Kylian Mbappe became the second player to score a hattrick in a World Cup final after England’s Geoff Hurst’s three goals against West Germany in 1966.
Kylian Mbappe assured that France will return with a bigger comeback for the 2026 World Cup after they were beaten on penalties in the World Cup final by Argentina.
Mbappe, who scored more World Cup final goals than any other player, wrote on Twitter on Monday, “Nous reviendrons (We will return)”, along with a photo of himself walking past the World Cup trophy.
The 23-year-old won the Golden Boot, but it was in vain as Lionel Messi and Argentina won the World Cup for the first time since 1986.
Mbappe faced off against PSG teammate Messi in the Lusail Stadium on Sunday, dragging the reigning champions back into the final with a 90-second second-half double.
France made two comebacks through Mbappe, who erased Argentina’s 2-0 lead in regular time and added a third in extra time to tie the score at 3-3. Argentina ended up winning 4-2 on penalties.
Meanwhile, French players Raphael Varane and Hugo Lloris expressed disappointment at failing to successfully defend their World Cup title but expressed pride in having fought to the bitter end of the tournament, Reuters reported.
“We are very disappointed of course, we gave everything. We had to face a lot of obstacles during the competition, we gave up nothing,” Varane said.
“For an hour we were not in the game. We could have won too. I’m very proud of this group and of being French. We keep our heads high. We came back in this game when it was complicated.
“We pushed and we believed until the end. We almost turned the game around, which was not going well… There was mental strength in this group, a lot of heart. That allowed us to come back in this game. We’re disappointed but also proud.”
Mbappe’s goals in the 80th and 81st minutes tied the game, which France captain Lloris referred to as a “boxing match” because Argentina was the better team in the first half and quickly jumped out to a 2-0 halftime lead.
“The Argentines got off to a great start, being aggressive, using all facets of the game. We were a bit reactionary all night,” the goalkeeper said.
France also entered the final with reports of a virus sweeping through the French camp, with Oliver Giroud one of the final’s doubts. The former Arsenal and Chelsea player was declared fit to play but was dragged off before halftime as France manager rang the changes.
However, Lloris refused to use illness reports as an excuse.
“We’re not going to make excuses, we gave everything,” he added. “You have to congratulate the guys because we didn’t give up until the end.”
France’s triumph in Russia in 2018 crowned them world champions for the second time, 20 years after their memorable first World Cup victory in Paris in 1998.
Les Bleus’ defeat to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final ended their bid to become only the fourth country to win the World Cup three times, an achievement Argentina can now claim.
