A hat-trick then heartbreak

BBC Online :
A hat-trick, then heartbreak – Kylian Mbappe’s night promised so much but ended with probably the worst way to win the World Cup’s Golden Boot.
The France striker will leave Qatar as the tournament’s top scorer after becoming the first man to score three goals in a World Cup final since Geoff Hurst in 1966 – but his main memory will be the pain of an agonising defeat.
At the end of a truly epic evening, the 23-year-old still got to walk up to the victory podium to collect his individual accolade after reminding the world of his immense talent – but there were times when a far greater prize was within his grasp.
This could have been his final, and known as his tournament too, but instead both will be remembered as belonging to another number 10, who also got to hold aloft the World Cup trophy that Mbappe took home four years ago.
It was Argentina and Lionel Messi who ultimately grabbed the glory, but Mbappe lit up Lusail Stadium and it felt for a while like this was meant to be his time, again.
Mbappe’s bid to become the youngest player to win a second World Cup since Pele, who was 21 when he did it in 1962, got off to a terrible start.
He was mostly a spectator as Argentina dominated the first half, managing only 11 touches in total as his struggling side fell two goals behind, and things did not initially improve much after the break.
It took until the 71st minute for Mbappe to have his first shot at goal, but the ball sailed high over the bar and, at that stage, there seemed no way back for France.
That all changed when Nicolas Otamendi fouled Randal Kolo Muani as he darted into the box, with Mbappe making no mistake from the spot.