Another of Argentina’s main patterns when attacking was arriving with many players to the opposition’s box. This occurred through different chance creation options but it was more efficient when a winger, usually Di María, received the ball out on the left flank and dribbled inside the box. When doing so, it was very common to see three or four Argentinian attackers enter the area with speed or get good positions at the edge of the box, obtaining positional advantage. This action can be seen in the next two videos, two scenarios where Argentina looks very dangerous on the attack and nearly scored. This type of action also embeds a different element such as the “cut back” by the passer. By cutting back, Argentina are again able to take positional advantage in relation to the opposition and therefore be more dangerous.

These types of actions were incredibly challenging for the French defense, as their players would very often be attracted by the ball and lose their marks within the area. In several cases Argentinian attackers would be found without proper marking from the French players and by the time they realized this, it was too late and Argentina would have the upper hand in attack. Throughout the whole match it is very interesting how the quick repetition of this action resulted in a very efficient tactic for Argentina and a hassle for France. In other words, Scaloni aced this tactic and it resulted in one of their “hidden keys” to win the final.

Another key for Argentina in this World Cup final was their aggressive ‘counter-pressing’. In more detail, when Argentina lost the ball in France’s half, they would rapidly get multiple players in the intervention zone – the zone where the ball is located on the pitch – to block all potential near passing options and recover the ball aggressively by pressing. This idea to anticipating and reacting fast after losing the ball was key to avoiding any progression or dangerous counter-attacks by France, who had very fast players such as Mbappé or Dembélé in the starting eleven. This behavior can be seen in the next video, as Argentina loses the ball after an unsuccessful chip to Di María. Here, six Argentina players are seen counter-pressing quickly in France’s half to recover the ball. In this case, the pressing is efficient as it forces Griezmann to do a bad pass. The action results in Argentina recovering the ball and shooting to target all within the first five minutes of the game.