France Defeat Croatia to Lift the World Cup
The World Cup has come to an end unfortunately for football fans, and the winners at the end of the tournament were France, who won 4-2 against Croatia in yesterday’s final. The French have won the competition for the second time, and fully deserve it with how they have played.
The French have played the perfect tournament, doing what they needed to qualify in the group stages while conserving energy, before coming to life in the knockout round. They saved their best for when they needed it the most, and they were by far the best team in the knockout round. As we successfully predicted before the start of the tournament, France did the business and won their game against Croatia, much to the delight of the punters who had backed them for glory.
The difference between the two teams was highlighted by the three main French players on the field. Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe all came to play in the final, and it was those three players that lifted their country to success. With so many attacking threats, Croatia simply didn’t have an answer to the French onslaught, they simply had too many players to manage and keep out of the game. In defence, France were not at their best on the day, with Hugo Lloris giving away a needless goal to make the game 4-2 and give Croatia hope. However, when you have attacking talent on the pitch like France do, you can get away with those mistakes, and that is exactly what they did in the final.
Back to Back World Cup Titles for France?
We have slightly longer than normal to wait for the next World Cup, with the 2022 edition taking place in the winter. This means we have four and a half years to wait for it, but already attention has turned to the event. Can France and their young attacking stars win another World Cup title in Qatar?
The French are priced up at 8.00 to win the trophy again in 2022, they are second favourties behind Brazil. The one big advantage they have in their favour going forward is that a lot of their team that played this summer will be available again in 2022, and they won’t be too old to make an impact. If anything, this young French team has won the trophy one competition too early, and they are going to arrive in Qatar right in their prime, looking for another to add to their collection.
We usually see teams arrive at the World Cup in their prime and take the title, but France have won the competition ahead of their time. This will give then invaluable experience for the next competition, and that could be the advantage they need to win back to back titles. Of course, many other countries will have their sights on the event, but there is no dout that this French team is young, full of quality and now has vital World Cup winning experience.
The 2018 World Cup will be remembered fondly by many, and it could be the start of French dominance in World football.