2018 FIFA World Cup final

2018 FIFA World Cup final

A scene inside Luzhniki Stadium during the match.
Event	2018 FIFA World Cup
France Croatia 4 2
Date	15 July 2018 (2018-07-15)
Venue	Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
Man of the Match	Antoine Griezmann (France)
Referee	Néstor Pitana (Argentina)[1]
Attendance	78,011
Weather	Partly cloudy 27 °C (81 °F) 51% humidity
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The 2018 FIFA World Cup final was the final match of the 2018 World Cup, the 21st edition of FIFA's competition for national football teams. The match was played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia, on 15 July 2018, and was contested by France and Croatia. The tournament comprised hosts Russia and 31 other teams who emerged from the qualification phase, organised by the six FIFA confederations. The 32 teams competed in a group stage, from which 16 teams qualified for the knockout stage. En route to the final, France finished first in Group C, with two wins and a draw, after which they defeated Argentina in the round of 16, Uruguay in the quarter-final and Belgium in the semi-final. Croatia finished first in Group D with three wins, before defeating Denmark in the round of 16 and Russia in the quarter-final – both through a penalty shoot-out – and then England in the semi-final. The final took place in front of 78,011 supporters, with more than 1.1 billion watching on television, and was refereed by Néstor Pitana from Argentina.

France took the lead through a controversial free kick that led to an own goal by Mario Mandžukić in the 18th minute – the first ever own goal in a World Cup final – before Ivan Perišić equalised 10 minutes later with a low shot into the corner of the goal. Shortly afterwards, France were awarded a penalty when Pitana ruled that Perišić had deliberately handled the ball. The decision resulted from a consultation with the video assistant referee, which was in use for the first time in a World Cup at the 2018 tournament. The decision was criticised by some pundits such as Alan Shearer, who labelled it "ridiculous", while others such as Chris Waddle thought it was correct. Antoine Griezmann scored to give France a 2–1 half-time lead. They extended that lead in the 59th minute, when Paul Pogba scored at the second attempt after Croatia goalkeeper Danijel Subašić had saved his initial shot. Kylian Mbappé scored from outside the penalty area to make it 4–1, becoming only the second teenager to score in a World Cup final after Pelé in 1958, before Mandžukić capitalized on a Hugo Lloris error to score a second for Croatia, giving a final score of 4–2 to France.

France's win was their second World Cup title, following their victory in 1998, which they hosted. Griezmann was named the man of the match, while Croatia's Luka Modrić was awarded the Golden Ball as FIFA's outstanding player of the tournament. The final was the highest-scoring World Cup final since 1966. France's manager, Didier Deschamps, reflected on his own experience as captain of the 1998 French team, saying "that adventure is linked to these players' adventure. I had the immense privilege to live through this 20 years ago, and in France, but what the players have just done is just as beautiful, just as powerful." His Croatian counterpart, Zlatko Dalić, congratulated France on their win, but was critical of the penalty decision, saying "you don’t give a penalty like that in a World Cup final". At the subsequent UEFA Euro 2020 tournament, held in 2021, both France and Croatia reached the round of 16, before being eliminated by Switzerland and Spain respectively.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup final was the first (and as of 2022, the most recent) final since 2002 not to go into extra time or penalties.