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.