France was the fan favourite and did not disappoint in the finale
The FIFA World Cup 2019 was one of the finest finales in recent times, but also not for the same reason – Croatia. Croatia reaching their maiden World Cup finale was celebrated across the globe, but given how strong France was, it was a known fact that Croatia would lose the finale as it happened.
Nonetheless, the boys in red and white, under the leadership of Luka Modric, showed heart and fought till the very end as the match ended with a scoreline of 4-2, which could’ve been 3-2, thanks to a controversial VAR decision.
Timeline
France was quick to draw the first blood, thanks to a strike in the 18th minute by Antoine Griezmann, but unfortunately, the score did not register in his name. It happened so that the ball deflected off the head of Mario Mandzukic, and therefore, it was signalled as an own goal.
Croatia, despite being the weaker side, levelled in the 28th minute with a goal by Perisic.
That is when France realised that they needed to turn up the heat and not take Croatia lightly. Not to forget, Lady Luck was also in France’s favour as Les Bleus earned a controversial penalty via a decision made by VAR, which was converted into a goal by Griezmann.
In the second half, Paul Pogba rose to the occasion and scored a goal in the 59th minute, whereas Mbappe added another in the 65th minute, becoming the first teenager since Pele to score a goal in the World Cup finale.
In the 65th minute, Mandzukic scored a second for Croatia, but that was it for the Luka Modric team. France held on to their lead and won the World Cup with ease.
Paul Pogba was his goal, and clever playmaking was awarded the Player of the Match award. In 2018, his goal from outside the box in the finale was the first one since the finale of 1982, when Italy’s Marco Tardelli scored a goal from outside the box against West Germany. Pogba also became the first Manchester United Academy player to score a goal since Emmanuel Petit did in 1998.
Pogba celebrates his wrong-footed curler // Picture Courtesy
Road to victory
Group stage
France 2-1 Australia
France 1-0 Peru
France 0-0 Denmark
Round-of-16
France 4-3 Argentina
Quarter-final
Uruguay 0-2 France
Semi-final
France 1-0 Belgium
Final
France 4-2 Croatia
A unique feat for Deschamps
For the French manager Didier Deschamps, winning the FIFA World Cup 2018 gave him entry into an elite club. Deschamps is the is the only personality to win the World Cup twice—once as a player and once as a manager. Deschamps was part of the 1998 French squad that won the World Cup by defeating Brazil in the finale.
Mario Zagallo (left), Franz Beckenbauer (middle) & Didier Deschamps (right) // Picture Courtesy - @TheChips_Futbol
The first person to achieve the prestigious feat was Mario Zagallo, who won the World Cup as a Brazilian player in 1958 and 1962 and then led the nation to the World Cup trophy in 1970 as its manager.
Franz Beckenbauer was the second person to achieve the feat, winning the World Cup with West Germany as a player in 1974 and leading the nation to another trophy in 1990 as their manager.
