France clinches World Cup with 4-2 win over Croatia

MOSCOW (AP) _ France is celebrating its second World Cup title after beating Croatia 4-2 in the highest-scoring World Cup final since 1966.

Dramatic moments in the match included the first own-goal and the first video-reviewed penalty in a World Cup final, along with a brief pitch invasion orchestrated by Russian protest group Pussy Riot.

Nineteen-year-old forward Kylian Mbappe scored the fourth goal, becoming just the second teenager to score in a World Cup final. The first was soccer great Pele, who was 17 when he scored twice Brazil’s 5-2 win over Sweden in the 1958 final.

The French players received their medals during a downpour that also drenched Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of France and Croatia.

Croatia was playing in its first World Cup final. France won the crown on home soil in 1998.

More News