NEW YORK-RUSSIA(SMI-WIRE,07.15.18)-The French men's national soccer team, defeated Croacia 4-2, in the final match of the 2018 World Cup Russia, winning its second Football (Soccer) world cup crown and FIFA throphy, becoming the new and indisputable champion of the 21st FIFA World Cup in Russia 2018.

 

The world cup is an international football (Soccer) tournament contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA once every four years. France, with the  victory over Croacia of 4-2, in the finals, earned its 2nd world crown, after winning its first as a host in France 1998, and became the current football(soccer) world champions in 2018, replacing Germany, who won the previous world cup in Brazil 2014.

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A exciting and entertainning final match from starts to finish, with Croacia having more control of the ball with greater percentage time in the game, but the French's offensive attack executed with more accuracy by scoring when opportunity was given.  

 

France opened the score through Croacian's Mario Mandzukic heading the ball on his own goal, after a foul was called on Antoine Griezmann,

he centered a direct shot ball inside the 18' and Juventus' Mandzukic, on trying to clear the ball out, headed the ball inside his own goal to put the French ahead 1-0, at the 18' minutes of the first half.

 

After continous offensive attacks, the Croatians bounced back and tied the game at 27' minutes, after on a counter-attack from the right-side field, and a center loose ball inside the 18', Vrsaljko passed a short pass to Perisic , who immediatly switch foot and shot a left-footed cannon inside the left goal-post to even the game at 1-1.

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The game became more intense with both teams opening their midfield and a high-energy momentum with back and forth offensive attacks the rest of the game. 

France increased its lead of 2-1 through a penalty shot, executed by Antoine Griezmann, who scored his 4th goal in the world cup at the 38' minutes.The penalty kick was produced durinfg a corner-kick centered inside the 8', when Matuidi and Perisic fought for the ball in the air, hitting Perisic's hand for the penalty kick foul called, after referee Pitana reviewed the foul with the VAR. 

 

In the second half, the French team picked-up where they left-Off,

its third goal arrived at the 59' minutes, through another counter-attack and sealing the victory and winning the world cup Russia 2018.The goal was produced through Mbappe, who inside the 18', passed a short pass to Griezmann and immediatly gave it to Manchester City's Pogba, who was approaching from outside the 18' and kicking a hard right-footed, hitting the ball on a Croacian's defender leg and bouncing the ball back to him and in a second try, kicked a left-footed to score and put France in front 3-1 over Croacia.

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Croacia with two goals down, did not surrender and felt that with 30's minutes left into the game, they still had the stamina and time to even the score and play the two over time periods.

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With France leading 3-1 and in route to win the game and its second  world cup crown, scored its fourth goal at 65' minutes through rising star Paris Saint Germain, Kylian Mbappe, who shot a hard right-footed, after receiving a cross pass from Lucas Hernandez in a counter-attack through the left-side field, putting the game away and killing all hope of the Croatian's team to come back into the game.

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Croatia added its second goal through an error of French's goalkeeper Lloris at the 69' minutes, when he tried to play the ball over the Croatian's striker, Mario Mandzukic, who capitalized the error by intercepting the ball and scoring through a right-footed to make it 4-2. This goal arrived with 20' minutes left into the game, but apparently was a little too late for the croatians, who looked exhausted and could not find the net the rest of the game.

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France wins the world cup Russia 2018, playing great soccer with good strategy in the field, behind the French's coach Didier Claude Deschamps and a group of young talented players on its team.

A well deserve champion, who defeated and left behind great teams on the way to win the crown, like Peru in the  group stage, Argentina in the round of 8th, Uruguay in the quater-finals, Belgium in the semi-finals and finally, a great Croacian team in the finals.

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France 

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