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MOSCOW : A month later and 63 games later, the 2018 World Cup culminates on Sunday as a young French team led by Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann seek to win the trophy for the second time when they face Croatia in Moscow
This is a final that very few people could have predicted four weeks ago while the competition in Russia was just beginning.
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar have all returned home. Thus, the traditional powers of the international game – Germany, Brazil and Argentina.
Instead, it's a gifted French team with the second youngest team in the tournament, epitomized by lightning Mbappe, who face a Croatian team inspired by Luka Modric, presumably the best midfielder of the world right now.
Perhaps many neutrals will be disappointed that he has not clashed with two real giants of the game, or that there is no South American presence [19659002] It is the second time that Brazil, Germany, Italy or Argentina do not dispute the final after the victory of Spain over the Netherlands in 2010.
A tournament that will be remembered for the colorful presence of hordes of Latin American fans have a final between two European teams after the continent has exercised power in the latter stages.
But it is still the final of the World Cup, and for France, there is the possibility of joining Argentina and Uruguay. after the trophy for the second time, after 1998.
At the time, Didier Deschamps was captain. Now he is the coach, and he can become the third man to win the trophy as a player and manager, according to Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer
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Beaten on penalties by Italy in the final in 2006, France is even more hungry after the failure of its defeat as host against Portugal in the final of the tournament. Euro 2016.
"This serves us as a lesson. it's what it's like to play in the final, "adds Matuidi.
Half of the France team is different now, with Mbappe having burst onto the scene. His explosive performance in the 4-3 win over Argentina in the last 16 years illuminated the competition, but other than that, France played as a Deschamps team, putting the emphasis on defense
and Peru by strange goal and draw with Denmark in the only scoreless game of the tournament.
They have since proved too strong for the Argentineans, Uruguay and Belgium, and they are at fair favorite title in the final, which is a rehearsal of the 1998 semifinal.
At the time, two goals from Lilian Thuram sank a team from Croatia playing their first World Cup as an independent nation Twenty years later, this camp has written its own history and the nation of just over four millio ns of people is the smallest to reach the finals since Uruguay in 1950.
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L & # 39; Zlatko Delic's team was grueling and exhausting. "We have taken the difficult road, we will probably be the only team at a World Cup to have played eight games to reach a final if you add up every minute," admitted Dalic.
"It's a unique opportunity in life, it's been hard for us but I'm sure we'll find strength and motivation."
The big, cavernous Luzhniki, by a bend in the Moscow River, will be the scene of the drama, but the biggest celebrations will take place on the street And the Croats are confident that most of the world will support them.
"I have this feeling that there will be hundreds of millions of people who will root us on Sunday," Ivan Rakitic said. – AFP
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