France wins second World Cup in thrilling 6-goal final with Croatia
France won its second World Cup on Sunday after beating Croatia 4-2 in a pulsating, to-and-fro final in Moscow.
Antoine Griezmann's free-kick - which was dubiously awarded by referee Nestor Pitana - went in via the head of Mario Mandzukic to put France ahead, but the clash was soon levelled when Ivan Perisic lashed a shot past Hugo Lloris.
Didier Deschamps' side restored its lead when Griezmann coolly netted a penalty seven minutes short of half-time. Again, it was a much-debated call by Pitana - Perisic was deemed to have handled in the area following consultation with VAR - leaving Croatia a goal adrift once more.
A quickfire second-half double from Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe seemed to put France out of reach, but Croatia threatened to mount a comeback when Mandzukic capitalised on an awful error by Lloris.
It was a final that supplied controversy, calamity and, quite possibly, confirmation of Mbappe's place among the top table of world football. Croatia, meanwhile, ended its best-ever run in the tournament, helping temporarily forget the corruption scandal - with former Dinamo Zagreb executive director Zdravko Mamic as its antagonist - that has shamed the country's game and wrapped up the likes of Luka Modric and Dejan Lovren.
Croatia started strongest, with most inroads being made down its left-hand side manned by the three Ivans: Strinic, Rakitic, and Perisic. Benjamin Pavard looked vulnerable on several occasions, and France's reluctance to step upfield and take control was opening up space in which Modric could explore.
However, France took the lead. Griezmann, who was previously anonymous, was awarded a contentious free-kick around 30 yards from goal when Marcelo Brozovic was adjudged to have bundled him over. The Atletico Madrid forward's flat delivery was diverted out of Danijel Subasic's reach and into the top corner by Mandzukic's head after 18 minutes.
Ten minutes later, parity was restored when Perisic knocked a loose ball to the side of N'Golo Kante with his right foot before whipping in with his left from 16 yards. The winger was one of the standout players in Russia, but was dealt a cruel blow when consultation with video review ruled he had handled in the area. Griezmann's resulting spot kick was confidently dispatched, with Subasic diving the wrong way.
Related: Fair or foul? Examining 3 first-half decisions that tormented Croatia
Croatia was again the better team in the opening stages of the second half, but it was instead Pogba who doubled France's advantage on 59 minutes. The midfielder sprayed a stunning pass down the left channel for Mbappe to chase, and was there to collect Griezmann's tap backwards, jabbing home after his first shot was blocked.
Four minutes later and it was four. Lucas Hernandez's dribble evaded a couple of chequered shirts before he played the ball to Mbappe. The Paris Saint-Germain hitman became the second teenager to score in a World Cup final (following Brazilian icon Pele in 1958) when he used the acres of space he was granted to whack an effort into the bottom corner from just outside the box.
France was cruising to a second title in the competition when the errors that tarnished Lloris' club campaign with Tottenham Hotspur came to the fore. Samuel Umtiti calmly played the ball back to the shot-stopper, but then the latter inexplicably turned into Manduzkic's sluggish press and played it off the Croatian attacker's outstretched right foot. There were similarities to Loris Karius' error for Karim Benzema's opener in the 2018 Champions League showpiece between Liverpool and Real Madrid.
Croatia pushed to try and close the two-goal deficit, but France was able to see out the victory with relative ease. Deschamps is the third manager to win the World Cup as both a player and a manager, following Brazil's Mario Zagallo and West Germany's Franz Beckenbauer.
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)