The FIFA World Cup, soccer's quadrennial spectacle, ended with a tricolor hue Sunday in Moscow. The French team defeated Croatia 4-2 to win its first championship since 1998.
The French, who became heavy favorites once perennials Germany, Brazil, England and Mexico all went down, benefited from handball fouls in the penalty area and a Croatian own goal. But they also dominated the play for much of the match. Kylian Mbappe became the first teenager (at 19) to score in the World Cup final since Pele 60 years ago, to go along with the three other goals he made in the tournament. And the team was made up of players who emigrated from other countries, which should be something for President Donald Trump to think about.
Croatia, the second-smallest country ever to compete in World Cup, was in the process of gaining its independence from a war-torn Yugoslavia when France won its title in '98. This time they made the biggest splash of the tournament, receiving a hero's welcome back home for finishing second.
This was the highest scoring World Cup ever with 169 goals. Three Round of 16 matches and one semifinal ended in extra time and/or penalty kicks. And fewer players were kicked out with a red card.
Russia excelled on and off the field as the host country in spite of such things as alleged doping of athletes, harassment of journalists covering the World Cup, and the specter of President Vladimir Putin. And, oh yes, the punk rock band Pussy Riot made an unscheduled appearance on the pitch during the final to protest Putin's policies before they were led off by security.
Fox, which was televising the World Cup for the first time, did the best they could with the U.S. team not present and the decision to have their announcers call some of the matches off the TV monitors in their Los Angeles headquarters. Predictably, with earlier starting times and lack of rooting interest, ratings took a tumble from the previous World Cup.
The U.S. did get a consolation prize when FIFA announced that they would co-host the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico. They're probably betting on better relations between the three countries after Trump leaves office.
All over France, they're still celebrating their victory. As soon as the afterglow fades, it's time to defend their title in the desert kingdom of Qatar come 2022 Who or what emerges from the mirage remains to be seen.
