DOHA, DEC 17
Football superstar Lionel Messi is determined to take hold of the elusive World Cup trophy when his Argentina team meet holders France in the final of the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 at the Lusail Stadium on Sunday. The match will kick off at 7 pm (Oman Time).
Messi had said earlier that after their shocking opening defeat against Saudi Arabia it was all ‘finals’ for the Argentina team.
“It was very difficult to lose the first match against Saudi Arabia. But we could come back really strong, winning all other matches till the final.”
The mercurial player hoped Argentina would win the ‘original final’ also.
“So we played five finals, and luckily won all of them. Hopefully we'll win the next one too.”
“I think among ourselves we were too confident back then, because we knew our potential as a group, and we lost the first match by a fine margin. That helped us grow as a team and advance in the championship.”
FRANCE TO ‘LIMIT’ SPACE FOR MESSI
France manager Didier Deschamps said his side will try to limit the influence of Argentine superstar Messi in the final on Sunday.
“Our anti-Messi plan will consist of limiting his influence on the pitch for Argentina, just as Argentina will do with some of my players. And naturally, today's Argentina team is not necessarily the same one we played four years ago,” Deschamps said.
The coach said their own star player Kylian Mbappe along with a host of other experienced and young players will want to lift the trophy as well.
“In the final against Argentina, we'll witness an encounter between the two best sides. It's a final, so there should be the same level of quality coming from both sides.”
“The strongest team will win, and it'll definitely be the team who makes fewer mistakes. The team that masters those two aspects will win the trophy.”
Deschamps said it was not an easy way to the final.
“It wasn't easy, but with a mix of skills, experience, a fighter’s mindset, even in the bad times. Even me as a coach and manager, it's mostly the satisfaction and the pride for the group of players that are here.”
‘A NIGHT TO REMEMBER’
Poland's Szymon Marciniak will officiate the final. The 41-year-old, who made his Fifa World Cup debut four years ago, will be joined by assistants Pawel Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz. Listkiewicz’s father, Michał Listkiewicz, officiated in the Fifa World Cup final in 1990 and at the Fifa World Cup 1994.
Marciniak has already overseen matches involving both final teams at the tournament -- Argentina's last-16 win over Australia and France's group-stage victory against Denmark.
Following an opening ceremony that celebrated bridging the gaps and getting to know one another beyond our differences, the final ceremony will last 15 minutes and reference the world coming together for the 29 days of the tournament through poetry and music.
‘A Night to Remember’ will wrap-up with a mashup of songs from the Official Soundtrack that marked memorable moments of the tournament. Performing live to the stadium crowd and global audience, Davido and Aisha will sing ‘(Hayya Hayya) Better Together’, Ozuna and Gims will do ‘Arhbo’, and the full female line-up of ‘Light the Sky’ will be present with Nora Fatehi, Balqees, Rahma Riad and Manal.
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