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.