The 2018 FIFA World Cup Final Preview: France vs Croatia Showdown

With two victories and a tie in Group C, France qualified first for the final and went on to beat Argentina in the round of 16, Uruguay in the quarterfinal, and Belgium in the semifinal. With three victories, Croatia emerged victorious in Group D. They went on to overcome Denmark in the Round of 16, Russia in the Quarterfinal (both decided by penalty shootouts), and England in the Semi-Final. More than 1.1 billion people watched the final on television, which was officiated by Argentinean Nestor Pitana in front of 78,011 spectators.

First Half

With temperatures reaching 27 °C (81 °F) and 51% humidity, Croatia began the match at 6 p.m. local time (3 p.m. UTC). The throng of 78,011 spectators and the estimated 1.12 billion viewers worldwide witnessed the action. At kickoff, the weather at Sheremetyevo International Airport, which is 30 kilometers (19 km) from the stadium, was described as partly cloudy. A brief thunderstorm that occurred during the game resulted in multiple visible lightning strikes.

Croatia dominated the first fifteen minutes, according to Barry Glendenning of The Guardian, who also observed that France was “struggling to get out of their own half” while Croatia was “bossing them completely.”

However, in the eighteenth minute, France took the lead. When Griezmann was fouled by Marcelo Brozovic, they were awarded a free kick that Griezmann took alone, about 30 yards (27 meters) from goal. The free kick was crossed by him into the penalty area, where it was received by Mandzukic. The ball went past goalkeeper Subasic despite his attempt to head clear, resulting in an own goal—the first ever in a World Cup final.

When N’Golo Kante fouled Perisic in the 28th minute, he was given the first yellow card of the match. A minute later, Perisic was fouled 40 yards (37 m) from goal, and Modric’s free kick towards the far goalpost was headed back across goal by Sime Vrsaljko. Perisic then gathered the ball and struck low into the goal’s corner. This equalized the score for Croatia.

Griezmann took a corner into the penalty area three minutes after the goal by Croatia. Even though Blaise Matuidi’s header attempt was unsuccessful, the France team still requested a penalty because they believed Perisic had handled the ball while marking Matuidi. Pitana was informed by the video assistant referee, and following a lengthy examination of the play, he awarded France a penalty. Griezmann took the penalty in the 38th minute and scored into the left corner with a low effort.

After Paul Pogba deflected Perisic’s attempt at goal for a corner in the 43rd minute, Lucas Hernandez was booked for a foul on Rebic. A little before the break, Croatia had a corner, which Rakiticc took into the penalty area. Vida had a chance to score with his head, but the ball missed the net. Despite having just one shot on goal and 34% of the possession, France led 2-1 at the end of the first half.

Pundits debated the validity of both of France’s goals during the halftime break. Rio Ferdinand and Alan Shearer of BBC One claimed that neither the penalty that resulted in their second goal nor the free kick that led to their first should have been given. Shearer said there was “no way that the hand-ball was deliberate” and called the penalty decision “ridiculous”. On BBC Radio 5 Live, Chris Waddle expressed his opinion that the penalty judgment was justified, adding, “I would have given it.” With his hand, Perisic prevented the ball from passing through.”