At the World Cup in Russia, 63 matches were played. They were full of drama, intrigue, own goals, and surprises. All these battles led to the highest point - the final. There, the Croatian team, which has never gone this far in the tournament, will meet the French team, who became champions 20 years ago. The final will be broadcasted live from 17:45 on LRT TELEVISION and LRT.lt.
On Sunday, the Croatian team will have a chance to avenge their defeat to France in the semi-finals of the 1998 World Cup. Back then, "Les Bleus" became champions by winning against Brazil in the final, but now, after 20 years, the winners could be different.
The Croatian team has often been compared to the one that played 20 years ago, so rightfully Zlatko Dalić's players are still called the golden team or generation. However, their path to the final in Russia was not easy.
In the group stage matches, Croatia showed their dominance by defeating the Nigerian team 2-0, crushing Argentina 3-0, and overcoming the debutant Iceland 2-1 in the final game. With these results, they secured the first place in Group D.
The first serious test awaited the Croatians in the quarter-finals, where they celebrated victory only after a penalty shootout, where both goalkeepers played superbly. In the quarter-finals, most experts predicted an easy victory for the Croats, but the Russian team did not give up easily, and once again a penalty shootout was needed. In this shootout, D. Subašić, along with Ivan Rakitić, led Croatia to the semi-finals.
In the semi-finals, the Croatians met England. Most experts claimed that England was the favorite to win, and Croatia would be tired, making it almost impossible for them to win. However, these predictions were proven wrong, and Mario Mandžukić's goal in extra time silenced the critics.
The French team confidently progressed through the championship: they won against Australia and Peru in the group stage. Only in the last group stage match, the first goalless draw with the Danish team was recorded due to both teams being dissatisfied with their passive play. In the quarter-finals, the 19-year-old Frenchman Kylian Mbappé stunned Argentina with his performance, resulting in a 4-3 victory for the Europeans. In the quarter-finals, a barrier awaited "Les Bleus" from South America - the Uruguayan team. However, losing their leader Edinson Cavani, "La Celeste" eventually capitulated.
In the semi-finals, the French team scored a decisive goal early in the second half, leaving Belgium to fight for third place.
Both teams have minor injuries before the final. Blaise Matuidi is expected to appear for the French team, although he suffered a minor injury in the match against Belgium. In the Croatian team, there are more unknowns. Croatian coach Zlatko Dalić admitted at a press conference that some players are suffering from minor injuries. Ivan Perišić missed Friday's training due to injury. Ivan Rakitić played against the England team while sick and said after the match that he would play in the final even if he couldn't feel his legs.
Didier Deschamps said at a press conference before the match that the French team could already move mountains and will be even stronger in two or four years.
Meanwhile, Z. Dalić was pleased that although it has not been possible to build a united team for ten years, this year they have managed to unite the team and that has brought them to the final. The unity of the team is also evidenced by the fact that the Croatian team scored 12 goals, with eight different players being the authors of the goals.
However, statistically, the Croatian team has reason to fear, as in the last five meetings between the two teams, France has never lost - "Les Bleus" won three times, and two matches ended in draws.
France in this championship became the seventh team to reach the World Cup final three or more times. Meanwhile, for Croatia, this final is the first. They became the 13th team to reach the final of the tournament.
There will be a lot of attention on the French player Kylian Mbappé in this match, as he could become the second player in the history of the championship who has not yet turned 20 and scored a goal in the championship final.
Will the teams be able to break the curse of the final? The winner of the championship has been determined only after extra time or a penalty shootout for 16 years, but knowing that the Croatian team has already played three extra times in this championship, such a final outcome cannot be ruled out on Sunday.
Predicted starting line-ups:
France: Hugo Lloris; Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Hernandez, Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kanté, Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann, Blaise Matuidi, Olivier Giroud.
Croatia: Danijel Subašić, Šime Vrsaljko, Dejan Lovren, Domagoj Vida, Ivan Strinić, Ivan Rakitić, Marcelo Brozović, Ante Rebić, Luka Modrić, Ivan Perišić, Mario Mandžukić.
PREVIEW | #WorldCupFinal@FIFAWorldCupFRA: Les Bleus will have to win the physical challenge imposed by the Croatians@FIFAWorldCupCRO: Zlatko Dalic's team are one step away from immortality
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