Joe Carroll: We thought it was all over, but Kylian made sure that it wasn’t

Kenneth Wolstenholme’s ‘They think it’s all over’ will be forever linked to the 1966 World Cup final, which we know only too well was the one in which Geoff Hurst scored a hat-trick to give England an extra-time 4-2 win over West Germany.

Another West Ham player, Martin Peters, got the fourth goal and yet another Hammer, Bobby Moore, captained the team. If there’d been VAR at the time, one of the England goals would have been binned.

Wolstenholme’s words came to mind a couple of times during the final of the latest renewal of soccer’s greatest tournament.

Argentina and France, among the leading fancies before a ball was kicked in anger, or a word spoken in rightful condemnation of the country where the football was taking place, were on the pitch.

The first time was when Kylian Mbappe scored his opening goal in the 80th minute. Argentina were leading 2-0, an advantage they had held at the interval.

Up until the PSG clubman converted a penalty, France looked leaden-legged, perhaps suffering from the virus the commentators were speaking about from early on.

If Argentina and the many millions watching on television had been thinking it was all over, they’d now have second thoughts.

How often do you see it in a match: a team is down and out, unable to do anything right. They then get a score and are back in the game. Legs begin to run faster, every ball is contested with vigour and management are on their feet.

That was France after they’d scored their first. And just to show there was more from where that one came, Mbappe produced a second a minute later – arguably the score of the match – to level a tie that was now edging close to the ‘absorbing’ category.

Having started out fully suited, French President Macron was now in his shirt sleeves, maybe saying to himself: ‘There’ll be some reception for these guys on the Champ Elysees if they can pull this off, better than the one Charlie Haughey had for Stephen Roche in 1987.’

Extra-time. France, benefitting from a few astute substitutions, remained in the mix. But then the genius that is Lionel Messi put Argentina back in front. There wasn’t long to go, and maybe again there were many who thought it was all over bar the shouting.

That man Mbappe wasn’t done for, however. An Argentina defender put his elbow in the way of the ball in the area, and the ref pointed to the spot once again. No bother to Mbappe. By now, Macron was doing everything but heading down to the sideline.

And no bother once again to Mbappe when it came to the penalty shoot-out, which many would agree is the cruellest way to decide a final of this stature, or any final for that matter. But the No 10’s colleagues weren’t so hot.

There was no need to go the distance; Argentina, given the perfect start by their talisman, scored all they had to, and as a result were declared the best in the world.

A programme on TV recently offered the opinion that Maradona, Pele, Messi, Cruyff and Puskas, in that order, were the best five footballers the world has known. Until this year, Maradona (once) and Pele (three times) were the only ones in the quintet to win the World Cup.

Much as Mbappe’s three-timer and France’s brilliant goalkeeper Hugo Lloris deserved the highest reward, there’s few will begrudge Messi joining Maradona and Pele on the podium as he prepares to exit the biggest stage.

The arguments will rage for some time over the choice of Qatar as the host nation for the 22nd running of the competition.

But from a football viewpoint it’s been one of the best, Argentina winning, France taking second, Croatia third and Morocco fourth. There are many who think England could have gone the whole way had Harry been as consistent from the spot as Mbappe or Messi.