France 4-2 Croatia: Hits and flops from the World Cup final

The FIFA World Cup 2018 came to a scintillating end with France prevailing over Croatia in emphatic fashion at the Luzhniki Stadium courtesy of a thumping 4-2 win in the final.

The encounter between the two sides proved to be the perfect clash to bring down the curtains on a spectacular tournament in Russia over the past month.

There was plenty of drama on offer as France took the lead through an own goal, the 12th of the tournament, after Mario Mandzukic became the first ever player to find the back of his own net in a World Cup final following a set-piece routine orchestrated by Antoine Griezmann.

Croatia responded bravely and restored parity between the two sides just ten minutes later through Ivan Perisic who popped up at the right place to dispatch a thunderous shot with his left foot after Les Bleus had failed to clear the ball away from danger.

However, Perisic would soon be at the end of a controversial incident in the 38th minute after allegedly handling the ball inside his own penalty area.

Referee Nestor Pitana awarded the penalty after consulting with VAR and Griezmann shouldered the responsibility of restoring his team’s lead, he sent Daniel Subasic the wrong way to help Didier Deschamps’ men end the first half with a slender lead.

Zlatko Dalic’s men had established a reputation of being the pioneers of the ‘never say die’ attitude throughout the tournament and continued to dominate possession to try and get themselves back into the game after the restart.

Paul Pogba, who was nowhere in the game up until that point, came up with a sublime strike to extend Les Bleus’ lead just around the hour mark and with Croatia pushing for another goal, teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe put the game beyond all doubt with yet another remarkable finish from way outside the area in the 65th minute.

Croatia pulled a goal back through Mandzukic after a calamitous error from Hugo Lloris, who tried to play out from the back and failed miserably in doing so, but it was a little too late to churn out a comeback.

Just about 24 hours after the celebration of Bastille day in Paris, France lifted the World Cup in Russia under Deschamps to bring back glory to the nation after 20 long years.

Heartbreak for Croatia but this lot will be remembered for the fairy tale journey they endured on the road to the final, defying all odds in the process.

However, the spotlight will be on Deschamps and his boys, who helped their gaffer become only the third man to win the World Cup as a player and manager joining a prestigious list that includes Franz Beckenbauer and Mario Zagallo.

Without further delay, let’s take a closer look at the best and worst performers from this memorable World Cup final at the Luzhniki stadium:

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#5 Hit: Ivan Perisic (Croatia)

Perisic fought tooth and nail for his team

Ivan Perisic was Croatia's best player going forward and was right at it from the very first blow of the referee's whistle to kick-start proceedings at the Luzhniki Stadium.

The winger, who had played an instrumental role in his team's win over England in the semi-final, picked up from where he left off on Tuesday and gave Benjamin Pavard a real run for his money throughout the game.

Perisic was direct and uncompromising in his approach in the final and worked tirelessly down the left flank, from where he wasn't reluctant to cut-in and ask questions at the French defenders on a number of instances.

The 29-year-old showed the determination to pop-up at the right place to score Croatia's equalizer on the night and took the opportunity with much aplomb, sending an unstoppable shot into the far corner in a trademark Perisic finish.

Undoubtedly, Perisic would be wondering what could have been had that penalty decision not gone against him but football is a cruel game and it only showed how things can change so rapidly on the field.

#4 Flop: Mario Mandzukic (Croatia)

Mandzukic failed to find the Midas touch

Perhaps the unluckiest player on the pitch, Mario Mandzukic has warranted the unwanted record of becoming the first player to score an own goal in a World Cup final.

The disaster came his way in the 18th minute when he attempted to try and head the ball away from danger following a well-worked set-piece routine from Antoine Griezmann. Mandzukic had a calamitous start to his first ever final and never seemed to recover from it in the aftermath.

The Juventus striker could not spring-board himself into the same wavelength as Ivan Perisic and Ante Rebic, who were deployed on either side of him, and uncharacteristically lacked the vigour to unsettle his counterparts defending Hugo Lloris' goal.

However, he got a consolation goal to redeem himself in the second half thanks to Lloris but it was all done and dusted by then after France had taken a healthy lead a few minutes earlier.

#3 Hit: Antoine Griezmann (France)

Griezmann made no mistake from the spot in the final

Griezmann played a pivotal role in the two goals France scored in the first half and was not shy of putting in the hard yards throughout the game.

The Frenchman sent in a sublime delivery into the area, that was turned into his own net by Mandzukic, for the opening goal of the game while he made no mistake from the penalty spot to restore Les Bleus' lead in the 38th minute after Croatia had pulled things back on level terms with Perisic, just ten minutes earlier.

However, what stood out was his determination to work hard without the ball especially since Croatia enjoyed the majority of possession throughout the game.

The Atletico Madrid striker was clinical in nature and showed nerves of steel to put that penalty away against Daniel Subasic who is no stranger to saving them, especially in this tournament.

Griezmann finished the tournament with four goals and capped off a wonderful campaign in national team colours by lifting the trophy in the end, to finally put the misery of losing out on the Euro Championships at home to Portugal in 2016 to bed.

#2 Flop: N'Golo Kante (France)

Kante struggled to make an impact

A very unusual performance from N'Golo Kante, who was completely outmatched by the performance of Ivan Rakitic in midfield during the first half.

Prior to this game, the Chelsea midfielder had been one of the two French players (the other being Raphael Varane) to have played every single minute of Les Bleus' World Cup campaign and for a man who is known for his dependable 'engine' that keeps running no matter what, the ill-effects were starting to show early on.

Kante struggled to keep up with the movement of Rakitic and allowed the Croatian midfielders to bend time and space at their own will, helping them establish authority on the game.

He also picked up a booking in the 27th minute after Rebic had whizzed past him, to leave Kante with no choice but to clip the winger's ankles.

The 27-year-old was replaced by Steven Nzonzi in the 55th minute and it remarkably helped Paul Pogba free himself a bit and he pushed forward to find the back of the net.

#1 Hit: Samuel Umtiti (France)

Umtiti managed to keep Croatia at bay for prolonged periods

France has been blessed with arguably the best defenders in world football at the moment in the form of Samuel Umtiti and Raphael Varane, and they produced yet another stellar performance in the final.

However, it was the Barcelona defender who stood out just ahead of his partner on the night as he proved to be a solid rock at the back for Les Bleus.

Umtiti did not enjoy a steady start to the tournament and was dependent on Varane to a certain extent during the group stages but he has well and truly matured over the course of the campaign, forming a steady partnership with his compatriot in the heart of defence for France.

The 24-year-old made a number of crucial interceptions in the first half and was spot on with his positioning and overall reading of the game.

Umtiti never looked like putting a foot wrong and despite all the pressure mounted on France by Croatia, he was composed and looked comfortable on the ball.

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