The Bleu team was crowned champion in the 2018 World Cup in Russia with a 4-2 win over Croatia, a country that for the first time qualifies to a World Cup final

The National Teams of France and Croatia reached the final of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, after a World Cup that surprised more than one. Croatia was undoubtedly the revelation of this edition of the international tournament that brings together countries from different continents in order to promote soccer and generate spaces for cultural exchange. In this edition, with the great performance of the Vatreni group, the whole world was able to become familiar with this country.

Leer en español: Rusia 2018: Así se vivió la final de la Copa del Mundo

The duel between the finalists took place at the Luzhnikí Olympic Stadium, located in the city of Moscow at 10:00 (local time). Croatia reached the final after an intense game against the England National Team in which the Vatreni won with a final score of 2-1, this being the first time that Croatia reaches a World Cup final; while France qualified to the final after beating Belgium 1-0, this being the third time that Les Bleus reached this stage.

Alignments

Those chosen to start the first part of the 2018 Russian Final by both coaches were:

France: Lloris, Pavard, Varane, Umtiti, Lucas, Pogba, Kanté, Mbappé, Griezmann, Matuidi and Giroud

DT: Didier Deschamps

Croatia: Subasic, Vrsaljko, Lovren, Vida, Strinic, Brozovic, Rakitic, Rebic, Modric, Persic and Mandzukic

DT: Zlatko Dalic

The match

France took advantage on the scoreboard at the very beginning, when the Croatian defense scored by mistake on their own goal. Mandzukic was the one who by mistake would put the Bleu team ahead of the 19' minute of the first half. The reaction of the Croatia National Team was immediate and through Luka Modric they started the attack. The Croats had to advance their lines and try to use the aerial game as the main strategy. The draw would come only 10 minutes of the score against Mandzukic, in a lab game in which the French team committed a foul that gave a free kick to the Croats; Perisic was profiled and put the scoreboard 1-1.

However, the players of the French team had worked throughout the tournament their skills, according to the commentators during the match, including their speed and their display by the sides which were decisive during this game, which was reflected in a play on the Subasic arch. One of the Croatian defenders commits a penalty and Griezmann once again put the French National Team ahead.

You can also read: Qatar 2022: A World Cup that will challenge soccer's traditions 

For the second time, both teams maintained their tactical approach and started a dispute for the ball generating a constant appearance of the ball still in different areas of the field. Croatia, understanding the need to mark quickly and the importance of doing so promptly, opened its lines. That allowed the players of France to made the third goal in the 59' minute of the game by Pogba, taking advantage of those spaces in the Croatian defense to expand the score in their favor. A few minutes later, France would again deploy its attack and there would appear one of the figures of the World Cup of Russia 2018: Mbappé.

With just 19 years, this French footballer has made history for being the second youngest player in world history to score in a final, being the first Brazilian Pelé in Sweden 1958, according to different media like Mundo Deportivo. Croatia tried to reverse the score and achieved a final score in the 69' minute through Mandzukic.

However, despite the effort of this team, the Bleu team was crowned champion of the 2018 edition of the World Cup in Russia. This is the second time in which France celebrates a world championship, the first was in 1998 against Brazil in which it was also a host. In that final, the France National Team beat the Brazilian National Team 3-0.

LatinAmerican Post | Carlos Eduardo Gómez Avella

Translated from "Rusia 2018: Así se vivió la final de la Copa del Mundo "