Lionel Messi finally won the biggest prize in soccer. 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. 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. Europe’s run of four straight World Cup winners dating to 2006 came to an end.
NFL
Daniel Jones and the New York Giants ended their winless streak by beating the Washington Commanders 20-12. Jones was 21 of 32 passing to win in prime time for the first time in 10 chances in the NFL. Kayvon Thibodeaux scored a touchdown on a fumble he forced and recovered after declaring earlier this week that prime time likes him. The Giants forced a second fumble by Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke with six minutes left in the fourth quarter. New York bolstered its playoff chances by improving to 8-5-1 and hurt Washington's postseason hopes two weeks after the teams played to a tie.
Defensive end Chandler Jones grabbed a bizarre, unnecessary lateral by New England’s Jakobi Meyers out of the air on the final play and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown, giving the Las Vegas Raiders a 30-24 victory over the Patriots. With the game tied at 24-all, the Patriots decided to run a series of pitches in a last-ditch attempt to avoid overtime. Rhamondre Stevenson pitched the ball to Meyers, who heaved it across the field and into the arms of Jones. The burly pass-rusher stiff-armed Patriots quarterback Mac Jones and was untouched from there. The wild finish bailed out the Raiders, who led 17-3 at halftime before allowing the Patriots to score 21 straight points.
Elswhere, The Detroit Lions beat the New York Jets 20-17, and Philadelphia defeated Chicago 25-20.
Tonight on Monday night football, it’s the LA Rams at Green Bay at 8:15.
NBA
The Knicks beat Indiana 109-106.
Brooklyn downed Detroit 124-121.
Orlando defeated Boston 95-92.
NHL
The New York Rangers crushed the Blackhawks 7-1.
Minnesota doubled-up Ottawa 4-2.
Carolina downed Pittsburgh 3-2.
GOLF
Vijay Singh and his son can finally call themselves winners at the PNC Championship in their 16th appearance. Tiger Woods and 13-year-old son Charlie had to settle for having another great time. Qass Singh was 13 when he first played this event with his father. Now he's 32. Qass hit a hybrid to 4 feet for eagle that paved the way for them to shoot 59 in a scramble format. They won by two over John Daly and his son and Justin Thomas and his father. Team Woods never got going and tied for eighth.
BASKETBALL
The general manager and head coach of the Albany Patroons minor league men’s basketball team will not return for the 2023 season.
Will Brown led the Patroons to a 29-and-4 season in 2022 after spending 20 years coaching at the University at Albany.
In a statement, Brown said the team is “positioned for success” in 2023, adding he is excited for the next chapter of his coaching career, though he did not provide specifics on where he would be landing next.
With a search underway for a new head coach, the Patroons will open their 2023 season with back-to-back home games at the Washington Avenue Armory on March 3rd and 4th.
