Argentina has been crowned the champion of the 2022 Finalissima.
With a 3-0 win over Italy in Wembley Stadium on Wednesday, La Albiceleste secured the 21st international trophy in national team history.
Lautaro Martinez got Argentina on the board with a goal in the 28th minute thanks to an assist from Lionel Messi. Ángel Di María doubled the squad’s lead with a chip-shot goal in stoppage time to close out the first half.
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For good measure, Paulo Dybala got another goal for Argentina in second-half stoppage time to give the country a 3-0 victory.
The 2022 Finalissima, which translates to the “Grand Final,” is a reinstated competition between the recent winners of the Copa América in South America and the Euros in Europe. The two nations clash in a final for bragging rights and new hardware for their respective trophy cabinets.
Prior to this match, there were only two Finalissimas – also known as the CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions named after the organizing bodies of the two continents – that occurred in 1985 and 1993.
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There was supposed to be one in 1989, but Netherlands and Uruguay failed to agree on a date for a match. After the 1993 match, the Finalissima was discontinued until the two organizing bodies agreed to a new memorandum of understanding in 2020 to relaunch the game.
France won the 1985 tournament in a 2-0 victory over Uruguay, while Argentina beat Denmark 5-4 in penalties to win the 1993 edition. The 2022 triumph makes Argentina – winners of 15 Copa Américas, two World Cups, one FIFA Confederations Cup, one Panamerican Championship and an Olympic gold medal – the trophy leader in this competition.
With the win, Messi added another piece of hardware to his international tally. With the senior team, Messi has one gold medal from Beijing in 2008 and the 2021 Copa América win.
The Blue and Whites now turn to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
