France is the champion of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final, besting Croatia by 4 goals to 2.
France entered the tournament as a favorite, powered by stars such as Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann, while Croatia was seen as a longshot for victory.
The game opened with Croatia dominating possession of the ball – at 15 minutes in, Croatia held the ball for 59 percent of the time. Then, at 18 minutes in, Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic mistakenly scored a goal for France by heading it into his own team’s goal.
Shortly after, Croatia’s Ivan Perisic delivered a goal, tying up the game. Then, referees awarded France a penalty kick for a handball from Perisic, giving France a valuable opportunity.
It’s an opportunity that France’s Antoine Griezmann made the most of, scoring a goal and bringing the score up to 2-1 at the half.
France’s Paul Pogba scored at the 59-minute mark, quickly followed by another goal from France six minutes later, this time from Mbappe.
Croatia’s Mandzukic then scored, bringing the score to 4-2, thanks to an error from France.
The teams met at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on Sunday, ending the month-long tournament played across Russia.
Croatia’s appearance in the final had a lot to do with their historic streak of endurance, as NPR’s sports correspondent Tom Goldman reported.
“It’s a day of firsts for Croatia: first time in a World Cup Final, first team to get to the final after winning three straight extra time games.” He added that “if France can outlast the Croatians, it will mean a second championship and the first since 1998.”
Les Bleus have done just that.
9(MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001))