France rules the world
FRANCE is rejoicing in a new generation of footballing heroes after Les Bleus defeated Croatia 4-2 in a stunning World Cup final success in Moscow early yesterday.
Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba fired France to their second World Cup triumph at the Luzhniki Stadium, 20 years after their first win on home soil. The most celebrated tournament in a generation enjoyed a coronating final — the highest-scoring decider since 1966.
Much like the past month, the final had everything.
Amid the Parisian next-gen pair’s fine goals and Ivan Perisic’s thunderbolt, there was a first own goal in 21 finals, a VAR-confirmed penalty and a goalkeeping blunder which handed Croatia a late lifeline.
Even notorious artist-activist group Pussy Riot got in on the act, stopping play in the second half with a pitch invasion to protest political repression in host nation Russia.
But on full time, it was the French players joyously running laps of the pitch, tricolour flags in hand, after winning back the World Cup Trophy.
The victory was all the sweeter after the European Championships final two years ago, lost 1-0 to underdogs Portugal.
On this evidence and the youth of the swashbuckling French champions, this side just might dominate international football for years to come. “How marvellous!” coach Didier Deschamps exclaimed.
“It’s a young team, who are on the top of the world. Some are champions at the age of 19. We did not play a huge game but we showed mental quality. And we scored four goals anyway.”
Led by a man-of-the-match performance by Antoine Griezmann, France weathered early Croatian attacks to score with their first effort.
Griezmann sent a free kick, dubiously won, into no-man’s land on 18 minutes, which Mario Mandzukic glanced into the net for an own goal.
Perisic responded for Croatia soon after, winning a free kick that he would score from.
Indefatigable Luka Modric’s floated set piece could not be cleared and fell to the left winger, who turned N’Golo Kante on the edge of the box to thrash the ball home with a slight deflection from Raphael Varane.
The star Croatian turned villain 10 minutes later, handballing clumsily in the box for a penalty which referee Nestor Pintana awarded after video assistance, Griezmann making no mistake from the spot for his fourth goal of the campaign. Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic couldn’t abide the decision, although he said he respected it.
“In a World Cup final you do not give such a penalty but it in no way diminishes France’s win,” he said.
In the 20 minutes after the break, France transformed into world champions. Mbappe showed his deadly pace in a right-wing breakaway, pulling back for Griezmann who found Pogba to score on his second attempt.
Then came the 19-year-old’s moment, as he followed Pele to become just the second teenager to score in a World Cup final.
Despite going the distance to defeat Denmark, hosts Russia and England through the knockout stage, Croatia had a foothold on another startling recovery on 68 minutes.
French captain Hugo Lloris attempted to turn Mandzukic but the striker stopped him in his tracks and deflected the ball into the goal to make the score 4-2. When Croatia needed to find another gear in the final 20 minutes, the task was simply too tough.