Title all French squad lacking

THEY are young, they are brash and they are collectively worth a billion dollars. The one thing missing for this French squad is an international title.

Kylian Mbappe, Paul Pogba and France are about to get that chance.

Les Bleus are headed to the World Cup final at Moscow on Monday morning.

Samuel Umtiti clinched a 10 win over Belgium — and earned the approval of watching French President Emmanuel Macron in the VIP seats at St Petersburg Stadium — by scoring with a header off a corner kick in the 51st minute of Wednesday’s semifinal.

Although it was not the most entertaining of victories with France playing much ball around the back it was still too good for Belgium, which seemed to run out of ideas the longer the game went on.

Not many pundits picked France to go all the way but it finished runnerup at the Euros just two years ago and with a slice of luck could have won that title.

France has always had plenty of gifted playmakers and some talented forwards but a tough defence this time around had helped catapult the French side into the final.

Right from its first game — when it beat a gallant but ultimately outgunned Australian side 21 — France seems to have been working well together for the ultimate prize.

It is 20 years since France last won the World Cup.

That one was in its home country when it crushed a Brazilian side which froze in the final.

For the French, forward Antoine Griezmann remains a key man.

He has the ability to find the goal and gives those around him plenty of confidence.

Youngster Mbappe is a livewire who impressed in the side’s 43 win over Argentina in the roundof16 game.

France has met Croatia only once in a World Cup, and France will be hoping it is a lucky omen.

The sides faced each other in 1998, when a Lillian Thuram brace was enough to beat Croatia 21 in the semifinal.

That was the inaugural meeting between the two nations, which have played each other just five times in their history. France has yet to lose.