- Argentina beat France 4-2 in shootout
- Dybala took Argentina's second kick
- Beat Hugo Lloris with advice from Martinez
WHAT HAPPENED? Argentina were crowned world champions after beating France on penalties in the Qatar 2022 final, with the two teams playing out a thrilling 3-3 draw after 120 minutes. Dybala was brought on as a substitute in the final minutes of extra time so that he could contribute in the shootout, and he made no mistake from 12 yards as he fired straight into the middle of the net past France keeper Hugo Lloris. However, the Roma star has credited Martinez for his successful penalty, admitting that he would have tried to go the left corner that Lloris dived towards had it not been for the Argentine keeper's intervention.
WHAT THEY SAID: Speaking to fans during Argentina's World Cup trophy homecoming in Buenos Aires, Dybala said: "I had to try to be as cool-headed as possible. It is not easy because you don’t play a World Cup final every day. It took me a long time to walk to the ball. It couldn’t have been longer. I had spoken with Dibu [Martinez]. He had advised me to shoot down the middle after they had missed. They always dive. I was going to go for the side, the goalkeeper dove to that side, but I heard what my colleague said. I changed at the last minute. I listened to Dibu (Martinez) because they had made a mistake before me and he told me to go down the middle, shoot there and it was a goal."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Dybala took Argentina's second spot kick in the penalty shootout, immediately after Lionel Messi. Leandro Paredes and Gonzalo Montiel also did their job to perfection to give La Albiceleste a 4-2 win. Kingsley Coman saw his penalty for France saved by Martinez, while Aurelien Tchouameni planted his effort well wide of the post.
IN TWO PHOTOS
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Getty Images
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR DYBALA? The attacking midfielder will get back to competitive action at club level when Roma host Bologna on January 4 in Serie A.