DBasia.news – The 2022 World Cup final was the best match in football history. Argentina won 4-2 on penalties.
Gonzalo Montiel will forever be remembered as the player who scored the winning penalty, with the Sevilla FC right-back showing immense confidence to turn France captain Hugo Lloris the wrong way and to start the championship celebrations.
Not only was it a historic penalty, but brilliantly executed. The full-back didn’t even look at Lloris and just focused on the ball, sending a well-aimed and powerful shot down his left.
That made him score 10 penalties from 10 attempted in his career, after he started taking penalties while working under Marcelo Gallardo at River Plate. “We were nervous and I couldn’t watch, but he was calm when he took the penalty,” said Montiel’s mother after the win.
Montiel was able to celebrate the world title alongside his Sevilla FC teammates Marcos Acuna and Papu Gomez, who also made significant contributions during the tournament.
In total, there are 10 LaLiga players in the Albiceleste squad that won this edition of the World Cup, more than any other league, as Lionel Scaloni also called up Nahuel Molina, Rodrigo De Paul and Angel Correa from Atletico Madrid, German Pezzella from Real Betis, and Guido Rodriguez, Geronimo Rulli, and Juan Foyth from Villarreal.
Of those 10 players, only Rulli did not make any appearances during the tournament in Qatar, considering he was the substitute goalkeeper, and Emi Martinez’s performances during the tournament made him irreplaceable.
Meanwhile, other LaLiga players in the Argentina national team have appeared on several occasions, and they also played a key role in Argentina’s victory in this tournament.
Atletico Madrid midfielder, Rodrigo De Paul, is the heart of the midfield, always closing the space around Lionel Messi to give Messi the freedom to roam.
In the final, De Paul won six fouls for his team, the most of any player in the match, and also recovered the ball five times.
His Atletico team-mate Nahuel Molina was also outstanding and started at right-back in the final, being rewarded for his solid performances in the tournament, including a goal against the Netherlands.
Silver and bronze medals for another LaLiga star
There were also several LaLiga Santander players in the French national team who played well until the end. The quartet of Jules Kounde, Antoine Griezmann, Aurelien Tchouameni and Ousmane Dembele all started in the final since kick-off, while Eduardo Camavinga came on as a substitute and was one of the catalysts for France’s comeback in the second half.
They all won silver medals after playing well for the last month.
Meanwhile, Croatia finished third after beating Morocco 2-1 in the third-place match on Saturday night. It was another milestone in Luka Modric’s extraordinary career, with the Croatia captain celebrating the success alongside fellow LaLiga Santander players Ivo Grbic and Ante Budimir.
The midfielder even went home with the World Cup Bronze Ball, which is awarded to the third best player of the entire tournament, after he won the World Cup Golden Ball award he earned at the 2018 tournament in Russia.
Overall, 19 LaLiga players ended this World Cup with medals, more than a fifth of the 83 players were called up by their national teams for this year’s tournament.
The players who are on the podium of the World Cup represent seven different Spanish clubs, namely: Atletico Madrid, FC Barcelona, CA Osasuna, Real Betis, Real Madrid, Sevilla FC and Villarreal CF. They will be welcomed back by the aforementioned clubs to a standing ovation as they prepare for LaLiga’s resumption.