greatest of them all.
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