Kylian Mbappé's 2022 final hat-trick: a consolation written in history
Even in defeat, Kylian Mbappé produced one of the greatest individual performances in World Cup final history. His hat-trick against Argentina on 18 December 2022 made him only the second man, after Geoff Hurst in 1966, to score three times in a final.
Two minutes that changed everything
France were 2-0 down and anonymous for most of the match. Then, in the 80th minute, Mbappé converted a penalty. Just 97 seconds later he fired a left-foot volley past Emi Martínez to make it 2-2 and send the game to extra time.
The third, and the shootout miss
Mbappé scored his third from the spot in the 118th minute after a handball, briefly putting France ahead in extra time. But Argentina equalised, and in the shootout Mbappé — having already scored France’s first penalty — watched from the halfway line as Coman missed and Tchouaméni fired wide.
Golden Boot winner
Mbappé finished Qatar 2022 with 8 goals, earning the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer and confirming his status as the face of the post-2022 French team at just 23.
Sources
- FIFA — 2022 World Cup top scorers: https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022
- Wikipedia — Kylian Mbappé: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kylian_Mbapp%C3%A9
- ESPN — Mbappé’s hat-trick in the final: https://www.espn.com/soccer/report/_/gameId/621398
