Life is All About Key Plays

Life is like a game of football.

For most of the 90 minutes, the teams cancel each other out.

It’s the key moments and plays that differentiate winners from losers.

And these plays can make heroes or villains out of us.

Argentina went into the 2022 World Cup Final not having lifted the coveted trophy since 1986, when Diego Maradona was at the peak of his powers.

For a country plagued by internal political and economic strife, the exploits of its national football team are a universal outlet, and Argentina’s Lionel Messi serves as deity.

And at 3–2 up, deep into the second half of extra time, it looked like Argentina’s drought would finally come to an end.

But with only several minutes left on the clock, a forward run by France resulted in Argentina’s Gonzalo Montiel handling the ball in the penalty area.

The ensuing penalty was neatly tucked away by French wunderkind Kilian Mbappe, breaking Argentinian hearts, and sending the game into a penalty shootout.

This was a key moment and an own goal for sudden villain, Gonzalo Montiel.

This was to be the World Cup that Messi finally lifted, propelling him into the realm of football immortality, alongside the likes of Pele…