Ecstatic commentators reached for the superlatives after the 4-2 victory over Croatia

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Allez les bleus! After early hopefuls Germany, Brazil, Argentina and Spain bowed out earlier than expected in the tournament, there remained just one of the original favourites: La France.

In Moscow on Sunday night’s final a combative Croatian side, blessed with eventual golden ball winner Luka Modric in midfield, were unable to continue their fairytale as two favourable refereeing decisions set France up for a comfortable victory against the Balkan nation in an engrossing game.

Following France’s 4-2 win, its second World Cup victory in two decades, the country’s press all carried photos of captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris – who made a dreadful error in the closing stages of the game – holding the trophy aloft.



‘Le jour de gloire est arrivé’, the day of glory has arrived, chimed Le Figaro as the French media reacted to the comprehensive victory over underdogs Croatia.

Le Figaro (@Le_Figaro) ⭐⭐ La une du Figaro de ce lundi!

➡ https://t.co/9DCQK5Oyxn #FRACRO #MerciLesBleus #BravoLesBleus pic.twitter.com/OX8wfLdYBy

Le Journal du Dimanche carried a similar photo on its back page that captured the jubilance of the diverse Black, Blanc, Beur French team.

The headline Dans les etoilés played on the fact that the proud nation were now two-times world champions and had earned the right to place multiple stars above the French cockerel on their jerseys.

Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud, who did not score a goal during the tournament, is seen to have managed to get his hands on the trophy almost as soon as the celebrations had began.

Le JDD (@leJDD) Les Bleus champions ! Un JDD exceptionnel tout juste bouclé. En vente dans les rues de Paris à partir de 21h30. Et en numérique. pic.twitter.com/7YUn6IZCWm

The front page, meanwhile, depicted French men and women toasting their success in front of the Arc de Triomphe, beneath a tricolour flag and a headline proclaiming “France wins” the day after Bastille Day.

Le JDD (@leJDD) La une du JDD en ce jour de finale. Beaucoup de foot, et plein d'autres choses. En attendant une possible deuxième étoile, focus sur la France qui gagne.

> 20 pages spéciales pic.twitter.com/WLqwu4LLhz

Encore! demanded the left-leaning Libération, as pundits mused on the potential of this young French side; which never quite reached its full potential throughout the tournament, yet still won.

Libération (@libe) A la une de «Libé» ce lundi : «Encore !»https://t.co/miRvuo97tU pic.twitter.com/RlP0c7Y8Im

La Montagne, the French regional paper, paid tribute to Les Tsars in yet another play on the significance of the country’s second World Cup win, in the land of Nicholas and Alexander.

Elsewhere, Le Parisien said the French team had their heads in the stars after winning their second World Cup.

Kylian Mpabbé, the young player of the tournament and the first teenager to score in a final since Pelé in 1958, is having a cheeky sideways look at the trophy in this one. On his goal he said: “It was a superb goal, especially since it was a goal that gave us wings.”

Le Parisien (@le_Parisien) Voici la une du «Parisien» de ce lundi 16 juillet 2018 #FRACRO 🇫🇷/🇭🇷#ChampionsDuMonde pic.twitter.com/BzIeufjxzn

Eternal happiness, gushed sports daily L’Équipe, as it paid tribute to les Bleus of Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann who it said were writing their own legend in the tradition of the 1998 World Cup-winning heroes: that of a team and a country in full communion.

Л'ЭКИП - L'ÉQUIPE (@lequipe) UN BONHEUR ÉTERNEL 🏆



Voici la Une du journal L'Équipe du 16 juillet 2018 ! pic.twitter.com/okmYebCOx5

‘We love you!’ wrote La Depeche, which featured a photo taken shortly after the French team first lifted the 5kg, 18-carat trophy.

Benjamin Pavard, who scored one of the goals of the tournament, is leading the celebrations.

La Dépêche du Midi (@ladepechedumidi) #Mondial Les Bleus s'offre une deuxième étoile, la Une de la Dépêche du Midi en avant-première pic.twitter.com/OwqPBwIb6t

Le Monde, the most renowned French daily newspaper, hinted at its front pages.

Jean-Guillaume Santi (@jgsanti) Edition spéciale « Champions du monde » sur la chaîne Snapchat Discover @lemondefr . Analyse du match, schémas des buts, épopée des Bleus depuis l’Euro 2016, c’est à retrouver ici : https://t.co/ILxB5ERf4V #championsdumonde #WorldCupRussia2018 pic.twitter.com/DZZM5hP5b8

Whether it would choose a widely shared photo of French president Emmanuel Macron’s boisterous celebration with the Croatian president, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, and the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, looking on from their seats to grace its front or back page remained to be seen.

