France manager Didier Deschamps’ decision to take Olivier Giroud off in the first half of the World Cup final has come under scrutiny.
The defending champions were quickly pegged back by Argentina, who took a 2-0 lead after playing a flawless first half.
Lionel Messi opened the scoring after Angel Di Maria was brought down by France’s Ousmane Dembele in the box.
Messi converted from the penalty spot to give Argentina the lead and overtake Kylian Mbappe as the tournament’s top scorer.
Argentina took the lead when Di Maria finished with a sublime counter-attacking goal as his teammates made their way down the right flank.
But it was a different story for France, who struggled in attack, becoming the first team not to attempt a shot in the first half of a World Cup.
Striker Kylian Mbappe had just 11 touches in the opening 45 minutes.
Conscious not to let the game slip away, Deschamps made the bold call to replace the mercurial Giroud on 40 minutes.
Giroud was less than impressed by the decision, walking off the pitch and hitting a water bottle in anger.
The forward and Dembele were replaced by Kolo Muani and Marcus Thuram in a pair of rare first-half changes.
Giroud is France’s all-time top scorer and has scored four World Cup goals, including a crucial header against England in the quarter-finals.
The 36-year-old has been in career-best form in Qatar, so the decision to pull him out with more than half of the World Cup final remaining raised eyebrows.
Sky Sports News’ Rob Dorsett at the Lusail Stadium said: “The crowd are still buzzing about the quality of that Di Maria goal.
“Even the Argentine fans are reassured by this – they are a bit surprised by this lead, you feel.
“A double change for France too, very very soon. Deschamps has seen enough.
“It’s unbelievable that Dembele and Giroud are substituted before the break when France are desperate for goals!
“Giroud is furious. He has thrown the top of the rage and a bottle of water.”