Twenty years after France won its first World Cup final at home in Paris, our team brings the golden trophy home for a second time, this time from Moscow. See this video of Paris paying homage to its national team.

 

It was a dramatic end to an exciting month of football in Russia. The match against the strong Croatian team ended 4 - 2, including a stunning goal from Paris St Germain football club's latest star, 19-year-old Kylian Mbappé. making him the first teenager to score in a World Cup final since Brazilian legend Pelé in 1958. France's manager Didier Deschamps also goes down in history as only the third man to win the World Cup both as a player and manager. 

 

President Macron had traveled from Paris to Russia to attend the match and see our team's triumph, and warmly hugged every player after the match. Macron literally jumped for joy as he celebrated the French win, marking a fantastic end to what has been a tournament full of surprises. 

 

France took the lead first with an own goal from Croatian forward Mario Mandzukic, as the ball skimmed off his head and past his own goalkeeper Subasic after a French corner kick. Although the moment was shrouded in misfortune for Croatia, it demonstrated the power, impact, and importance of set plays throughout this World Cup. Croatia quickly recovered from this mishap and equalized ten minutes later after Perisic scored following a free-kick from Modric.

 

The VAR system (Video Assisted Referee) confirmed a hand-ball from Perisic and France scored the third goal of the match from the resulting penalty taken by Griezmann. 

 

It was still a close match after half-time until Manchester United star Pogba scored the goal of his career with his left foot, after Griezmann and Mbappé had set him up on the edge of the penalty area. Mbappé fired in the fourth goal six minutes later to become the second youngest player ever to score a goal in a World Cup final (Pele was just 17 when he scored for Brazil in 1958). 

 

 

Many may have thought France could breathe a sigh of relief after increasing their lead by three goals to 4 - 1, but with 20 minutes of the match remaining, Croatia continued to fight back hard. A lapse in concentration from French goalkeeper Lloris gave Mandzukic the opportunity to score Croatia's second goal and both sides played hard right up to the last minute. 

 

As the full-time whistle was blown, President Macron jumped out of his seat in celebration and French manager Deschamps was thrown in the air by his jubilant French players. Thousands are expected to line the streets of Paris as their champions return home on Tuesday 16th July.

We are very excited to see what will become of this talented young French team in the next few years! 

 

The next major sporting event, the Ryder Cup, will be held in Paris from 25-30 September 2018. Golf lovers who plan to attend may like to take the opportunity to visit other parts of France too. We would be very happy to plan the perfect itinerary for you!

France Just For You

Experts in self-drive tours in France

Travelers Reviews

5.0
Linda & Michael
When we received our packet, I was amazed with all the info. Emilie put into it for our trip. We needed more time in the day for places on our daily agenda that we did not get a chance to visit. We will just have to return and finish them on the next trip to the Loire. Flo and Phil's, Les Bournais was a charming place with wonderful accommodations …
Susan
We just returned from a 15 day trip to Paris, the Loire Valley and Normandy. Our trip was planned by Emilie with precise attention to detail, giving us our perfect itinerary. We were independent in our travels but it was evident that Emilie and her staff were available throughout the trip. They appeared to always be mindful of our location and …
Deidre & Kevin
Such a professional company and their attention to every detail was amazing. Car hire , French phone, tours and suggested stops were all fantastic. And the B& B’s in the country and wine districts were fabulous. The owners all very friendly and helpful as well as the accommodation being clean and beautiful. We cannot give enough praise for Emilie …
Dan
I communicated directly with Emilie who is very serious about their business of providing self guided tours. She prepared a proposal that matched what I had requested. Payment arrangements were easy. We really got to visit with local people. We rarely saw a tour bus. France - Just For You arranged visits with guides (wine tasting day in St. Emilion …
Howard & Darlene
What a wonderful trip with personal guides Emilie planned for us! I would recommend her without reservation on your trip through Normandy, Mt St. Michel and the Loire Valley. The guidebook, which was chock full of important information (be sure to read it all!) was invaluable to us and became our bible.
Chuck
Emilie was a great help in planning our trip and the accommodations and recommendations were excellent and well thought out. Unless you speak French and know the countryside, this is the best company for you to use to have a superb vacation and I would use them again anytime. They give you options so you can do what you like, but help with the …