The 2022 World Cup Final between Argentina and France is underway. Argentina had dominated the proceedings in the early going, and Angel Di Maria eventually drew a penalty for Argentina to give them a chance to take the lead in the first half. That sent Lionel Messi to the spot, and Messi converted from the penalty kick to give Argentina a 1-0 lead over France for a chance to win the World Cup.

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This is a huge game for Lionel Messi, who is looking to put the finishing touches on his national career with Argentina. The World Cup has always eluded Messi throughout his career, and many wondered whether he would ever get a shot to lift the trophy again after Argentina failed to beat Germany in the 2014 World Cup Final. So far, things are going well for him and his native country.

As previously mentioned, Argentina had controlled the proceedings in the early going, and France didn't look any better after Messi's goal. Things got even better for Argentina shortly after, as Di Maria once again found himself at the middle of the buildup of a beautiful piece of attacking play, and ended up slotting home a second goal to give Argentina a 2-0 lead in the first half.

Having a 2-0 lead at any point in a soccer match is huge, but having it in the first half is crucial, especially in the World Cup Final. Argentina has had trouble protecting leads before, as they threw away a 2-0 lead in their contest against Netherlands, but they may be well on their way to cruising to a victory in the 2022 World Cup Final against France here.