France's 2018 World Cup triumph revisited
On this day in 2018, France lifted the FIFA World Cup trophy for the second time in their history. Eight years later, we revisit that triumph.
Griezmann's finest hour
The day after France's elimination from the 2026 World Cup at the hands of Spain is as good a time as any to revisit Les Bleus' crowning moment back in 2018, the greatest moment in French football in the 21st century and the pinnacle of Didier Deschamps' 12-year stint as manager of the France national team.
It was the tournament that will always be associated with one man: Kylian Mbappé. It was here that the forward, at PSG at the time, confirmed that he was the burgeoning talent in world football.
🇫🇷 France 4-2 Croatia 🇭🇷
📅 15 July 2018
🏆 #WorldCup Final
🇷🇺 As the Russia 2018 finalists prepare to do battle in the #NationsLeague, we reflect on their memorable Moscow meeting 🔙
ℹ️👉 https://t.co/4SInVXhjqs pic.twitter.com/70TG06gyp1— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) September 8, 2020
Only England forward Harry Kane scored more than the Frenchman at the tournament, but it was another Bleu, Antoine Griezmann, who tied with Mbappé on four goals in the tournament, who put Deschamps' men on course for history in Russia.
It was his clipped free-kick, likely on target, that was flicked on by Mario Mandukic and past his own goalkeeper. There was no doubt that France's second, which put them back ahead following Ivan Perisic's equaliser, was his, as he slotted calmly from the spot before pulling out his trademark celebration.
This was a team that was walking on water, floating on confidence. Samuel Umtiti, who played through the pain to guide Les Bleus to victory, recently said that they "knew that [they] would beat Croatia before the final".
It was an epic final of six goals but without tension. If the France team "knew" they would win it before kick-off, it didn't take long for everyone watching, both in the stands in Moscow and around the world, to realise that Les Bleus would earn their second star, having got their first back in 1998.
Mbappé the history-maker
It was a dancing Griezmann who laid the ball on a plate to Paul Pogba, now of AS Monaco, to score from outside the box and just moments later, the man of the tournament, Mbappé, then popped up in a similar position and unleashed a similar finish. It was a historic goal. Mbappé's goal was the first scored in a World Cup final by a teenager since Pele; four years later, Mbappé would score a hat-trick in a World Cup final, but on that occasion, it would not be enough to allow France to lift the Jules Rimet trophy.
At 4-1, there was an assuredness, and even a blunder from captain Hugo Lloris, which allowed Mandzukic to atone for his error earlier in the match, wasn't enough for the Croats to ever threaten Les Bleus.
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