MOSCOW (AP) — The Latest on Sunday at the World Cup (all times local): 6:48 p.m. France leads Croatia 2-1 at halftime…
MOSCOW (AP) — The Latest on Sunday at the World Cup (all times local):
6:48 p.m.
France leads Croatia 2-1 at halftime as it works toward its first World Cup title in 20 years.
The first half ended with thunder rolling over Moscow after France regained the lead from an Antoine Griezmann penalty in the 38th minute following the first use of video review in a World Cup final.
France had taken the lead in the 18th through Mario Mandzukic’s own-goal — the first in a World Cup final and a record 12th in the tournament — off a Griezmann free kick, before Croatia’s Ivan Perisic equalized with a fierce left-foot strike 10 minutes later.
Perisic was also the player who conceded the penalty with a handball at a corner. It is already the highest-scoring World Cup final since France won its only previous title in 1998, beating Brazil 3-0.
Croatia is playing in the World Cup final for the first time.
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6:38 p.m.
Antoine Griezmann has given France a 2-1 lead over Croatia with a penalty after the first call made using a video review in a World Cup final.
Griezmann hit the ball hard and left as Croatian goalkeeper Danijel Subasic jumped the other way in the 38th minute.
The spot-kick was given after the ball bounced off the arm of Croatia’s Ivan Perisic at a corner before hitting his leg and going out of play. Perisic had scored for Croatia to level the game at 1-1 in the 28th minute.
There was a break of about 90 seconds as referee Nestor Pitana discussed the call with his video assistants and reviewed the footage.
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6:28 p.m.
Croatia has leveled the score in the World Cup final against France at 1-1 on a goal from Ivan Perisic in the 28th minute.
Domagoj Vida got the ball at a free kick and passed it back to Perisic on the edge of the area. The winger controlled the ball with his right foot and used his left to fire it past French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
It’s the third goal in seven games for Perisic and the first goal France has conceded since its 4-3 win over Argentina in the round of 16.
Croatia has now had equalize in four straight games after conceding the opening goal. All three preceding games went to extra time.
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6:18 p.m.
France has scored with the first real chance of the World Cup final as Mario Mandzukic headed a free kick into his own net.
Antoine Griezmann swung the free kick into a mass of French and Croatian players and Mandzukic diverted the ball into the net, just past goalkeeper Danijel Subasic’s outstretched hand in the 18th minute.
It was the 12th own goal of the World Cup, an all-time record, and the first ever in a World Cup final.
It was the first goal in regulation in a World Cup final since 2006 — the 2010 and 2014 finals were both extra time 1-0 results
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6:05 p.m.
French fans have packed the Paris fan zone, which holds 90,000, near the Eiffel Tower to watch the World Cup final between France and Croatia.
Orio Hamra from the Paris region says, “Yes, I have faith… They’re hungry and 20 years on, it would be beautiful if they won the Cup.” Les Bleus’ last World Cup victory was in 1998.
It was an occasion for all ages to dress up for France, some wrapped in French flags, others painting their faces or donning elaborate headgear in the blue, white and red national colors.
Security forces are on the ready throughout France, which celebrated Bastille Day on Saturday, with 110,000 police on duty.
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6 p.m.
Croatia’s Mario Mandzukic has taken the kickoff for his team in the World Cup final against France.
As their national anthem rang out around the Luzhniki stadium, Croatian fans unfurled a banner reading, “one heart, one strength, my country Croatia.”
Both teams were unchanged from the lineups that won their semifinal games. France beat Belgium 1-0, and Croatia beat England 2-1 in extra time.
Croatia is playing its first World Cup final. France won its only World Cup title when it hosted the tournament in 1998.
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5:54 p.m.
The French and Croatian teams are on the field for their World Cup final.
The teams emerged from the dressing rooms to stand behind the World Cup trophy, with captains Hugo Lloris and Luka Modric in the lead.
Philipp Lahm, Germany’s winning captain in 2014, earlier brought out the World Cup trophy with Russian model Natalia Vodianova. Lahm picked up the cup and held it for cheering crowds.
France is aiming to win its second World Cup and first since 1998. Croatia has never before gone past the semifinal stage.
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5:50 p.m.
Croatia’s president says no matter what happens in the World Cup final, the unexpected success of her small country’s hard-working, underdog team means that “we’re a winner.”
In an interview with The Associated Press, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic says she wants her once-warring region to come together to support Croatia in the final and Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final.
She says “sports brings people together. People in all of our countries are tired of ideological differences, of going back into the past all the time.”
Ahead of Sunday’s final against France in Moscow, she predicts a Croatian victory but says “whatever happens, we’re a winner.”
She has used the victory to raise her country’s profile, posing in a red-and-white checkered team jersey at every opportunity — and giving one to U. S. President Donald Trump.
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5:35 p.m.
The closing ceremony for the World Cup has started.
The actor and singer Will Smith is among those performing in the brief show before France plays Croatia in the final.
Dozens of people bearing video screens showing moments from the tournament are interspersed among performers dancing in glittery costumes.
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5:30 p.m.
President Emmanuel Macron of France has been joined by one of his predecessors, Nicolas Sarkozy, as guests of FIFA to see their national team play Croatia in the World Cup final.
The president of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, is also among 10 heads of state and national leaders at Luzhniki Stadium.
They have joined Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the presidents of Belarus, Moldova, Gabon and Sudan.
Some western European governments stayed away from the World Cup amid the fallout from the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in England in March.
The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, is also here. Qatar hosts the next World Cup in 2022 and the emir attended a handover ceremony at the Kremlin with Putin and FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier Sunday.
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5:15 p.m.
There was new signage inside Luzhniki Stadium for the championship between Croatia and France.
For the previous six matches, the front of the second and third decks had bright blue backgrounds with “2018 FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA” in white in English and Russian, alternating with red backgrounds with “MOSCOW” and “(hashtag)world cup” in white.
For the final, there were gold backgrounds with “FINAL2018” in navy blue, alternating with navy blue backgrounds with “MOSCOW,” ”FIFA WORLD CUP” in English and Russian and “(hashtag)world cup” on navy backdrops with gold lettering.
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5:07 p.m.
France and Croatia are on the field at Luzhniki Stadium to warm up for World Cup final with under an hour to go before kickoff.
France’s goalkeeper Hugo Lloris emerged first to cheers from supporters along with his team’s two reserve keepers. French fans waved the tricolor as the rest of the team came out, with defender Lucas Hernandez waving to the stands.
Croatian fans gave captain Luka Modric and his teammates a similar greeting minutes later.
France is aiming to win its second World Cup and first since 1998, while Croatia has never before gone past the semifinal stage.
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5 p.m.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will help present the trophy to the winning captain after the World Cup final.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino will join Putin for the ceremony on the field at Luzhniki Stadium.
The recent World Cup tradition is for presidents of FIFA and the host nation to jointly hand over the gold-and-malachite trophy.
Four years ago, then-FIFA leader Sepp Blatter and Brazil’s then-president Dilma Rousseff presented the trophy to Germany captain Philipp Lahm.
Lahm is bringing the trophy on to the field before France and Croatia kick off at 6 p.m. local time (1500 GMT/11 a.m. EDT) in Moscow.
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4:50 p.m.
France and Croatia will take unchanged lineups into the World Cup final.
France coach Didier Deschamps has retained the starting 11 which beat Belgium 1-0 in the semifinals after Blaise Matuidi returned from a suspension in the quarterfinals.
Zlatko Dalic has stuck with Marcelo Brozovic in midfield after he came into the lineup for Croatia’s 2-1, extra-time semifinal win over England. That means forward Andrej Kramaric remains on the bench.
