France won the World Cup for the second time after a 4-2 victory over Croatia in Moscow on Sunday. A Mario Mandzukic own goal, as well as an Antoine Griezmann penalty and additional strikes from Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe, meant that Ivan Perisic’s and Mandzukic’s efforts at the right end were merely consolatory at Luzhniki Stadium.
Positives
France are world champions for the second time. After the agony of losing to continental rivals Portugal on home soil in the Euro 2016 final, Didier Deschamps’ men got it right on the global stage by beating another European side. His role in obtaining the free kick that saw Les Bleus open the scoring through Mandzukic’s own goal will be questioned, but Griezmann’s assist from the set piece and cool penalty should not — another decisive and accomplished performance. The Frenchman was not alone in catching the eye — Pogba capped a mature World Cup with a deserved goal in the final, while Mbappe underlined his status as world football’s brightest young star with his fourth strike of the competition.
Negatives
It would be harsh to criticise too severely after a World Cup triumph, but captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, as well as midfielder N’Golo Kante, were well below the high standards set by both in Russia. Otherwise, rightly or wrongly, plenty will be said about the fortuitous nature of France’s success — even if Pogba and Mbappe’s goals should have put paid to any doubt over whether or not Les Bleus deserve their coveted second star.