Messi draws first blood from penalty spot against France

Agency :
An ice-cold Lionel Messi drew first blood from the penalty spot for Argentina against France in the World Cup fnal at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar on Sunday.
The weight of his legacy and his nation were on the 35-year-old’s shoulders in the lead-up to the game, but he looked unfazed as he calmly slotted a penalty past French keeper Hugo Lloris inside the first half an hour.
A deft cut from Angel Di Maria, who was Argentina’s only change for the game, saw him slice his way into the box before an errant foot sent him tumbling to the floor and the umpire’s whistle to blow for a penalty.
Messi sent France goaltender the wrong way before finding the bottom corner to rapturous celebrations that reverberated around the Stadium.
France were still off the pace as Di Maria’s hard work again paid off on the next big move, finding himself all alone in the box on the end of a blistering attack.
Both sides made themselves felt through the opening 10 minutes with feisty, physical challenges that left multiple players down.
Argentina’s attacking focus was evident from the offset as they committed their wide players forward, penetrating the reigning champions box on multiple occasions.
Alexis Mac Allister had an early range finder taking a pot shot at Lloris from deep, but the experienced Frenchman swallowed it up without difficulty. Young Argentina sensation Julián Álvarez was a menace, swarming around the French defenders looking for any errors. France’s set-piece work looked dangerous, with Olivier Giroud looking ominous in the six-yard box.
The French found their bearings as the half entered extra time but sloppy errors and a lack of intensity blunted their attacks.