let s go live to qatar and our correspondent olly foster. it really was quite a journey was it not? it it really was quite a “ourney was it not? . , . . , it really was quite a “ourney was it not? . , ., . , ., it really was quite a “ourney was it not? . , . . , . ~ not? it was an incredible final. we should not not? it was an incredible final. we should not have not? it was an incredible final. we should not have been not? it was an incredible final. we should not have been surprised i not? it was an incredible final. we i should not have been surprised after what we have seen here in qatar after the last four weeks of this world cup final. so many shocks and twists and turns and you only have to go back to argentina s first match here, a match that set the tone of what was to follow in all of the groups and knockout matches. that is when they lost to saudi arabia. the look on shock on lionel messi s face, he said that every match was going to be a knockout match was going
indeed. if you go back for thanks indeed. if you go back for mac weeks and sent to us you will have argentina against france, in the final, he would take that, wouldn t you? it has been an extraordinary tournament, so many shocks and surprises, you just go back to argentina s first game, when they were stunned by saudi arabia, that was just one of the many very strange results that we got here and we embrace them because we thought this is just this we embrace them because we thought this isjust this kind of tournament, when the world order is turned on its head. since then argentina, first by s argentina, he said each match has been like a cup final, they could not afford to lose. it was like a knockout match, he said, mag lionel messi. silly them in their way through the tournament, they have a scare in the dutch on penalties, they got through that, then they beat croatia in the semifinals, all systems go to face the french, we got to the final that this tournament really deserved
this match. the last time they met in a knockout match was four years ago in russia, lionel messi captained in that side as well against the french, and that was when kylian mbappe burst onto the scene, scoring twice, the french knocking argentina out of the russian world cup for three in the last 16. there are elements of events there for the argentinians. 4 3. also huge history on their side and most of the fans inside the lusail stadium, they are the white and blue of the argentinian fans. over 50,000 here in qatar. a vastly outnumbering france. but the french fans are hugely confident. and as we have seen here on bbc news in the past couple of hours, millions watching in the cities of france, as they are in buenos aires, the argentinian fans, as well. but it is goldust, just a couple of minutes
certainly feel like that, thank many thanks indeed. if you go back for mac weeks and sent to us you will have argentina against france, in the final, he would take that, wouldn t you? it has been an extraordinary tournament, so many shocks and surprises, you just go back to argentina s first game, when they were stunned by saudi arabia, that was just one of the many very strange results that we got here and we embrace them because we thought this is just this we embrace them because we thought this isjust this kind of tournament, when the world order is turned on its head. since then argentina, first by s argentina, he said each match has been like a cup final, they could not afford to lose. it was like a knockout match, he said, mag lionel messi. silly them in their way through the tournament, they have a scare in the dutch on penalties, they got through that, then they beat croatia in the semifinals, all systems go to face the french, we got to the final that this tournament reall
against france tomorrow, the first time they will have faced each other in a knockout match at a world cup, but he says the team have really grown and progressed, having lost to italy in that penalty shoot out out in the final of the euros. i believe that we are stronger as a group, we are more knit as a group and we are a lot better now going forward and defensively. so i believe that the confidence is running through us and we are very confident to go out in the next few days and hopefully try and beat france. we know that potentially, it would be morocco or portugal lying in wait in the semifinals, that is the other quarterfinal to be staged tomorrow. argentina face the netherlands. how instrumental could lionel messi be later?