France’s Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring their fourth goal with teammates, July 15, 2018. (photo credit: DARREN STAPLES/REUTERS)
X ![]()
Dear Reader,
As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analyses from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.
As one of our loyal readers, we ask you to be our partner.
For $5 a month you will receive access to the following:
- A user uxperience almost completely free of ads
- Access to our Premium Section and our monthly magazine to learn Hebrew, Ivrit
- Content from the award-winning Jerusalem Repor
- A brand new ePaper featuring the daily newspaper as it appears in print in Israel
Help us grow and continue telling Israel’s story to the world.
Thank you,
Ronit Hasin-Hochman, CEO, Jerusalem Post Group
Yaakov Katz, Editor-in-Chief
UPGRADE YOUR JPOST EXPERIENCE FOR 5$ PER MONTH Show me later Don’t show it again
After watching Croatia overcome deficits time and again this World Cup, France knew a 1-0 lead would not be safe in the championship match Sunday. So Les Bleus just kept scoring.
Antoine Griezmann scored on a penalty kick in the 38th minute to break a 1-1 tie, and France poured it on in the second half en route to a 4-2 victory at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow for the second World Cup in its history.
The title comes 20 years after France’s first World Cup title, that one won on home soil.
Croatia was the better team to open the match Sunday, but as it had done in each of its three previous matches, Croatia gave up the first goal. In the 17th minute, a questionable foul call against Marcelo Brozovic on Griezmann set up a free kick for Griezmann about 10 yards outside the box.
His kick was deflected off the head of Croatia’s Mario Mandzukic in the 18th minute for an own goal to get France on the board.
But as it had done in each of those three previous matches, Croatia answered.
In the 28th minute, a Croatian free kick was deflected multiple times before the ball found the foot of Ivan Perisic just inside the box. He sent the ball across the goalie’s face with his left foot and into the right side of the net to even the match.
But six minutes later, a handball by Perisic in front of Croatian goalie Danijel Subasic gave France a penalty kick. Griezmann converted and France carried a 2-1 lead into the half.
Both teams failed to covert good chances early in the second half, but as the match neared an hour, France did convert. Twice.
In the 59th minute, Paul Pogba sent 19-year-old breakout star Kylian Mbappe on a run down the right side with a perfect pass from just before midfield. Mbappe worked it into the goal box, then worked his man 1-on-1 as the rest of the France offense caught up. He sent a pass to Griezmann, who then found Pogba at the top of the box.
Pogba, who didn’t have a goal or assist in this World Cup before Sunday, shot the ball with his right foot but it was blocked from close range. The ball then returned right back to Pogba, who used his left foot and a screen to beat Subasic for a 3-1 lead.
Six minutes later, Mbappe scored a goal of his own to make it 4-1. Like Griezmann, it was Mbappe’s fourth goal of the tournament.
Mbappe is just the second teenager to score in a World Cup final, joining Pele.
Mandzukic scored in the 69th minute to get the Croatians back to within two, but France held firm the rest of the way.
Comments are closed.