So there we are. Take down the bunting, bring in the flags, the World Cup is over for another four (and a half) years and it is time for normal life to resume. Along the way, there have been shocks, VAR controversies, own-goals galore, a glut of penalties, set pieces, great games and even (gasp) a nil-nil draw. When the rain-soaked ticker tape settled in Moscow on Sunday afternoon France were the champions, next time we see them they will have two stars on their jerseys, among the pre-tournament favourites, they alone were able to hold there nerve when the going got tough.
Allez les Bleus. Two star France are back on top.
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In the final, France played well enough though there will always be a question mark against the victory. That penalty towards the end of a first-half that Croatia had dominated should never have been awarded. Can the referee conclusively say that Ivan Perišić moved his hand towards the ball? Was his decision to refuse France's appeals for a spot kick a clear and obvious mistake? For me, not in a million years. Croatia can rightly daydream about what might have been if the score had been one-one at half-time and not two-one to France. That victory came easily for Didier Deschamps' team in the second-half is neither here nor there, it was a different game by then.
Kylian Mbappe, the boy with the world at his feet.
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VAR was introduced to remove these mistakes from the game. Diego Maradona's handball in 1986, Frank Lampard's ghost goal in 2010, incorrect decisions that changed the course of enormous football matches. It is garbage that a similar incident should occur in 2018 when technology is there specifically to prevent it. Goals change football matches and so the referee should be absolutely certain before awarding a penalty. The fact that the ref went back to his TV for one final look suggests to me that he was not 100% certain and therefore his original decision should have stood.
The referee, the TV, the technology, the question mark.
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Still, despite the error, it is hard to argue that France were not the best team in the tournament. A slow start saw them top their group only thanks to the aforementioned nil-nil draw with Denmark, a stupefying ninety-minutes that I will never get back. In the knockout phase, they improved gradually and endured by far the toughest run of fixtures, facing Argentina, Uruguay and then Belgium on the way to the final. It is to their immense credit that their progress rarely looked in doubt, not for a single moment. Yes, Croatia pushed them closer in the final than the scoreline suggests, but Les Bleus are worthy champions. What's more, this is such a young team, it is frightening to think what they might achieve over the next few tournaments.
Griezman dived for the free kick that led to the first goal too
Sure did... such a shame that we are still here talking about dodgy decisions when VAR was designed to eradicate them. Just a game too far for Croatia I guess! Good to see you active @blockface!