AP Sports SummaryBrief at 2:30 p.m. EST

Messi wins World Cup, Argentina beats France on penalties

LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — Lionel Messi finally won the biggest prize in soccer as Argentina beat France 4-2 in a penalty shootout to claim a third World Cup title despite Kylian Mbappé scoring the first hat trick in a final in 56 years. Gonzalo Montiel scored the clinching penalty as Argentina won after a 3-3 draw. Lionel Messi’s once-in-a-generation career is complete now that he is finally a World Cup champion. Messi is definitively in the pantheon of soccer’s greatest ever players alongside Pelé and Diego Maradona.

Messi wins World Cup to push claim to be soccer’s GOAT

LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — Lionel Messi made his strongest case yet to be considered soccer’s greatest player of all time after finally winning the World Cup. It will never be possible to say definitively even after Argentina’s 4-2 penalty shootout victory over France in the final at Lusail Stadium. No one will ever surpass Pele for some. The Brazil great won the World Cup three times. Even in Messi’s homeland there is Diego Maradona. He remains for many the country’s ultimate soccer icon after captaining his national team to the 1986 World Cup title. And Messi has even had a personal rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo for the past 15 years or so. He also now has a World Cup.

Live updates | Argentina wins World Cup final against France

LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — Lionel Messi has led Argentina to its third World Cup title by beating defending champion France in a penalty shootout. Substitute Gonzalo Montiel scored the decisive penalty after a dramatic match that ended in a 3-3 draw at Lusail Stadium north of Doha. Argentina won the shootout 4-2 after Kingsley Coman and Aurélien Tchouaméni missed their penalties for France. Messi scored two goals in the final while Kylian Mbappé had a hat-trick for France. Both converted their penalties in the shootout. Argentina previously won the title in 1978 and 1986. The Argentines lost the 2014 final to Germany.

Messi makes his record 26th appearance at the World Cup

LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — Lionel Messi is making a record 26th appearance at the World Cup. That breaks a tie with Germany great Lothar Matthäus. Messi’s games have been spread over five World Cups. He played at his first World Cup tournament in 2006. He has scored 11 goals in total to be tied for sixth in the all-time list. Messi has said this is likely to be his last World Cup.

Comeback king Vikings set NFL rally record in win vs. Colts

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings completed the biggest comeback in NFL history by erasing a 33-point deficit to beat the Indianapolis Colts 39-36 in overtime. Greg Joseph’s 40-yard field goal with three seconds left in OT gave the Vikings the victory and clinched the NFC North division for them in their typical dramatic fashion. The Vikings are 11-3. They’re the third team in NFL history with 10 wins of eight points or fewer. The previous league record rally was Buffalo in the 1992 playoffs. The Bills trailed 35-3 and beat the Houston Oilers 41-38.

Bills clinch 4th straight playoff berth; beat Dolphins 32-29

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Tyler Bass hit a 25-yard field goal as time expired, and the Buffalo Bills clinched their fourth consecutive playoff berth on a snow-slick field in rallying to a a 32-29 win over the Miami Dolphins. The Bills overcame a 29-21 deficit by scoring on their final two drives. Josh Allen tied the game with a 5-yard pass to Dawson Knox and the quarterback then leaped over the line for a 2-point conversion to tie the game at 29 with 9:02 remaining. Buffalo has won five straight and improved to 11-3. The Dolphins lost their third in a row and dropped to 8-6.

Watson throws for TD, wins home debut as Browns down Ravens

CLEVELAND (AP) — Deshaun Watson threw a touchdown pass in his home debut for Cleveland, leading the Browns to an ugly 13-3 win over the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens, who need injured star quarterback Lamar Jackson to get back quickly. Watson wasn’t spectacular but did enough in his third game since being reinstated from an NFL suspension. Watson, who was banned for 11 games for alleged sexual misconduct, connected with Donovan Peoples-Jones on a 3-yard TD pass in the third quarter. The Ravens are hoping Jackson will be back next week after missing two games with a knee sprain.

Booker scores 58 points, leads Suns to huge comeback win

PHOENIX (AP) — Devin Booker scored a season-high 58 points, using one of the best scoring efforts of his career to nearly single-handedly push the Phoenix Suns past the New Orleans Pelicans 118-114 on Saturday night. It’s the second time this season Booker has topped 50 points — he scored 51 against Chicago on Nov. 30 in just three quarters. This effort was even more impressive because it brought the Suns back from a 24-point deficit in the second half. The three-time All-Star made 21 of 35 shots, including 6 of 12 3-pointers. He added five rebounds and five assists.

2026 World Cup hosts take diplomatic handover from Qatar

LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — A diplomatic delegation from the three host countries of the 2026 World Cup were in Qatar for a handover ceremony ahead of the final between France and Argentina. The United States, Mexico and Canada will stage soccer’s biggest event in less than 3½ years. U.S. presidential delegate Linda Greenfield says “we could not be more excited.” Greenfield says Qatar “set the standards high.” The 2026 tournament will be played in 11 American cities, three in Mexico and two in Canada.

Argentines wake up dreaming of World Cup glory in Qatar

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentines woke up ready to watch the national team play for its third World Cup title amid a national feeling of unity and joy that is rare for a country that has been engulfed in an economic crisis for years and has one of the worst inflation rates in the world. Argentina will face France in the final in Qatar. Argentina fan Guillermo Ortiz says “the whole city is dressed with the flag.” Argentina last reached the World Cup final in 2014 but lost to Germany. Everyone in the country agrees the sense of anticipation and excitement for this year’s game is far higher than it ever was for that match in Brazil.