World Cup: Alexis Mac Allister stars alongside Lionel Messi as Argentina edge past France in sensational final - and marks history for Brighton
Alexis Mac Allister, who became one of the first names on the team sheet for Argentina this World Cup campaign, had his own crowning moment in the final with an inch-perfect assist for Angel Di Maria.
The goal had given Argentina a 2-0 lead after Lionel Messi’s penalty opened the scoring – and it looked like that would be enough. But superstar Kylian Mbappe was always going to have a say – scoring twice within two minutes to restore parity.
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Hide AdMac Allister, 23 – who pulled the strings in midfield throughout – stayed on the pitch for most of extra-time, playing 116 minutes. When he departed, Argentina were winning 3-2, after Messi found the net once again after a fine team move.
But more drama was to come, with Mbappe again finding the net from the penalty spot – becoming the second man in history to score a World Cup final hat-trick after England's Geoff Hurst in 1966.
Penalties were needed to decide the thrilling game, with Argentina running out 4-2 winners in the shootout.
Messi, who wore a black robe when lifting the trophy, will take the headlines but Mac Allister was the unsung hero – evidenced by the BBC’s readers player of the match competition. The Brighton star received an average score of 8.01 – making him the player of the match.
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Hide AdBrighton’s defender, Shane Duffy, who is on loan at Fulham, took to Twitter after the game to praise Mac Allister, who has been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur.
“What a bloke as well,” he wrote, in response to a post from We Are Brighton, about Mac Allister becoming the first ever Brighton player to win the World Cup.
The 30-year-old defender added: “So happy for him and Brighton as a club. Huge achievement which will go down in history forever.”