France beat Croatia 4-2 in final to win 2018 Russia World Cup
  • 6 years ago
Let's start with the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
France are the new champions of the world,... putting on a thrilling display to beat Croatia 4-2 in Moscow.
For more on the high-scoring affair,... our Lee Seung-jae reports.
The stage was set at Moscow's packed Luzhniki Stadium for the 2018 World Cup final,... as France took on Croatia for a chance at their second World Cup win.
Croatia off to a poor start in the 18th minute,... when their semi-final hero Mario Mandzukic flicked in Antoine Griezmann's free kick for an own goal,... giving France the early first half lead.
That lead was quick erased though, in the 28th minute,... when Croatian midfielder Ivan Perisic found the back of the net,... to level things at one a piece.
But France continued to dominate with Antoine Griezmann taking advantage of a penalty called against Croatia,... to slot home the spot kick for a 2-1 lead going into the second half.
The French continued to throw everything at Croatia,... as Paul Pogba smashed in France's third goal,... before their 19-year-old sensation Kylian Mbappe added another in the 65th minute,... for the 4-1 lead.
Croatia would add a consolation goal in the 69th minute,... but clock would run out before Croatia could pull off any miracles.
The 4-2 victory means France win their second World Cup,... and their first since their 3-0 demolition of Brazil in the 1998 France World Cup final.
A huge moment for the French side,... especially for the head coach of Les Bleus,... Didier Deschamps,... who becomes just the third person to win the trophy as a player and a manager.
Fans are already eager for the next World Cup: the 2022 Qatar World Cup,... which will see the tournament kick off in November for the first time ever.
And while the decision has already been made to expand the World Cup to 48 teams from the current 32 for the 2026 World Cup,... FIFA will continue to discuss whether this format will be introduced first in Qatar.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
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