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.