France vs Croatia

Luzhniki Stadium
Jul 15, 2018 20:30 IST
Full Time
Mandzukic
(19')
Griezmann
(39')
Pogba
(60')
Mbappe
(66')
Perisic
(29')
Mandzukic
(70')
Kante
(28')
Hernandez
(42')
Vrsaljko
(91')
France beat Croatia (4 - 2)
  • France
    FRA
    Croatia
    CRO
  • 39%
    POSSESSION
    61%
  • 4
    GOALS
    2
  • 8
    SHOTS
    15
  • 6
    SHOTS ON TARGET
    3
  • 14
    FOULS COMMITED
    13
  • 2
    YELLOW CARDS
    1
  • 0
    RED CARDS
    0
  • 1
    OFF SIDES
    1
  • 2
    CORNER KICKS
    6
Match Info
  • Tournament name FIFA World Cup, 2018
  • Venue Luzhniki Stadium
  • Date Jul 15, 2018 08:30 PM IST
  • Attendance 78011
Match Completed
91'
Vrsaljko
82'
Ivan Strinic
Marko Pjaca
82'
Olivier Giroud
Nabil Fekir
74'
Blaise Matuidi
Corentin Tolisso
72'
Ante Rebic
Andrej Kramaric
70'
Mandzukic
66'
Mbappe
60'
Pogba
56'
N'Golo Kante
Steven N'Zonzi
Half Time
42'
Hernandez
39'
Griezmann
29'
Perisic
28'
Kante
19'
Mandzukic
Kick Off

France

4-2-3-1
  • 9
    Olivier Giroud
  • 10
    Kylian Mbappe
    7
    Antoine Griezmann
    14
    Blaise Matuidi
  • 6
    Paul Pogba
    13
    N'Golo Kante
  • 2
    Benjamin Pavard
    4
    Raphael Varane
    5
    Samuel Umtiti
    21
    Lucas Hernandez
  • 1
    Hugo Lloris
MIDFIELDER
14
Blaise Matuidi
Midfielder
12
Corentin Tolisso
Midfielder
13
N'Golo Kante
Midfielder
6
Paul Labile Pogba
Midfielder
15
Steven Nkemboanza Mike Chris Nzonzi
Midfielder
GOALKEEPER
23
Alphonse Areola
Goalkeeper
1
Hugo Lloris
Goalkeeper
16
Steve Mandanda
Goalkeeper
FORWARD
7
Antoine Griezmann
Forward
20
Florian Tristan Mariano Thauvin
Forward
10
Kylian Mbappe Lottin
Forward
18
Nabil Fekir
Forward
9
Olivier Giroud
Forward
11
Ousmane Dembele
Forward
8
Thomas Lemar
Forward
DEFENDER
17
Adil Rami
Defender
22
Benjamin Mendy
Defender
2
Benjamin Pavard
Defender
19
Djibril Sidibe
Defender
21
Lucas Francois Bernard Hernandez
Defender
3
Presnel Kimpembe
Defender
4
Raphael Xavier Varane
Defender
5
Samuel Yves Umtiti
Defender

Croatia

4-2-3-1
  • 17
    Mario Mandzukic
  • 18
    Ante Rebic
    10
    Luka Modric
    4
    Ivan Perisic
  • 7
    Ivan Rakitic
    11
    Marcelo Brozovic
  • 2
    Sime Vrsaljko
    6
    Dejan Lovren
    21
    Domagoj Vida
    3
    Ivan Strinic
  • 23
    Danijel Subasic
MIDFIELDER
14
Filip Bradaric
Midfielder
7
Ivan Rakitic
Midfielder
10
Luka Modric
Midfielder
11
Marcelo Brozovic
Midfielder
8
Mateo Kovacic
Midfielder
19
Milan Badelj
Midfielder
GOALKEEPER
23
Danijel Subasic
Goalkeeper
1
Dominik Livakovic
Goalkeeper
12
Lovre Kalinic
Goalkeeper
FORWARD
9
Andrej Kramaric
Forward
18
Ante Rebic
Forward
4
Ivan Perisic
Forward
17
Mario Mandzukic
Forward
20
Marko Pjaca
Forward
16
Nikola Kalinic
Forward
DEFENDER
6
Dejan Lovren
Defender
21
Domagoj Vida
Defender
15
Duje Caleta-Car
Defender
3
Ivan Strinic
Defender
22
Josip Pivaric
Defender
2
Sime Vrsaljko
Defender
13
Tin Jedvaj
Defender
5
Vedran Corluka
Defender
90'
SIGN OFF
Thank you for joining us for a thrilling World Cup! Have a wonderful evening!
90'
CROATIA SO CLOSE
Croatia was so close to claiming the trophy, however France's resiliency withheld their barage of attacks and hit back several times on the counter attack. France's dominance at the 2018 tournament was clear and obvious, perhaps this is the dawning of a new era in world football as the French brought an exceptionally young side to Russia.
90'
ITS OVER!
The final whistle is blown and France are officially World Champions!
90'
YELLOW
Antoine Griezmann leads a counter attack into the attacking third of the pitch and is cut down viciously by his club teammate Sime Vrsaljko. Nestor Pitana immediately stops play and shows the defender a yellow card.
90'
INJURY TIME
The fourth official raises his board to indicate that we will play 5 minutes of added time before the final whistle.
90'
Yellow Card
Sime Vrsaljko (Croatia)
87'
FEKIR SHOT
Nabil Fekir cuts in from the right wing and curls a long distance effort on goal! The ball takes a hop off the turf, but Danijel Subasic is there to smother the attempt and swing play up field.
84'
FREE KICK
Ivan Rakitic plays a free kick into the area from the left wing looking to find the head of a Mario Mandzukic, however the midfielder's accuracy is off as Hugo Lloris easily comes off his line to claim the ball.
81'
FEKIR ON
Didier Deschamps will utilize his final substitution of the match as he removes Olivier Giroud for Nabil Fekir. The talented Lyon winger will look to close out the final ten minutes to seal the championship for the French.
81'
Substitution
Marko Pjaca (on). Ivan Strinic (off). (Croatia)
81'
Substitution
Nabil Fekir (on). Olivier Giroud (off). (France)
77'
MOMENTUM
The momentum is clearly beginning to swing Vatreni's way in Moscow following that strange second goal, but will they have enough time to find not one but two goals to tie this game back up?
73'
SUBS
Two changes to make note of in the last few minutes. Andrej Kramaric has replaced Ante Rebic for the Croatians, while Blaise Matuidi exits the game for Corentin Tolisso.
73'
Substitution
Corentin Tolisso (on). Blaise Matuidi (off). (France)
71'
Substitution
Andrej Kramaric (on). Ante Rebic (off). (Croatia)
69'
CROATIAN GOAL!!
Hugo Lloris mistakenly and nonchalantly tries to dribble around Mario Mandzukic inside his own box, however the Croatian attacker successfully blocks the ball which then rolls into the open net! Shades of the Champions League Final no doubt. The Croatians are now only down by 2 goals with 20 minutes remaining.
69'
Goal
Mario Mandzukic (Croatia)
66'
GOAL MBAPPE
Lucas Hernandez made an outstanding run down the left wing and then simply dished the ball off to Kylian Mbappe in the center of the pitch. Mbappe notices the amount of room Domagoj Vida is granting him and then blazed a right footed blast that left Danijel Subasic completely rooted to the ground. What a shot from the teenager!
65'
MBAPPE!!!!
Kylian Mbappe scores from long range! The French now lead 4-1! They must be able to feel the trophy in their hands at this point!
65'
Goal
Kylian Mbappe. Assist by Lucas Hernandez (France)
60'
GOAL!
Kylian Mbappe cuts in a pass from the right wing that finds Antoine Griezmann with his back to goal. Griezmann then lays the ball off to Paul Pogba who attempts a first time shot that is immediately blocked by Dejan Lovren. The midfielder then calmly attempted another shot with his left foot that he perfectly curled around the defenders and into the back of the net!
59'
GOAAAALLL!
POGBAAAA!!!! The midfielder has scored to double the French lead! Les Bleus now have a 3-1 lead over Croatia!
59'
Goal
Paul Pogba (France)
56'
KANTE
Didier Deschamps has taken out his talisman Ngolo Kante! The Chelsea midfielder was already sitting on a yellow card, so perhaps this is just Deschamps attempting to be cautious as this game gets more and more physical. In his place comes on Steven N'Zonzi.
55'
Substitution
Steven N'Zonzi (on). N'Golo Kante (off). (France)
54'
OFFSIDE
A cross is played into the area from the left flank seeking to connect with Mario Mandzukic! The striker and Hugo Lloris violently collide at the penalty spot sending the keeper to the ground holding his side. Ultimately the play is brought back for an offside.
52'
SAVE BY SUBASIC
Paul Pogba springs the speedy Kylian Mbappe with a fantastic pass down the right wing and the youngster blazes by Domagoj Vida! Mbappe then drove a shot on goal, but Danijel Subasic charges off his line to make a vital save to keep the French lead at one goal.
48'
SAVE BY LLORIS
Ante Rebic is sent into the area with a perfect pass, then he rifles a high drive with his left foot destined for the back of the net! Hugo Lloris tracks the shot and makes a spectacular leaping save to deflect it over his cross bar giving the Croatians a corner kick.
47'
SAVE FOR SUBA
Olivier Giroud brings down a long ball at the edge of the box and lays it off for a trailing Antoine Griezmann! The attacking Frenchman levels a curling shot on goal, but Danijel Subasic is there to make a comfortable catching save in the middle of the net for the evening's first save.
46'
SECOND HALF
The second half has begun under the ominous skies of Moscow! Neither side made a change at the half so we continue on with the same 22 players on the pitch that began it.
45'
HALF ANALYSIS
That first half had it all! An own goal against the run of play, an almost immediate equalizer by the Croatians, a VAR awarded penalty kick, several yellow cards, and the looming threat of a weather delay. What else could you possibly ask for? The Croatians must regroup at halftime and realize that they have been in the driver's seat for much of the match. Finding an equalizer against this staunch French defense might seem like a tough proposition, however they've already done it once today.
45'
HALFTIME
The whistle is blown to bring the first half to a close! France head to the locker room with a 2-1 lead over Croatia in the 2018 World Cup Final!
45'
RAIN
The rain continues to pour down on the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, but now there is an added element of both lightning and thunder. This makes you wonder what it would take for FIFA to bring the World Cup Final to a pause for a weather delay.
45'
SHOT BY VIDA
Ivan Rakitic delivers a corner kick from the left flag into the center of the area and finds Domagoj Vida! The flying defender glances a header toward goal, however his aim is just off as it missed the far post by a few feet to the right.
43'
POGBA BLOCK
A Luka Modric free kick pings around the area, eventually falling to Liverpool's Dejan Lovren just outside the 6 yard box! The defender attempts to hammer a volley passed Lloris, however Paul Pogba is there to block the ball out of play for a cross.
41'
YELLOW
Lucas Hernandez abruptly brings a Croatian counter attack to a stop with an aggressive sliding tackle. Once again, Nestor Pitana is left with no other option than to give Hernandez the second yellow card of the evening.
41'
Yellow Card
Lucas Hernandez (France)
38'
GOAL!
Antoine Griezmann converts this VAR awarded penalty kick with his left foot! The Atletico Madrid star deposited the ball coolly into the bottom left corner of the net, then he sprinted over to the corner flag and performed his trademark Fortnite "Take The L" dance.
38'
Penalty Kick - Goal
Penalty Kick - Goal - Antoine Griezmann (France)
36'
VAR CHANGE
Nestor Pitana and the VAR team have decided that this is indeed a penalty kick for France!! What a change in momentum once again in this match. It seems that Antoine Griezmann will be the French player that takes this penalty kick.
34'
VAR?
Antoine Griezmann flings in a corner kick to the near post that glances off of Blaise Matuidi and then takes a wicked deflection out of bounds for another corner kick. The French team pleads for the VAR team to take a look at this event as they feel that Ivan Perisic used a hand to block the ball out of bounds.
33'
CROSS
Ante Rebic cuts back to lose Lucas Hernandez down the right flank and whips in a cross, however Hugo Lloris makes a routine catch at his hear post to stop the attack.
29'
GOAL! PERISIC
CROATIA HAVE TIED IT!!! The ball bounces around the area following a free kick, ultimately falling to the lurking Ivan Perisic at the top of the box. Perisic cuts the ball back to his left foot and absolutely hammers a rocket into the lower right corner of Hugo Lloris' net! What a sensational shot from the winger to tie this game.
28'
Goal
Ivan Perisic. Assist by Domagoj Vida (Croatia)
27'
KANTE YELLOW
N'Golo Kante takes down Ivan Perisic during a rapidly building Croatian counter attack bringing play to a halt. Unfortunately for Kante, Pitana has no choice other than to show the Chelsea man a yellow card.
27'
Yellow Card
N'Golo Kante (France)
23'
VIDA TACKLE
Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe receive a perfectly placed through ball from the midfield resulting in a two-on-one opportunity! Mbappe tries to cut back to avoid the trailing defender, but Domagoj Vida executes a perfectly timed sliding tackle to dispossess the French attacker.
21'
VIDA HEADER
Luka Modric swings in a free kick from the right wing and finds his defender Domagoj Vida at the near post! Vida rises up and heads the ball toward Hugo Lloris' net, however his effort is placed far to high to even challenge the keeper.
19'
OWN GOAL??
The ensuing free kick is delivered into the area by Antoine Griezmann! The ball bends in toward the far post, takes a slight deflection off of the head of Mario Mandzukic, and flies into the upper left corner of the net. This one will undoubtedly go down as a Mandzukic own goal which is clearly unfortunate.
19'
GOALLLLL! FRANCE!
GOAL!!! France score off of the free kick!!
18'
Own Goal
Mario Mandzukic (France)
17'
FREE KICK
France finally are beginning to find success with the ball in the attacking third. After a series of passes in and around the area, Les Bleus have earned a free kick in an exceedingly dangerous area of the pitch. Antoine Griezmann stands over the ball waiting for the whistle.
15'
PERISIC COUNTER
Ivan Perisic leads a counter attack down the left wing and finds himself wide open as he enters the box! The winger tries to cross the ball low into the center of the area, however Samuel Umtiti makes an excellent run back to cut off the pass and clear the ball away from danger.
11'
CHANCE PERISIC
A delicately chipped pass is lobbed over the French back line and finds the streaking Ivan Perisic inside the area! Perisic attempts to cushion the ball down with his left foot, but his first touch is too heavy sending the ball out of bounds for a goal kick.
9'
FRANCE PINNED BACK
France is struggling to move the ball out of their own half as Zlatko Dalic has clearly asked his team to press frequently in the early goings of today's match. The bright side is that the Croatians have already committed several fouls and Nestor Pitana may have to break out a yellow card if they continue to do so.
8'
CORNER TO CROATIA
Ivan Rakitic plays a pass to Ivan Strinic that sees the defender charge into the area seeking to hammer in a cross! Strinic attempts to pass the ball, but Kylian Mbappe tracks back to block the ball out for the first corner kick of the match.
5'
VARANE CLEAR
Sime Vrsaljko is sprung down the right wing by Ante Rebic with a beautiful pass to the end line! The wingback then leveled in a cross to the near post looking to find Mario Mandzukic, however the ever present Raphael Varane is in position and makes a decisive early clearance to deny the Croatians of an early scoring chance.
2'
EARLY FOUL
Samuel Umtiti dribbles out of his own area and is then cut down at the edge of the box by a pressing Luka Modric. Nestor Pitana seeks to assert that he will not allow for such physical play this early on and grants France a free kick.
1'
KICKOFF
The FIFA World Cup Final is underway in Russia!! The French national team begin the match attacking from left to right in their all blue kits, meanwhile the Croatians wear their traditional red and white checkerboard jerseys. Today's officiating crew is headed up by the Argentinian Nestor Pitana who is assisted by his countrymen Hernan Maidana and Juan Pablo Belatti as well as the fourth official Bjorn Kuipers.
0'
HISTORY
Les Bleus have a history of success when facing off against the fairly young country of Croatia. In five previous meetings the French have a record of three wins and two draws, including a victory over the Croatians in the 1998 World Cup Semifinals. In that meeting Lilian Thuram netted a brace to eliminate Vatreni, even more impressively those were the only two international goals the defender scored in his 142 game career with the French national team.
0'
CROATIA
Croatia Bench: Dominik Livakovic, Vedran Corluka, Mateo Kovacic, Andrej Kramaric, Lovre Kalinic, Tin Jedvaj, Filip Bradaric, Duje Caleta-Car, Milan Badelj, Marko Pjaca, Josip Pivaric
0'
CROATIA
Croatia (4-2-3-1): Danijel Subasic; Sime Vrsaljko, Dejan Lovren, Domagoj Vida, Ivan Strinic; Ivan Rakitic, Marcelo Brozovic; Ante Rebic, Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic; Mario Mandzukic
0'
FRANCE
France Bench: Presnel Kimpembe, Thomas Lemar, Ousmane Dembele, Corentin Tolisso, Steven N'Zonzi, Steve Mandanda, Adil Rami, Nabil Fekir, Djibril Sidibe, Alphonse Areola, Benjamin Mendy, Florian Thauvin
0'
FRANCE
France (4-2-3-1): Hugo Lloris; Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Hernandez; Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante; Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, Blaise Matuidi; Olivier Giroud
0'
CROATIA'S TOURNAMENT
Vatreni's magical run to the finals has been nothing short of spectacular, especially after completely dominating an extremely tough Group D and reaching the knockouts with victories over Argentina, Nigeria, and Iceland. Croatia then went on to defeat Denmark and Russia, both going to penalty kicks, and finally Vatreni found a late winner in extra time against England's young squad. A serious worry coming into today's affair is how fresh the Croatian players will be after playing three consecutive extra time games, particularly as they come up against a team that has not needed to play 120 minutes all tournament.
0'
FRANCE'S TOURNAMENT
Les Bleus finished the group stage in first place with two victories over Australia and Peru, plus a scoreless draw with the Danish Dynamite on the final day of the group phase. Since then the French have gone on to eliminate Lionel Messi's Argentina squad in a particularly fascinating 4-3 thriller, the Uruguayans in the quarterfinals, and Belgium's Red Devils in the semis. Didier Deschamps exceedingly talented team has featured excellent defending from Raphael Varane and Samuel Umtiti, impressive attacking prowess from Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe, all the while receiving unparalleled performances in the midfield from Paul Pogba and Ngolo Kante. Can Les Bleus continue their remarkable run today to crown themselves World Champions?
0'
WELCOME
Thirty-two days filled with sixty-three total games all comes down to this! Today the world watches in anticipation as a world champion will be crowned at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. France and Croatia battle for the title of 2018 World Cup Champion in just over an hour, but in the meantime let's take a look at today's starting lineups and how each team reached the final.