Psalm 145
A psalm of praise. Of David.
1 I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.
5 They speak of the glorious splendour of your majesty—
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They tell of the power of your awesome works—
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
Messi Scored Two… and won!
History partly repeated itself for Argentina manager and ex-West Ham player Lionel Scaloni with exactly the same scorelines of 2:0, 2:2, 3:2 and 3:3, which had made the 2006 FA Cup final between West Ham and Liverpool (in which Scaloni played as a defender for the Hammers) one of the most exciting in recent history. But this time Scaloni‘s team won the penalty shoot-out and thus deservedly a highly exciting and amazing World Cup final! But how France’s substitutions paid off and how “Les Bleus” came back from 2-0 down was just as impressive as the Argentines’ performance and the character this team showed not only in this final game!
Argentina had started into the World Cup in Qatar with a defeat to Saudi Arabia. Would Messi’s goals less than four weeks later now be enough to gift Argentina victory over France and win them the highest trophy in world football ? This was the question after 108 minutes of a nerve wrecking final of the Qatar World Cup! Argentina had been 2-0 up at the break, and then, after France had equalised and taken the game into extra time, Messi scored again and Argentina was in the driving seat on the road to their third World Cup!
But France’s star player Kilian Mbappe had other plans again. With his second penalty of the game the World Cup’s top scorer equalised just six minutes from the final whistle of extra time, and with 3-3 the game went to penalties. Mbappe hit the back of the net three times in this match, being the first player to score a hattrick in a World Cup final since Geoff Hurst in 1966.
Would history now repeat itself for Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni (West Ham v Liverpool 3-3 in 2006) and his team lose the penalty shootout like he did with West Ham in the FA cup Final?
No, history was reversed! As Argentina soon were 3-1 up in the shootout, it could even have been the same result with which West Ham had lost on penalties in the FA Cup final 2006… Emiliano Martínez had saved two of France‘s penalties – and if France missed their fourth penalty kick, the game would have been over. But Argentina had to take one more penalty because France’s Kolo Muani scored to make it 3-2.
Then it was Gonzalo Montiel to give Argentina victory by converting their fourth penalty! And Messi and his team were the winners of this much disputed Qatar winter World Cup after arguably the most spectacular World Cup final in history, a game for the ages that tore at the emotions and played havoc with the pulse rates before Argentina’s icon grabbed his last opportunity and reached his summit, aged 35.
The “Albiceleste” had started into this world championship with a shock 1-2 defeat to Saudi Arabia, and in the end they won an amazing final! What a journey for this team! And in the end now Messi is really one of the greatest of all times, and no one did deserve to win this World Cup more than Lionel Messi.
What a game that was and what a result: History was reversed for Scaloni, and Lionel Messi could finally lift the World Cup at Lusail Stadium deservedly with Argentina!
For Messi, to be part of a triumphant World Cup team was the one feat he needed to adorn a career that has spanned 820 goals for club and country, not to mention a record seven Ballon d’Or awards. Now, the comparisons with Pelé and Maradona, both champions in national colours, feel entirely fitting. As for the endless debate comparing him to Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi’s standing as the pre-eminent star of the age is officially undisputed.
BBC ➡️ Messi Leads Argentina to World Cup glory – is he now football!s greatest?
🇦🇷 Finaaaaleeee! 🇦🇷
Lionel Messi‘s Genialität und Julián Álvarez‘s Torriecher waren zu viel für chancenlose Kroaten. Keine Party für Kroatien auf der „Balkanmeile“, Trainer Lionel Scaloni – 2006 Spieler bei West Ham – führte die Argentinier ins Finale der WM in Katar.
Die Erinnerungen an Scaloni‘s Zeit als Verteidiger bei den Hammers sind allerdings nicht nur gute, denn wenn er im FA Cup Finale 2006 (unten) in der letzen Minute der regulären Spielzeit statt eines Fehlpasses den Ball zurückgespielt hätte, wäre es Steven Gerrard nicht mehr möglich gewesen, den Ausgleich zu erzielen und WHU hätte den englischen Cup gewonnen…
Der Gegner von Scaloni und Messi wurde im zweiten Halbfinale Frankreich gegen Marokko ermittelt. Frankreich hat mit 2:0 das Finale erreicht und damit die Chance, als erstes Nationalteam seit Brasilien im Jahr 1962 den Titel erfolgreich zu verteidigen.
West Ham – Liverpool 3:3 (Elfmeter 1:3)
“Let It Snow”
Freezing conditions are set to cause chaos on Monday as forecasters said all four home nations should prepare for temperatures as low as -10C. There is a possibility of slightly milder conditions next weekend, but it is too early to be certain.
Dozens of schools will close in Cornwall and Gloucestershire, while “freezing fog” is set to cause problems for flights after two of the country’s busiest airports suffered disruption on Sunday.
More than 30 flights were delayed at Gatwick due to snowfall, and 48 flights were cancelled at Heathrow.
Tom Morgan, meteorologist of the Met Office, said that it’s possible all four nations will see temperatures of -10C or lower in the coming days. It could get to -14C in the north of Scotland.
On Monday the south-east of England may wake up to a covering of snow.
Cold temperatures, freezing fog and wintry showers are expected throughout the week, but cloud cover could prevent some of the more extreme temperatures experienced in recent days.
Rachel Ayers, of the Met Office, said: “We could see 2cm to 5cm [of snow], perhaps up to 10cm in some places, with Kent and Sussex most affected, with areas most exposed such as North and South Downs and higher ground going to see the more significant accumulations.”
She added that there was a possibility of slightly milder conditions next weekend, but it is too early to be certain.
I Have No Words…
France v. England 2-1
The Times: “Heartbreak and forgiveness as it’s all over for England. Again.”
Double Success for CRO
Zweifacher Erfolg für Kroatien in dieser Woche:
Die Kroaten sind nach dem gestrigen EU-Beschluss im Schengen-Raum – Passkontrollen gehören nun der Vergangenheit an – und sie sind seit heute im WM-Halbfinale, nachdem sie Brasilien im Elfmeterschießen mit 3:1 bezwungen haben.
Was für ein Doppel-Erfolg für Kroatien!
Neymar-Paqueta-Neymar 1-0
A “one-two” with West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta enabled Neymar to score the 1-0 in the first half of extra time against Croatia!
With this goal, his 77th for Brazil, Neymar has also equalled Pele’s goal scoring record.
However, 3 minutes from the final whistle, Bruno Petkovic equalised for Croatia, and the game had to be decided in a penalty shootout.
EXTRA TIME 
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