French goalkeeper makes a mistake and Croatia reduces the deficit in the World Cup final.
The match opened with an own goal by Croatian player Mandzukic; the equalizer came from a powerful shot by midfielder Perisic, after a clean clearance by Vida; Vida, who had everything to become the hero of the match, became the villain after conceding a penalty validated by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), and the goal was scored by Frenchman Antoine Griezmann. France's third goal came from Pogba and the fourth from striker Mbappé. Croatia's second goal came after a mistake by goalkeeper Lloris.
Sputnik - The Blues, led by French coach Didier Deschamps, are trying to repeat their 1998 feat and bring home their second consecutive title. Benefiting from an easier group, Croatia is making its first final appearance and, regardless of the result, will already surpass its best campaign, a 3rd place finish also in 1998.
This is only the fifth World Cup played by the Croatians, given the country's youth: until 1991, Croatia was part of Yugoslavia (along with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia).
The match opened with an own goal. French striker Antoine Griezmann tried to beat the strong Croatian defense and fell, appealing for a foul from midfielder Marcelo Brozović. The resulting free-kick from the edge of the area went past Varane and deflected off the head of Croatian Mandzukic, putting the French ahead.
Croatia's equalizing goal came from a powerful shot by midfielder Perisic, following a clean play by Vida. It was the 70th goal from a set piece in this World Cup, a milestone for the Russian edition.
The player, who had everything to become the hero of the match, soon became the villain: with a handball in the penalty area, Perisic caused a penalty that was only validated after a long check by the Argentinian referee Nestor Pitana using the video assistant referee (VAR). Antoine Griezmann converted and made it 2-1, putting the Blues ahead on the scoreboard once again.
The match had to be interrupted in the 7th minute of the second half due to a pitch invasion by three fans. They were quickly removed from the field, but they interrupted Ivan Rakitić's start.
Nothing, however, disturbed the concentration of the French, who scored their third goal through Pogba. The midfielder shot with his right foot, but it was blocked by the defenders. He took advantage of the rebound and, with his left foot, scored the third goal.
The advantage was extended by the young number 10 Mbappé, just 19 years old, who struck a powerful shot into the corner to make it 4 against the Croatians.
With a mistake by Lloris, who tried to dribble past Mandzukic, the Croatians reduced the deficit. The striker took the ball and shot directly at the goal, sending the Moscow crowd into a frenzy.