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Home , Antoine Griezmann, Didier Deschamps

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2018 18

VAR used for first time in World Cup final Will Smith brings down How marvellous! It’s a young team, | Moscow who are on the top he Video Assistant Ref- of the world. Some Teree (VAR) was used for curtain on World Cup are champions at the the first time in a World age of 19. We did not Cup final to award a play a huge game but 38th-minute penalty which we showed mental scored quality to give them a 2-1 lead over Croatia on Sunday. FRANCE COACH Referee Nestor Pitana was alerted to a possible handball and after check- ing the off-field screen he decided Ivan Perisic had handled the ball in trying do not know where to clear a French set-piece. I am! I am really The match at the Luzh- happy. It was a very niki Stadium had already difficult match, seen the first own goal in Croatia had a great a World Cup final when the ball flicked off Croatia game. We came back striker Mario Manduzkic and we managed to and past his own keeper to make the difference. put France 1-0 up after 18 We cannot wait to minutes. lift the Cup and bring it back to France FRANCE STRIKER ANTOINE GRIEZMANN Anti-Kremlin protesters invade General view as singers Era Istrefi and Will Smith perform during the closing ceremony pitch during World Reuters | Moscow who face each other in the final. section. Cup final Smith was joined on stage by That section fea- I congratulate France ollywood actor and Nicky Jam, a US-born singer tured a guest performer: on their title. We Reuters | Moscow singer Will Smith with Puerto Rican roots, and Brazilian soccer star and played well in the Hperformed the soccer by Era Istrefi, a pop singer who past World Cup winner first 20 minutes, we The World Cup final be- World Cup’s official song “Live describes herself as Albanian , who for a controlled the game. tween France and Croatia in It Up” in the tournament’s clos- Kosovar. Both artists had fea- few bars of the song ham- Moscow was briefly inter- ing ceremony in Moscow on tured with Smith on the “Live mered out the rhythm on Then there was an rupted when three intrud- Sunday. It Up” single. an African drum. own goal from a set ers affiliated to anti-Krem- As Smith performed at Mos- In the final sequence of the The performances were play. We came back lin punk band Pussy Riot cow’s , giant ceremony, Russian opera sing- a prelude to France and to life, dominated ran onto the pitch before be- screens laid out on the pitch er Aida Garifullina performed Croatia’s players taking to the and then the penalty ing hauled off by stewards. showed images of soccer players Russian folk song “Kalinka” ac- pitch to begin their final match, was given The pitch invaders, who and the colours of the Croatian companied by bagpipes, a chil- in front of a packed crowd at Will CROATIA COACH ZLATKO DALIC were dressed in police-style and French flags - the two teams dren’s choir, and a percussion the 80,000-seat stadium. Smith outfits, were later detained by police, one of them told Reuters by telephone from a police station near Mos- cow’s Luzhniki stadium, Russia hands over World Cup hosting duties We were the better venue for the match. team in the first half, Three of Pussy Riot’s Reuters | Moscow ulation of 2.3 million people and Hours before the final be - “We are proud of what we did original members were an area slightly smaller than the tween France and Croatia that for fans of this wonderful sport. we were attacking, jailed in 2012 for staging ussian President Vladimir U.S. state of Connecticut. brought down the curtain on We ourselves, the whole coun- but we were unlucky a protest against Russian RPutin yesterday handed Qatar’s size, as well as its Russia’s hosting of this year’s try, got an enormous amount of tonight. They scored President Vladimir Putin over the mantle of World Cup broiling temperatures and tournament, Qatari Emir Sheikh pleasure from interacting with four goals from their in a church, and since then host to the emir of Qatar, whose its lack of ready stadium in - Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani soccer, with the world of soccer, three shots on goal. have become a symbol of country will stage the 2022 edi- fra-structure, have prompted joined Putin and FIFA chief with the fans who came here But I congratulate anti-Kremlin direct action. tion of the tournament. some to question the decision by Gianni Infantino at a Kremlin from all over the globe.” France, they The ceremony marked a FIFA, soccer’s world governing ceremony. At the climax of the ceremony, handover from the world’s larg- body, to make it host. Qatar’s “Russia is handing over the Putin handed an official World deserved it est country by landmass to one rulers say they will rise to the relay baton for hosting the FIFA Cup ball to Infantino, who then CROATIA FORWARD IVAN RAKITIC Belgium squad of the smallest. Qatar has a pop- challenge. World Cup to Qatar,” Putin said. handed it on to the emir. handed hero’s welcome on return Reuters | Brussels Didier Deschamps becomes a World Cup legend elgium’s soccer team re- Evening Standard | Moscow but he went on to guide Juve Bceived a hero’s welcome back to the top flight after their in Brussels on Sunday, after idier Deschamps has be- match-fixing-related demotion achieving their best-ever Dcome only the second man and then won a title as World Cup result in Russia. to both captain and coach a na- Marseille boss Belgium beat Panama, tion to World Cup glory. His national team, for whom Tunisia and England in the The France manager lifted he won 103 caps and also the Eu- opening round, staged a the trophy as skipper in 20 ropean Championship as a play- dramatic comeback against years ago, and got his hands on er, then came calling in 2012. Japan in the last-16 and football’s ultimate prize again He steered France to the fought past Brazil in the as Les Bleus saw off Croatia in World Cup quarter-finals in quarter-finals. Moscow on Sunday. 2014 and then the final of Euro Their dreams of World Only , 2016. His run in this summer’s Cup glory, however, were captain of a triumphant West tournament has seen him be- shattered by France in the in 1974 and then their come France’s longest-serving semi-finals, but another win coach in 1990, had achieved that manager, with the semi-final against England on Satur- feat before. win over Belgium being his 82nd day sealed third place. Indeed, it is rare for any World match in charge. Belgium, who bettered Cup-winning players to repeat Before the final, Deschamps their fourth-place finish in the trick as a coach. Mario insisted that matching the 1986, were greeted by tens Zagallo, who featured in Bra- achievement of 1998 was not of thousands of enthusias- zil’s wins of 1958 and 1962 and his prime motivation. tic flag waving fans, some was then in charge for another “The story is different now,” climbing street signs and in 1970, is the only other man to he said. “You can’t make com- traffic lights to catch a have done so. parisons, you can’t talk about glimpse of the players who As a player, Deschamps, now players from 20 years ago. I am rode in on open-top buses 49, was one of the most - France’s coach Didier Deschamps (up C) celebrates with his team players here to write a new page in his- along the streets of central rated of his era. He won two tory, the most beautiful page. Brussels, before heading to French titles and the Champions again, as well as three with Chelsea and Valencia be- ing Monaco to the Champions “I’m not saying I’m not proud the city’s picturesque Grand League with Marseille before times, with Juventus. fore making a smooth transi- League final in 2004. His time of what we did 20 years ago but Place square. winning the European crown He wound his career down tion into coaching and guid - in the principality turned sour one must live in one’s times.”