France wins 2nd World Cup title, beats Croatia 4-2

Author: Graham Dunbar, AP
Published:
France’s Paul Pogba, third from right, celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side’s third goal during the final match between France and Croatia at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, July 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

France won its second World Cup title by beating Croatia 4-2 on Sunday in a match briefly interrupted by an on-field protest during the second half that Russian punk band Pussy Riot later took credit for.

Teenage forward Kylian Mbappe scored his fourth goal of the tournament for France and the team’s fourth in the 65th minute, about 12 minutes after play resumed at the Luzhniki Stadium.

Mbappe, who is 19, is only the second teenager to score in a World Cup final. Pele was 17 when he scored two goals for Brazil in the 1958 final.

Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba also scored for the 1998 champions. Ivan Perisic and Mario Mandzukic scored for Croatia.

Mandzukic also scored an own-goal, giving France the lead in the 18th minute.

Pussy Riot, a Russian punk rock group that rose to global prominence with their daring outdoor performances critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2012, claimed responsibility for the second-half disruption on Twitter.

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