Argentina - Campeones del Mundo!

A re-read from the 27th and final chapter of my first self-published book and a day-by-day diary from the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Here's an extract from the chapter itself together with a link for a book I'm immensely proud of and ways and means of supporting me and putting the thumb in the eye of traditional publishers who refused to read any of my original manuscripts!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C2SG69L3

https://www.patreon.com/TheBlackfordBookClub
https://www.paypal.me/TheBlackfordBookClub
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/steveblackford

"But it wouldn’t be Argentina if the wheels didn’t fall off!

From nowhere, and in a game they had securely in their back pocket and their captain dreaming of lifting that golden trophy in just 10 minutes time, a sloppy defensive challenge from Nicolás Otamendi on France’s best player this evening, Randal Kolo Muani, presented a gift of a penalty for Kylian Mbappé to score and mere seconds later chaos reigned as sublime football ruled.

Mbappé played a one-two with Marcus Thuram before crashing a brilliant volley past the despairing dive of Emiliano Martínez in the Argentina goal, and from nowhere, France were level. Mbappé was arguably only really involved in four passages of play, scored every single time including a hat-trick, and still lost a World Cup Final.

I could go on.

The double substitution of Ousmane Dembélé and Olivier Giroud on just 40 minutes by French coach Didier Deschamps as he could see his midfield constantly overloaded, outgunned and outplayed by the addition of Ángel Di María on the Argentinian left hand side. His return to the team from injury gave Argentina a constant extra body in midfield and crucially, his first half performance was out of this world. I have no footballing love for Ángel Di María but he was exceptional this evening.

As was Manchester City’s Julián Álvarez with his tireless running, forward press and defending from the front, and let us not overlook the supreme “Goal of the Tournament” that was Argentina’s second goal. Goal line to goal line in seconds. Messi’s touch. Álvarez’s through ball. Mac Allister’s run and pass. Di María’s sweeping finish. Utterly sublime.

Randal Kolo Muani was easily France’s best player and the energy and footballing desire injected into the game by fellow substitutes Kingsley Coman, Eduardo Camavinga and Marcus Thuram transformed the game and arguably could have created THE greatest comeback ever as France threatened to score the winner after Mbappé’s improbable brace of goals on 80 and 81 minutes. My Red Liverpool heart is a little torn at Ibrahima Konaté’s defeat, but I pleasingly and selfishly know that colossus of a young central defender will be winning major honours again soon enough.
It should also be noted that Polish referee Szymon Marciniak was exemplary this evening. I still feel Argentina’s penalty award was soft but aside from this, and with the added bonus of not having to consult with the dreaded VAR, I thought he was superb.

But the night and the world belongs to Lionel Messi and I couldn’t be more pleased. He has, to use an odious phrase so popular within today’s societal vernacular, “completed football” and I guess the little genius has now done just that.

He’s won every possible honour imaginable and I’m not going to call him “The Goat” as goats live in fields and Messi lives amongst the stars.

I’m a football romantic and I’ve loved the evocative white and blue stripes of Argentina since a photo from 1978, their horrible snarky team of 1982 and the maelstrom of madness that surrounded Diego Armando Maradona.

The little genius has joined the little master".

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