France vs Croatia: A tired Croatia must stifle Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann in the World Cup final
Croatia will be the big underdogs in the World Cup final against France on Monday (AEST) – and for good reason after their efforts in the knockout stages.
All of Croatia’s sudden death matches went to extra time, and the Fire needed penalties to get past Denmark and host Russia, while Mario Mandžukić knocked out England with the winner in the 109th minute.
France won their three knockout games in regulation time, meaning Croatia played a full 90 minutes more before the biggest game of their lives.
Croatia is the second-smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup finals, with its population of 4.17 million people only bigger than Uruguay – which had just 2.4 million when they won in 1950.
They will be led by star midfield duo Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic, from Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, and both players will need to be at their best to unlock a French defense that has conceded just four goals in their six World Cup games.
Semi-final hero Mandžukić is likely to lead the Croatian attack, while Inter winger Ivan Perišić sparked a revival against the Three Lions and should feature prominently.
Kylian Mbappe was already top before this tournament, but his three goals at the World Cup and brilliant performances have elevated the 19-year-old Frenchman to superstar status, and he is the first man Croatia should stop.
The red and whites should also be wary of Mbappe’s partner-in-crime Antoine Greizmann, who buzzed with purpose in attacking midfield, scoring three goals and providing two assists.
With N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba anchoring a disciplined midfield and Raphael Varane leading a stingy defensive unit, Croatia face an uphill battle to pull off one of the biggest turnarounds in World Cup history.
It promises to be a tense, tight World Cup final and it will take a major surprise to prove the bookies wrong.
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