The fifteenth of July, 2018, was an eventful day in the history of Football World Cup, when France and Croatia locked their horns for the 21st FIFA World Cup’s glittering, 18 carat gold trophy.
The tension was very much visible on the faces of players, coaches and fans before the kickoff, as the two captains shook hands and the experienced match referee Nestor Pitana from Argentina tossed the coin for selection of sides.
Billions were glued to their TV screens to witness one of the greatest sport shows on earth. The presidents of two great sporting nations, President Emmanuel Macron from France and Kolinda Kitarovic of Croatia, witnessed the match along with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It was no less than a clash of the Titans, as both France and Croatia had ample of football geniuses at their sides, masterminded by great leaders and coaches like Didier Claude Deschamps of France and Zalatko Dalic of Croatia.
The Croatians played their hearts out and like their popular president won the hearts of every one. France managed their first goal through a free kick taken in the 17th minute of the game when Mario Mandzukic of Croatia headed the ball in his own goalpost. This was the twelfth own goal of the tournament and the first ever scored in any final of World Cup history.
The Croatians fought back bravely. Displaying excellent ball control and short passes, they kept the possession of the ball most of the time. Playing set-piece game, the Croatian control over the game was admirable.
The Croatian resolve was revived when Ivan Perisic scored the equaliser in the 28th minute.
The French mounted a counter attack in the 37th minute which resulted in a corner in favour of France. As a result of this corner kick, France claimed a handball, the fate of which was decided by Pitana through Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for the first time in a World Cup final. Antoine Griezmann of France had successfully parked the ball in the right corner of the Croatian goal, making it 2-1.
The second half was even more exciting. The Croatians mounted multiple attacks on the French goalpost. Luka Modric, the outstanding Croatian midfielder, masterminded many astounding maneuvers but the French defence was no less than the famous Maginot lines.
In the 59th minute, Paul Pogba scored an iconic goal when he netted the ball in the right corner of the Croatian goal with a strong left kick. Only an extraordinary effort could have saved the game for Croatia at that stage. The momentum was with France and the decisive counter attacks by the Frenchmen left the resolute Croatians frail and fragile as steam ran out of the Croatian defenders who gave the great French striker Mbappe an opportunity to shoot the ball from the top of the circle in the 66th minute to score the fourth French goal.
Croatia showed a brave face and Mario Mandzukic took advantage of a mistake by the French goalkeeper, scoring a consolation goal in the 69th minute.
The final was a masterpiece, made so by such crafty footballers as Griezmann, Mbappe, Mandzukic, Modric and Perisic.
But the real game at strategic level was fought between Didier Deschamps of France and Zalatko Dalic of Croatia.
In a battle, it’s not the gun but the man behind the gun that matters. It stands good for sports too.
Croatia under its coach Zlatko had the great power of coming back from behind and surprising the opponents.
Zlatko Dalic, born in Bosnia, aged 51 years, was a defensive midfielder. He started his coaching career from Varteks in 2000.
Didier Claude Deschamps, aged 49, was also a defensive midfielder. He played for such clubs as Chelsea and Marseille.
Zlatko’s strategy revolved around set piece game and maximum possession of ball. Didier played a packed French defense with windows of opportunities for explosive counter attacks, converting limited attacking opportunities into brilliant goal finishes.
Didier became only the third man in football history, after Brazilian Mario Zagallo and German Beckenbauer, to win the World Cup both as player and manager.
The two great sports nations showed great spirit of the game. Not just the players and the fans were exceptional in conduct, the leaders of both countries were also unparalleled in their demeanor.
The Croatian President despite defeat in the final was all smiles, hugging each Croatian player.
At the end of the great game the Croatian President greeted the French President and gave him a symbolic kiss, to showcase a message of peace, goodwill and harmony through the power of football.
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