Messi-Ronaldo fans engage in war of words after Argentina icon's penalty at World Cup 2022 final vs France
Legendary forward Lionel Messi, who is playing his last World Cup game, scored a goal from the penalty spot to give Argentina a lead in their Qatar 2022 final against France.
FollowIn what has sent fans of legendary forward Lionel Messi into a tizzy, the Argentinian icon scored a goal from the penalty spot to give the South American giants the lead in the Qatar World Cup 2022 final against France on Sunday. Doha's Lusail Stadium erupted with joy after the 35-year-old veteran, playing his last game at football's grandest stage, scored his sixth goal of the showpiece event.
Argentina got off to the better start of the two teams as Messi attempted to direct play from his regular spot behind Julian Alvarez. The first attempt of the day came from Alexis Mac Allister, whose 25-yard shot went straight to Hugo Lloris's neck.
France's first 15 minutes were tremendously tense as Didier Deschamps' team struggled to make the most of its attacking talents. And in the 22nd minute, when Ousmane Dembélé tripped Angel Di Maria inside the penalty area, that anxiety was evident.
Up stepped the iconic Argentinian Messi, with the PSG forward placing it into the bottom corner for the opening goal, leaving no chance for Lloris to save the strike.
Moments later, Di Maria completed a brilliant counterattack, doubling Argentina's advantage in the grand finale. At half-time, the scores were Argentina 2 - France 0.
Following Messi's penalty, fans of the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner took to Twitter to troll his arch-rival and Portuguese talisman Cristiano Ronaldo. The former Manchester United icon had a lacklustre campaign, with his nation being knocked out by Morocco in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, some Ronaldo fans responded stating, "6 penalties awarded in 7 games for Lionel Messi this World Cup. But they get to call Cristiano Ronaldo “Penaldo". Imagine if this was him instead. This World Cup is so rigged.
Here's a look at some of the memes, jokes and reactions to Messi's penalty during Argentina vs France final at World Cup 2022:
