Despite Croatia having the majority of possession in the opening stages, France took the lead in somewhat fortuitous circumstances.
Croatia owed their place in the Final in large part to their supremely gifted No10. Luka Modric's two goals and one assist almost pale in comparison to his tireless work in the midfield, where he used his incisive vision to great effect in guiding his team, setting the tempo, and exploiting gaps in opposition defences. He proved equally effective in the Final, dictating the pace as Croatia made a fast start to the match.
Belgium owed their historic third place as much to the imperious Thibaut Courtois as their incisive front line and tenacious defence. The imposing keeper made the most of his large frame and outstanding reflexes to come to his side’s rescue time and again. Beaten only once by eventual champions France in the semi-finals, he turned in another commanding performance in the play-off for third place.
The teenage prodigy ,Kylian Mbappe, did not disappoint in his first world finals. The 19-year-old drew gasps of admiration from the watching world with his bursts of acceleration and searing pace. In putting two goals past Argentina he became the youngest scorer of a brace in a World Cup knockout match since Pele in 1958, while his strike in the Final sealed victory for Les Bleus.
The Atletico Madrid front man, Antoine Griezmann, played a leading role in his side’s tournament triumph, scoring four goals and setting up another two, the best performance by a France player since Just Fontaine scored 13 goals at Sweden 1958. “My role has changed. If I score that’s great, but it’s not the most important thing,” said the left-footed striker before the Final, where his dead-ball skills helped Les Bleus win the day.
Photo by FIFA
Harry Kane provided proof, if it were needed, that he is one of the best finishers in the business, helping to fire England to their best finish since Italy 1990. The Tottenham striker made a fast start to the tournament with a double against Tunisia and a hat-trick against Panama before converting from the spot against Colombia in the Round of 16.
Russia 2018 came to an end today, as France defeated Croatia 4-2 in the Final at the Luzhniki Stadium to become world champions for the next four years.
The next World Cup will be held in Qatar from 21 November to 18 December 2022.
