Home / Sport / Soccer / FIFA World Cup / 2018 / France vs Croatia

Event

France vs Croatia

Date
Sun 15th July 2018 (UTC)
Sun 15th July 2018 (Local)

Timestamp
2018-07-15T18:00:00

Time

18:00:00 UTC (21:00:00 Local)

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League
FIFA World Cup

Season
2018

Round
200

Status
Match Finished

Location
Moscow
Russia
Luzhniki Stadium
(78,011 Attendance)

18'	Goal (own)	Mario Mandžukic
27'	Yellow Card	Kante
38'	Goal (pen)	Griezmann
41'	Yellow Card	Lucas Hernández
59'	Goal	Pogba
65'	Goal	Kylian Mbappé

28'	Goal	Perisic
69'	Goal	Mario Mandžukic
92'	Yellow Card	Vrsaljko

Video Highlights

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Home Team Lineup

Griezmann Attacking Midfield	Kante Central Midfield	Pogba Central Midfield	Varane Centre-Back
Umtiti Centre-Back	Giroud Centre-Forward	Lloris Goalkeeper	Matuidi Left Wing
Hernández Left-Back	Mbappé Right Winger	Pavard Right-Back

Away Team Lineup

Modric Attacking Midfield	Rakitic Central Midfield	Brozović Central Midfield	Lovren Centre-Back
Vida Centre-Back	Mandžukic Centre-Forward	Subasic Goalkeeper	Perisic Left Wing
Strinić Left-Back	Rebic Right Winger	Vrsaljko Right-Back

Ball Possession

Total Shots

Blocked Shots

Corner Kicks

Passes %

Fouls

Yellow Cards

Description

The 2018 FIFA World Cup final was the final match of the 2018 World Cup, the 21st edition of FIFA's competition for national football teams. The match was played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia, on 15 July 2018, and was contested by France and Croatia. The tournament comprised hosts Russia and 31 other teams who emerged from the qualification phase, organised by the six FIFA confederations. The 32 teams competed in a group stage, from which 16 teams qualified for the knockout stage. En route to the final, France finished first in Group C, with two wins and a draw, after which they defeated Argentina in the round of 16, Uruguay in the quarter-final and Belgium in the semi-final. Croatia finished top of Group D with three wins, before defeating Denmark in the round of 16 and Russia in the quarter-final – both through a penalty shoot-out – and then England in the semi-final. The final took place in front of 78,011 supporters, with more than 1.1 billion watching on television, and was refereed by Néstor Pitana from Argentina.

Reports

Result List

Result Description
First Half
Croatia kicked off the match at 6 pm local time (3 pm UTC) in temperatures of 27 °C (81 °F) with 51% humidity, in front of a crowd of 78,011 and an estimated global television audience of 1.12 billion. The weather at Sheremetyevo International Airport, 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the stadium, was recorded as partly cloudy at the time of kick-off. The match was played through a minor thunderstorm, which produced several visible lightning strikes. The Guardian's Barry Glendenning wrote that Croatia had the better of the first 15 minutes, noting that France were "struggling to get out of their own half" and that Croatia were "bossing them completely." However, it was France who took the lead in the 18th minute. They won a free kick around 30 yards (27 m) from goal when Marcelo Brozović fouled Griezmann, which Griezmann took himself. He crossed the free kick into the penalty area, where it reached Mandžukić. He attempted to head clear, but the ball instead went past goalkeeper Subašić for an own goal, the first ever own goal in a World Cup final. N'Golo Kanté received the game's first yellow card in the 28th minute for a foul on Perišić. Croatia equalised a minute later, when Perišić was fouled 40 yards (37 m) from goal and Modrić's free kick towards the far goalpost was headed back across goal by Šime Vrsaljko and collected by Perišić, who hit a low shot into the corner of the goal.

Three minutes after Croatia's goal, Griezmann took a corner into the penalty area. Blaise Matuidi's attempt to score with a header was not successful, but France players appealed for a penalty, claiming that Perišić had handled the ball while marking Matuidi. The video assistant referee alerted Pitana and after he reviewed the incident for several minutes, he gave a penalty to France. The penalty was taken by Griezmann in the 38th minute, and he scored with a low kick into the left-hand corner. In the 43rd minute, Lucas Hernandez was booked for a foul on Rebić and then Perišić had a shot on goal which was deflected for a corner by Paul Pogba. Shortly before half-time, Croatia had a corner which was taken by Rakitić into the penalty area, where Vida had an opportunity to score with his head, but the ball went wide of the goal. The first half finished with France leading 2–1, despite having only one shot on goal and 34% of the possession. During the half-time break, pundits discussed the legitimacy of both France's goals, with Alan Shearer and Rio Ferdinand on BBC One saying that neither the free kick which led to their first goal, nor the penalty for the second, should have been awarded. Shearer labelled the penalty decision "ridiculous", saying that in his opinion there was "no way that the hand-ball was deliberate". Chris Waddle, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live thought the penalty decision was correct, however, saying "I would have given it. Perišić has stopped the ball going through with his hand." Gabriele Marcotti of ESPN described it as "the sort of decision that, even after replay, could have gone either way".

Second half
A Croatian attack was stopped early in the second half after several pitch invaders ran onto the field before being removed by security officers; Russian feminist rock band and protest group Pussy Riot claimed responsibility for the interruption. Three minutes into the second half, Croatia had an opportunity to score when Rebić struck the ball towards goal from the left side of the penalty area following a pass by Rakitić. French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris made a one-handed save from his shot, sending the ball behind for a corner. Glendenning said that Croatia had begun the second half as they began the first, "in a state of total dominance". France had an opportunity in the 52nd minute, when Mbappé received the ball from Pogba and ran down the left-hand side. He ran past Vida and shot towards goal, but Subašić was able to claim the ball. France made a substitution in the 55th minute when Steven Nzonzi replaced Kanté. They then increased their lead in the 59th minute, when Pogba found Mbappé again, on the right wing, with a pass from his own half. Mbappé passed to Griezmann, who then sent the ball back to Pogba who was outside the penalty area. Pogba took a shot at goal which rebounded back to him off a defender, before he sent a second shot into the Croatian goal with Subašić unable to reach it.

France had a chance to extend their lead in the 63rd minute when Olivier Giroud hit the ball with a bicycle kick towards Griezmann, who was not marked in front of goal, but Brozović was able to gain possession before the ball reached Griezmann. Two minutes later, they did score again when Mbappé hit a shot from 25 yards (23 m) which went past Vida and Subašić, low into the Croatian goal. Mbappé became only the second teenager to score in a World Cup final, the first being Pelé when he scored twice in 1958. Croatia scored their second goal in the 69th minute from a back-pass that Lloris failed to dribble away from Mandžukić, who poked the loose ball into the unguarded net with his right leg. Despite late pressure by Croatia, the match finished as a 4–2 victory for France, the highest-scoring World Cup final since 1966 and the first World Cup final since 2002 to be decided without extra time.

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