Football is weird. Seriously. One minute you're watching a scruffy kid from Bondy kick a ball against a wall, and the next, he's basically outrunning the entire Croatian defense in the rain at Moscow. That’s what the final world cup 2018 felt like. It wasn't just a match; it was this chaotic, high-scoring fever dream that felt more like a video game than a tactical chess match. Usually, World Cup finals are boring. They’re these tense, 1-0 slogs where everyone is too terrified of losing to actually try and win. But July 15, 2018, at the Luzhniki Stadium was different.
France won 4-2. That’s a lot of goals for a final. In fact, we hadn’t seen that many goals in a championship game since 1966. But if you just look at the scoreline, you're missing the point. You're missing the fact that for about forty-five minutes, Croatia was actually the better team. They had the ball. They had the energy. They had Luka Modrić looking like a wizard in the middle of the park. And then, well, then "The French Efficiency" happened.
The Chaos of the First Half
People talk about Didier Deschamps being this tactical mastermind, and yeah, he’s got the trophies to prove it. But let’s be honest: France got incredibly lucky in that first half. The opening goal wasn't some beautiful team move. It was an Antoine Griezmann free-kick that Mario Mandžukić accidentally headed into his own net. It was the first-ever own goal in a World Cup final. Imagine that. You spend your whole life dreaming of scoring in the final, and you do it, but for the wrong team.
Croatia didn’t blink, though. Ivan Perišić smashed in an equalizer that was pure filth. A left-footed rocket. At that point, you’d have been a fool to bet against the Croatians. They were playing with this incredible spirit, fueled by three straight extra-time matches in the previous rounds. They were exhausted, but they didn’t care.
Then came the VAR moment.
Love it or hate it, the final world cup 2018 was defined by technology. A handball by Perišić—the same guy who just scored—led to a penalty. It took forever for the referee, Nestor Pitana, to look at the screen. The tension in the stadium was thick enough to cut with a knife. Griezmann stepped up, cool as you like, and tucked it away. 2-1 France. Totally against the run of play.
Why the 2018 Final Was a Statistical Outlier
If you look at the Expected Goals (xG), the game was much closer than the 4-2 result suggests. France was clinical. They didn't need twenty chances; they needed four. Paul Pogba’s goal in the 59th minute was the backbreaker. He started the move with a long ball to Mbappé, followed it up, and after his first shot was blocked, he curled the second one in with his left foot.
Then came Kylian Mbappé.
He became the first teenager since Pelé to score in a World Cup final. Think about that for a second. We’re talking about a kid who was nineteen years old, sprinting across the Russian turf like he was on a playground. His goal made it 4-1, and at that point, the "Le Bleus" party had officially started. Even a bizarre Hugo Lloris mistake that allowed Mandžukić to score a "real" goal couldn't ruin it.
The Mbappé Factor and the Death of "Tiki-Taka"
For a decade, Spain and Germany had convinced everyone that you needed 800 passes to win a game. France in the final world cup 2018 basically said, "Nah, we're good." They had about 39% possession. That’s insane. They sat back, absorbed the pressure, and then hit like a lightning bolt.
This match marked the definitive shift toward "transition football."
Blaise Matuidi and N'Golo Kanté (even though Kanté had a rough game and was subbed off early) were the engines. But it was Pogba who really shone. For all the criticism he gets at the club level, in that final, he was a giant. He controlled the tempo when he needed to and exploited the space behind the Croatian fullbacks.
Croatia's exhaustion finally caught up with them. You could see it in the way Ivan Rakitić’s shoulders slumped after the fourth goal. They had played essentially an extra full match’s worth of minutes across the knockout stages compared to France. By the 70th minute, their legs were gone.
The Weather and the Pussy Riot Moment
Remember the rain? As soon as the final whistle blew, the heavens opened. It was cinematic. It was also slightly awkward because there was only one umbrella for a while, and it was held over Vladimir Putin while the French and Croatian presidents got soaked.
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But there was also the pitch invasion.
Four members of the protest group Pussy Riot, dressed as police officers, ran onto the field. It was a weird, jarring reminder of the political reality surrounding the tournament. Dejan Lovren, the Croatian defender, was so annoyed he actually tried to drag one of them off the pitch. It’s one of those details that people kinda forget when they’re watching the highlight reels of the goals, but it added to the surreal atmosphere of the night.
What Most Fans Get Wrong About Croatia’s Performance
There’s this narrative that France "destroyed" Croatia. They didn't. If you re-watch the game, Croatia’s midfield trio of Modrić, Rakitić, and Brozović actually dominated the center of the pitch for large stretches.
- Modrić had more touches than any French midfielder.
- Croatia had more shots (15 to France’s 8).
- They had more corners and a higher pass accuracy.
France didn't win because they were "better" at football in the traditional sense; they won because they were more lethal in the moments that mattered. It was a masterclass in pragmatism. Deschamps knew he had the fastest player in the world (Mbappé) and one of the best finishers (Griezmann), so he let Croatia have the ball and waited for them to make a mistake.
The Legacy of the Final World Cup 2018
Looking back from today, this match was the blueprint for the current era of international football. It ended the era of "possession for possession's sake." It showed that a balanced squad—mixing veteran leadership like Olivier Giroud (who didn't score a single goal in the tournament but was vital) with raw, terrifying speed—is the winning formula.
France’s victory wasn't just about talent. It was about redemption. Two years earlier, they had lost the Euro 2016 final on home soil to Portugal. They were heartbroken. In Moscow, you could see they weren't going to let that happen again. They played with a certain "coldness" that Croatia, for all their heart, couldn't match.
Luka Modrić won the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament, and honestly, it felt like a bit of a consolation prize. He looked devastated during the trophy ceremony. But his performance throughout that summer, capped off by his tireless work in the final, solidified his place as one of the greatest midfielders to ever play the game.
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Tactical Insights for Students of the Game
If you're a coach or just a nerd who likes analyzing games, the final world cup 2018 is a goldmine. You can see how France used a "hybrid" system. Matuidi played as a nominal left-winger but tucked in to become a fourth midfielder when they didn't have the ball. This completely neutralized the threat of Sime Vrsaljko, Croatia's attacking right-back.
Also, look at Antoine Griezmann's role. He wasn't just a striker. He was the connector. He dropped deep, defended, took every set piece, and provided the vision that allowed Mbappé to stay high up the pitch.
France showed that you don't need to be pretty to be legendary. You just need to be effective.
Actionable Insights for Reliving or Studying the Match
If you want to truly understand why this game changed football, don't just watch the 2-minute FIFA highlights. They only show the goals, which makes it look like a blowout. Instead, do this:
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- Watch the 20-minute extended highlights specifically focusing on the period between the 45th and 60th minutes. This is where the tactical shift happened.
- Observe Paul Pogba’s positioning. Notice how he moves from a deep defensive role to a high attacking threat in under four seconds.
- Track Kylian Mbappé's off-the-ball runs. Even when he doesn't get the ball, he’s pulling two Croatian defenders with him, creating the space that Griezmann and Pogba exploited.
- Analyze the set-piece delivery. France scored their first two goals from a free-kick and a corner (via a penalty). In modern tournament football, set pieces are often more important than open-play tactics.
- Compare this to the 2022 final. You'll see how the French team evolved from a counter-attacking machine into a team that relies almost entirely on individual brilliance.
The 2018 final was the last time we saw a team win a World Cup through a perfectly executed, rigid defensive structure combined with world-class speed. It was a masterpiece of "ugly" winning. And honestly? It was glorious to watch.