France is the 2018 World Cup champion. A tournament full of surprises concluded with an expected result, as the heavily favored French national team beat Croatia 4–2 in Moscow on Sunday. France went into halftime with a 2–1 lead thanks to an own goal and a VAR-awarded penalty, but the champions’ talent proved undeniable as the game wore on.
Striker Kylian Mbappé wasn’t alive for France’s last World Cup triumph, in 1998, but the 19-year-old superstar made quite a mark on this year’s tournament. His blistering strike in the 65th minute gave France a 4–1 lead and helped put away a resilient Croatian team for good.
The French squad is full of players young enough to feature in multiple future World Cups, and it’s terrifying to think that Les Bleus has yet to reach its peak. Revelers on the Champs-Élysées may want to pace themselves.
