2018 FIFA World Cup Final: A game beyond comprehension, a final for the ages
The most valuable prize in football is usually decided by a moment, either one of sheer brilliance or a blunder that comes with a heavy cost.
But what to make of a match that was brought to life by an own goal, followed by one laden with technique and skill, nudged forward by the unprecedented use of technology for a penalty, a peach of a strike from outside the box, a 19-year-old who was crowned Young Player of the tournament, and to round it off, a goalkeeping howler.
Russia was ready, the whole world was ready. France were early favourites to win the whole thing, let alone feature at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. What was surprising was their opposition. Croatia came to the final with a fighting chance and on the way, won more hearts than they broke.
A well-synchronised closing ceremony was probably the only predictable thing about a Sunday evening that delivered more than it promised, despite the stakes involved.
The first 10 minutes were uneventful, both teams finding their feet and exercising caution, and why not?
What followed was the opposite. Griezmann had been dormant and was deployed in a free role behind Giroud, and maverick No 7 got his chance to impact the game as it was his excellent delivery in the box that led to the first own goal in a World Cup via the unfortunate head of Mario Mandzukic.
Any residual joys from his heroics in the semi-final against England were crushed as France took the lead. It looked ominous for Croatia but they were not in uncharted territory.
They had rarely taken the lead in a game during their campaign and knew what to do. A smart header into the box and there was Perisic to make sure Mario’s mistake was a short-lived one. The end of the half was close but so was the drama. A French corner resulted in a chaotic group of players in blue, tapping their hands and rushing towards the referee. Enter VAR.
The use of technology in football will forever be vindicated and this World Cup will be attached as a proof of claim. The referee rushed into the chamber next to the dugout and there it was. Ivan Perisic was the culprit a penalty for Les Blues.
“Grizou” stepped up, “Grizou” scored and “Grizou” did the Fortnite dance. Leading up to the final, Griezmann claimed that he would do whatever it took to add another star to the French shirt, and by slotting the ball coolly to the bottom left, he surely did.
The second half saw Croatia throw caution to the wind. “Squeaky bum time” as they call in footballing circles.
But the French sensed the Croats and their desperation and were kept at bay by the trusty duo of Umtiti and Varane. A Spanish La Liga winner next to a Champions League winner is a decent pairing to put it subtly. Then came the PogBOOM.
There were no fancy haircuts, no fancy feet. The Man United midfielder had a point to prove, and usually in big games, for club or country, the POG delivers.
Smashed it from his right to no avail, and followed it with a finesse shot from his weaker foot (R1+O for the FIFA playing clan).
France was 3-1 up.
Croatia had only begun again, and had an uphill task, but there is something defenders have been told to do but have seldom been able to. Outrun Kylian, outthink Mbappe.
While his club teammate and superstar (Neymar Jr.) crashed and burned, the 19-year-old put his name in the history books by becoming only the second teenager to find the back of the net in a World Cup final.
The first was Pele.
The Brazillian was 16, the Frenchman is 19. We were still coming to terms with our curriculum and tuitions at that age, just saying. Hugo Lloris could have had more of a chance to win the Golden Glove ahead of the eventual winner (Thibaut Courtois) had he not conceded the clumsiest of goals in the World Cup as Mandzukic nullified his own goal by poking it past the French captain. One assumes the joy of lifting the trophy would have more than made up for the gaffe.
As the seconds ticked by, the French dugout was filled with equal amounts of nerves and excitement. As the time ticked by, the heavens opened up, and a hard-working Croatian team looked like they were running on fumes. And as Lloris collected the ball and hit it aloft for the very last time in Russia, the writing was on the wall.
Didier Deschamps knew what the feeling was when he lifted the very same trophy 20 years ago, little did he know he would guide his country to another one and in the process become only the third individual in the history of the game to do so.
Through the course of this footballing extravaganza, each day was breathless rather than banal, magical and not mundane, unpredictable and not uninteresting. A befitting end to a quite bewildering month.
Au revoir Russia, toutes nos felicitations Francais.
Also read: Multiculturalism scores: Why inclusion is the biggest winner at the FIFA World Cup