N’Golo Kante and Olivier Giroud are Chelsea’s men in the World Cup finals. France are the heavy favourite but can they hold off a Cinderella Croatia?
Three Chelsea players will return to Stamford Bridge with a World Cup third-place medal (if they care to display it). Will two others show them up with a winners’ medal, or will it be consolations all around?
Scott Brant: France 1 – 0 Croatia. France has steadily played better and better from the start. Croatia will at some point feel the added minutes played, won’t they? Too much talent on France, N’Golo Kante will phase Luka Modric out, leaving the rest of the Croatians to carry the load. Show me that Kante smile!!!
Khaled Abdallah: 2 – 0. Croatia have been the team of destiny with their incredible run of dramatic matches since they handily won their group, but France is the best team in the tournament and have played like it in the knockout rounds.
If Croatia was not coming off three emotionally and physically exhausting matches they would have a fighting chance. But it would take a miracle to beat a French team who had an extra day’s rest and played a full match’s worth of minutes less. France should cruise to a comfortable win and be crowned World Cup champions for the second time in their illustrious history.
Brendan McDonnell: 2 – 2 (France AET). This tournament has been all about whose midfield has been dominant. This game is the perfect manifestation. Paul Pogba and Golden Ball winner N’Golo Kante v. Ivan Rakitic and Golden Ball runner-up Luka Modric is just magnificent.
France is better in most areas and have the best spine in the world by a wide measure. That said, something about this pesky Croatian team makes it hard to pick again. A perfect example: Mario Mandzukic was cooked in the semi’s and then made a flawless run to score the winner. Croatia will play their hearts out, get the match to 120 minutes and die at the finish line.
Nate Hofmann: 3 – 0. Well done to Croatia for making it to their first ever World Cup final. They beat some good teams and played some great football along the way. Unfortunately, this is where it ends.
France is obviously the deeper, more talented side on paper, but they also match up particularly well against Croatia. If you’re Ivan Rakitic and Luka Modric, you’d be hard pressed to pick a harder set of opponents than Paul Pogba and N’golo Kante. Perhaps it’s my Chelsea blue showing, but N’golo Kante has been the best player of the tournament from start to finish. France almost certainly wouldn’t have made it this far without him.
Olivier Giroud has been a crucial part of France’s success as well. Ever since starting France’s second match against Peru, Giroud has been the gravitational center of the attack, which has looked more streamlined and potent as the tournament has gone on. Giroud will score off a set piece for France’s first goal, followed by two “Kylian Mbappe is faster than you” goals when Croatia gets desperate and pours numbers forward.
Mbappe walks away with the Golden Ball, but deep in our hearts we’ll know N’golo Kante is its rightful owner.
George Perry: France wins on an Olivier Giroud winner. His first and only goal of the World Cup will be pure Giroud. Maybe a scorpion, maybe a glancing header off his chin while twirling in the air, maybe he’ll backheel nutmeg Antoine Griezmann and use the outside of his foot to find the top corner mid-pirouette. It may not be the goal of the tournament, but it won’t be normal.
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