The Sports Report: Argentina is the 2022 World Cup champion

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. One of the more interesting World Cups of recent memory came to an end Sunday, as Argentina defeated France to win the title. Our own Kevin Baxter has been in Qatar all along, covering the happenings through some difficult circumstances. One final story from Kevin in Qatar as we kick off Monday’s newsletter. We also have a poll for you to take part in, with results released in Friday’s newsletter.

From Kevin Baxter in Qatar: When Sunday’s World Cup final finally ended, there was a president on one side of the field and a king on the other.

The president was France’s Emmanuel Macron, who was commiserating with Kylian Mbappe, his country’s young superstar and a player who has known little but success in his short career. The king was the aging Lionel Messi, who finally won the prize that had eluded him during a long and storied career.

It took six goals, 120 minutes and a four-round penalty-kick shootout to separate one from the other. But when it was finally over, Messi was world champion, assuming the crown Mbappe had worn the last four years.

“It’s just crazy that it became a reality this way,” Messi said. “I craved for this so much. I knew God would bring this gift to me. I had the feeling that this [World Cup] was the one.”

There was no final whistle to mark the end of the game, nor was one needed. Instead, it ended with the sound of 88,966 fans screaming — most of them for Argentina — when Gonzalo Montiel’s penalty try hit the back of the net.

At midfield Messi dropped to his knees and was immediately engulfed by teammates, most smiling, some crying and others, like Messi, doing both. After several long, suffocating minutes in the middle of the scrum, he broke free and headed for the sideline, arms held aloft as he waved to his family.

In Buenos Aires, tens of thousands of people celebrated in the streets.

“I know it’s just a football game, but it’s a World Cup final,” Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni said. “For us in Argentina, it’s something more.”

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Photos: Argentina defeats defending champion France for the World Cup title

Analysis: Most dramatic World Cup final caps a unique tournament in Qatar

Argentines erupt in joy after epic World Cup final

Who is the best soccer player of all?

A debate arose on social media after Sunday’s World Cup final: Who is the best soccer player of all time, Messi, Diego Maradona or Pele? What do you say? Click here to vote in our poll.

DODGERS

From Jack Harris: After nine years, two All-Star selections and a World Series title, Justin Turner’s tenure with the Dodgers has drawn to an end.

A month after the team declined an option in his contract and let him become a free agent, the veteran infielder agreed to a deal with the Boston Red Sox for two years and about $22 million, with an opt-out after next season.

Once finalized, the move will mark the latest notable departure this offseason for the Dodgers, who have already seen Trea Turner, Cody Bellinger, Tyler Anderson and several other contributors from last season’s 111-win team depart in free agency.

Losing Turner, however, will mark the biggest change to the team’s rapidly evolving clubhouse.

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CHARGERS

From Jeff Miller: He was about to get busy winning a football game, another football game, his third of this season.

But in the moments immediately prior, Cameron Dicker was just busy.

Kicking into a practice net on the Chargers’ sideline, the rookie was so focused on his preparation that he might have been the only person in SoFi Stadium who didn’t see the play everyone was talking about afterward.

With the score tied in the closing seconds, quarterback Justin Herbert led the Chargers on the decisive drive, one that included a rolling-out 35-yard completion to Mike Williams.

“I just heard people yell,” Dicker explained later. “So I looked over and, ‘Oh, we’re way down there.’ It was a cool thing.”

Cool, like Dicker himself. Two snaps after the Williams reception, Dicker nailed a 43-yard field goal with four seconds remaining to lift the Chargers to a 17-14 victory.

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Plaschke: Justin Herbert shows why he’s potentially the greatest young QB in NFL history

LAKERS

From Dan Woike: Anthony Davis will likely miss a significant amount of time for the Lakers, sources familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly, told The Times before Sunday’s 119-117 win over Washington. Davis suffered a right foot injury in the first half Friday in the team’s win against Denver.

Lakers coach Darvin Ham said Davis received X-rays on Friday night, but there’s been no update to those results or any further examinations.

Sources told The Times that Davis is still undergoing evaluations and there’s no set timeline for his return.

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USC BASKETBALL

After a couple of close losses in the Bahamas last month, USC was looking for a signature win and a boost of confidence.

The Trojans got a big one Sunday, holding off 19th-ranked Auburn 74-71 for their fifth straight victory.

USC (9-3) lost in overtime to Tennessee and by five points to Wisconsin at the Bahamas event over Thanksgiving. With just one game left before resuming Pac-12 play, the Trojans wanted to make a statement.

“Our team has improved dramatically since the Bahamas,” coach Andy Enfield said. “This is our biggest win of the year by far. We’ve a young team developing and this showed we can compete.”

Boogie Ellis scored a career-high 28 points and the Trojans forced 14 of Auburn’s season-high 23 turnovers in the second half of the teams’ first meeting since 1977. USC scored 23 points off the Tigers’ miscues.

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The USC women’s basketball team lost to Texas, 62-48. The defeat puts the Trojans at 9-2 overall, while the Longhorns improved to 7-4.

UCLA BASKETBALL

From Ben Bolch: Three days after routing No. 20 Maryland on the road, No. 16 UCLA took Manhattan on Saturday with a 63-53 victory over No. 13 Kentucky at Madison Square Garden in the CBS Sports Classic.

A trip that had once appeared so daunting given the Bruins’ struggles the last time they faced nationally ranked teams — resulting in two losses in Las Vegas — left them with celebratory smiles after a sweep.

Along the way, UCLA found a formula that could sustain it the rest of the season.

Take care of the ball. Defend. Play with fearlessness.

Here are five takeaways from UCLA’s East Coast swing as it careens toward the heart of its Pac-12 schedule.

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HOCKEY

From Helene Elliott: Cayla Barnes’ athletic talents have taken her far from Eastvale, in Riverside County, where she grew up playing soccer and roller hockey before she followed her older brothers out to the ice and launched a stellar career.

Barnes, 23, has won a gold medal and a silver medal while representing the U.S. in the last two Winter Olympic hockey tournaments. She has played in three women’s world championships, three under-18 women’s world tournaments — where she became the first player to win three consecutive gold medals — and dozens of other elite competitions.

Barnes, who played for the Junior Kings’ bantam-AAA team, the Junior Ducks and the Lady Ducks before heading East for prep school and Boston College, is a smooth skater and creative puck-handler in the mold of her role model, Hall of Fame member and former Duck Scott Niedermayer. She’s one of the best defensemen in the women’s game, sure to be a mainstay of U.S. national and Olympic teams for years.

“The number one thing is her calming presence, for me,” U.S. coach John Wroblewski said. “She’s got a knack for the game. Great vision and just very dependable.”

But there’s one significant experience missing from her list of accomplishments: feeling the thrill of playing a home game with the USA crest on her jersey.

That will change Monday, when Barnes suits up for Team USA at Crypto.com Arena against Canada for the fifth game in their teams’ seven-game Rivalry Series. It will be wonderfully familiar for her. It also will be oddly different.

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THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1913 — Heavyweight champion Jack Johnson fights to a 10-round draw with Battling Jim Johnson in Paris.

1917 — The NHL begins play. Joe Malone of the Montreal Canadiens scores five goals in a 9-4 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Harry Hyland of the Montreal Wanderers scores five goals in a 10-9 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

1943 — Harry Lumley, at 17 years and 38 days old, becomes the youngest goaltender in NHL history when he plays for the Detroit Red Wings in a 6-2 loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

1948 — The Cleveland Browns complete an undefeated season beating the Buffalo Bills 49-7 in AAFC championship game.

1948 — The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Chicago Cardinals 7-0 in a major snowstorm for the NFL title. Philadelphia’s Bucko Kilroy recovers a fumble on the 17-yard line in the fourth period, and Steve Van Buren later scores from the 5.

1976 — The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Baltimore Colts 40-14 in an AFC playoff game. Ten minutes after the game, Donald Kroner, a former charter pilot, crashes a rented, low-wing, Piper Cherokee into the upper deck of Memorial Stadium. No one is seriously hurt as most of the capacity crowd of 60,020 left the one-sided contest early or were heading down the exit ramps.

1987 — Boston and St. Louis combine for the fastest two goals in NHL history. Ken Linseman puts the Bruins ahead 6-5 with 10 seconds left in the third period. Doug Gilmour of Boston wins the faceoff and shoots the puck into an empty net two seconds later to wrap up a 7-5 win over the Blues at Boston Garden.

1990 — Raiders running back Bo Jackson is named to the AFC team, as a reserve, becoming the first athlete chosen for All-Star games in two sports.

2001 — Marshall, led by Byron Leftwich, comes back from a 38-8 halftime deficit to beat East Carolina 64-61 in double-overtime in the GMAC Bowl for the highest scoring bowl game in history.

2007 — New York Islanders forward Chris Simon is banned for 30 games, drawing the longest suspension in NHL history again. Simon’s latest infraction was stepping on Pittsburgh’s Jarkko Ruutu with his skate during a Dec. 15 game. This is the seventh suspension of Simon’s career.

2009 — Michael Phelps helps his American team trounce a group of European all-stars in the Duel in the Pool, anchoring a relay to one of the eight world records the U.S. sets over the two-day meet in Manchester, England.

2010 — Philadelphia’s DeSean Jackson returns a punt 65 yards for a touchdown as time expires in the Eagles’ 38-31 comeback win at the New York Giants. It’s the only game-winning punt-return touchdown in NFL history as the Eagles come back from a 31-10 fourth-quarter deficit. It marks the ninth time in NFL history in which a team trailed by at least 21 points in the fourth quarter and wins the game.

2010 — The Detroit Lions stop their record road skid at 26 games with a 23-20 overtime win at Tampa Bay. It’s the first road win since Oct. 28, 2007, when they beat the Bears 16-7 at Chicago.

2017 — Freshman Trae Young has 26 points and ties an NCAA Division I record with 22 assists as No. 17 Oklahoma rolls past Northwestern State 105-68.

2017 — North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell becomes the third women’s Division I coach to register her 1,000th career victory after the Tar Heels beat Grambling State 79-63.

2017 — Geno Auriemma wins his 1000th game as top-ranked UConn beat Oklahoma 88-64 in the Hall of Fame women’s Holiday Showcase. Auriemma becomes the fourth women’s coach to reach the 1,000-win mark, joining Pat Summitt, Tara VanDerveer and Sylvia Hatchell, who earned her milestone victory earlier in the day.

2018 - Houston Rockets set NBA single-game record with 26 three-pointers in 136-118 victory over Washington Wizards;

Compiled by the Associated Press

And finally

DeSean Jackson becomes the first person to return a punt for a game-winning touchdown. Watch and listen here.