France took a 2-1 lead on Croatia after a handball in the box gave Antoine Griezmann a penalty kick in the 38th minute of the World Cup final in Moscow.
45’ + 3: Danger for France
Another dangerous cross for Croatia fails to meet a target. Pitana and France would very much like to get inside.
45’ +1: Weather Update
Thunder and lightning visible now. The Croatian soccer gods are not happy.
45’: Three More Minutes
Three
minutes of added time, mostly for the V.A.R. decision, the length of
which was also a signal it wasn’t a clear and obvious error.
45’: Samuel Umtiti Down
Umtiti
went down in the scrum on that last corner and never got back up. The
French trainers are out, which means he’ll be out for this next corner,
probably the final one of the half. Giroud’s done a lot of the
clearances lately.
44’: Corner for Croatia
Croatia wins a corner after some shaky France defending. Rakitic takes, but it’s cleared right back to him for another.
41’: Another Yellow for France
France’s second yellow goes to Lucas Hernandez for a foul in midfield.
39’: Let the Second-Guessing Begin
It
will be verrrrrrry interesting how that is perceived today and tomorrow
and next week. It seemed more a second look on a judgment call than the
reversal of a clear and obvious error. But I guess clear and obvious
errors look different to French citizens and Croatian ones right now.
38’ GRIEZMANN SCORES! France Leads, 2-1
Antoine Griezmann calmly rolls it left as Subasic dives to his own left. No one home, and France is back in front.
37’: It’s a Penalty!
Great
chance for France! Pitana took a looooong look and saw what we all saw:
a handball. And he’s decided that’s a penalty. This will be a massive
talking point, given that it felt as if it could have gone either way.
But V.A.R. was designed for just these kinds of moments. It goes without
saying that’s the first-ever test in a World Cup final. But will it
DECIDE a World Cup final?
36’: V.A.R.
Big
moment: on replay, that looked as if it could be a handball. But it hit
him, and he was in a natural position. But we’ll see.....
34’: Corner for France ... Handball?
Antoine
Griezmann’s corner comes to Matuidi in the area, and his header goes
wide of the near post. The French are screaming for a handball on
Perisic, and this is a really big test for V.A.R.
32’: Kante Needs to Be Careful
The
Kanté yellow is even bigger now that Croatia’s even, by the way. They
can run at him, challenge him, and hope Pitana sees something that
crosses the line and sends him off. That would be nightmare for France;
he’s really their most indispensible player.
29’: This Game’s Wide Open
The
goal really livens things up just as France was hoping to slow them
down. And now there’s a spring in the Croatians’ step again.
28’ CROATIA SCORES! We’re even!
Ivan
Perisic gets the final shot after a series of headers brings a Modric
free kick to him in the area. The shot, off a nice shift left with a
deft touch, hit Varane in the hip and deflected just a bit farther out
of Lloris’s reach.
27’: Yellow for Kante
Yellow
card to Kanté, who clips Perisic’s heel as he breaks up the middle,
dangerously. Worth keeping an eye on that; Kanté’s game sometimes
involves — thrives — on fouls like that. But now he can’t do it.
22’: Here Comes the Rain
It just started to rain here after the goal, but the life has definitely gone out of the Croatian crowd a bit.
Victor Mather:
Statistical oddity alert. France has a goal, but still no official
shots. Because Griezmann’s blast was deflected in for an own goal, he
does not get credit for a shot.
21’: Croatia Free Kick Handled
Croatia
gets a similar opportunity with a free kick at the other end, but its
header isn’t nearly as accurate, and Lloris collects for a goal kick.
18’: GOAL! FRANCE LEADS!
A
foul gave Griezmann a free kick about 30 yards or so out on the left,
and he fires in a ball that Mandukic heads over Subasic into his own
net.
It’s
always a risk there, but that is a disaster for Croatia, who has done
everything right. And just as we noted, they failed to turn it into a
goal. And now they’re in a hole, perhaps unfairly, and France can do
what France has been doing: just tighten up, and not make any mistakes.
Terrible luck for Mandzukic, though, who did his job and unwittingly put
it into the side netting.
15’: Croatia Needs to Convert
Croatia
really will want to turn all this possession and probing into something
soon; if France fights through these first 15 or 20 minutes without
paying a price by surrendering a goal, it most likely will find their
feet. And Croatia may come to regret that.
Victor Mather:
Anything missing from this game? How about a shot? There have been zero
so far. Not zero shots on net ... zero shots of any kind with 15
minutes played.
14’: Putin in the House
Vladimir
Putin is here today for the final. It’s only the second time he has
turned up for a game at this World Cup. The first was the opener.
12’: France On Its Heels
A dozen minutes in and Mbappé’s only touch has been on defense. Griezmann may not have touched it at all yet.
10’: Croatia Controlling This Game So Far
Modric,
using the outside of his right foot, opens up the French with a lovely
cross-field ball to the overlapping Strinic, but Umtiti clears out his
cross. Nice moment though, one of many for Croatia in the first 10
minutes in which they’ve had almost all of the ball.
Victor Mather: France’s defense has been forced to clear the ball seven times already. Croatia has just one clearance.
8’: Corner for Croatia
Strinic
and Rakitic work a nice give-and-go there in the left corner, and Pogba
has to come over to cut off the former when he gets the ball back in
the area. Corner to Croatia.
Grioud wins it in front of Lloris, and the French try to break out.
6’: Croatia Leads in Attendance and Volume
The
atmosphere in here today is much improved from some of the drab ones we
had in the semifinals. That’s largely due to the Croatians, who have
taken over several sections behind their goal and are, at times, simply
pulsating as they jump up and down. The much smaller French contingent
down the other end hasn’t had much to cheer yet.
5’: Croatia Keeps Attacking
Vrsaljko
slips free for a moment deep down the right wing and fires in a cross,
but again France is there to clear. Solving Varane and Umtiti will take
better balls than that one, but getting it off at all is a positive for
Croatia early.
Victor Mather:
Say this about Croatia: The team is not afraid to shoot. Coming into
this game it has 100 shots, third in the Cup behind Belgium (which has
played one more game) and Brazil. But the accuracy has not been
sensational: Only 26 of those shots were on target, far behind Belgium
and Brazil.
3’: Varane Shuts It Down
Perisic probing down the left is the first real test for France, but Varane, so smooth, slides over and shuts it all down.
1’: Kickoff!
That ball out of bounds nearing the first-minute mark was the first French touch of the day. That’ll be fine with Croatia.
