As the French substitutes exploded onto the pitch, Ivan Perisic was left sat in his own distant corner, unable to drag himself back up onto his feet, barely able to walk when he did.

Perisic had been the decisive player in this ferocious game, but not always in the way he might want. He had turned the game one way, with a brilliant goal, dragging Croatia deservedly equal. Then he turned it back the other, giving away the penalty that put France back ahead just before the break.

Even when the game ran away from his exhausted team, Perisic was putting more into it than anyone else. Never accepting a hiding place just because his body is crying out for a rest. Never stopping performing even when he has nothing left to give. It was a display that summed up all of Croatia’s best qualities, their bravery, commitment and selflesness. And his decline, as the game got away from him, encapsulated why the game went the way it did.

Because this was a final that was always going to be decided by physical energy. There is not much difference between the teams for experience or quality or motivation. But who could keep going out there the longest, the fastest, at the end of an exhausting tournament, in this humidity cauldron on the outskirts of Moscow.

France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings <b>France:</b> Hugo Lloris – 5 out of 10 Not much he could do to stop Perisic’s howitzer from flying past him but was 100 per cent responsible for the mindless attempt to play the ball around Mandzukic that allowed him to deflect the ball into the net. Lucky for him, France were already home and dry. REUTERS France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings Benjamin Pavard – 6 out of 10 No long-range missiles like we saw against Argentina but this was a disciplined display, even if Croatia sent little down his channel. AFP/Getty Images France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings Raphael Varane – 7 out of 10 Did a good job alongside Umtiti in preventing Croatia from creating clear-cut chances and his position was sensible throughout. A four-time Champions League winner and now world champion, and only the 11th player to win both in the same season. Not bad by the age of 25. REUTERS France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings Samuel Umtiti – 7 out of 10 Really stood out on France’s defence as he came off on top in the battle with Mandzukic. Could have made Lloris’ job easier with a better pass before his error, but he was by no means to blame. PA France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings Lucas Hernandez – 7 out of 10 Burst down the left, riding a tackle when most players would’ve gone down, to play the ball into Mbappe that led to the final goal. Impressive showing AP France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings Kylian Mbappe – 8 out of 10 Quiet throughout the first half but the beauty about a player like Mbappe is that they need a single moment to come to life. When the chance opened up for him, he could easily have tried to curl the ball to the side that Mandzukic was running towards, but instead he smartly drilled it back against the direction of play to seize his chance to shine. EPA France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings Paul Pogba – 9 out of 10 Lucky not to be ruled offside for the opener as he was still involved in play when Mandzukic headed in the own goal, but from then on he was fantastic. Created time on the ball, took his goal on his weaker left foot excellently and was there when needed in defence. A great showing. REUTERS France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings N’Golo Kante – 5 out of 10 Allowed Perisic to round him too easily and fire into the back of the net for the equaliser. Booked soon after for a cynical foul on the same man, and replaced after 55 minutes by Steven N’Zonzi to remove the risk of a red card. AP France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings Blaise Matuidi – 6 out of 10 The quiet man of the French midfield who didn’t do anything wrong, and provided the discipline to allow his extrovert teammates to push on in front. AP France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings Antoine Griezmann – 8 out of 10 Bought a dubious free-kick that he floated into the box for the opening goal, and took free lovely touches before passing to Pogba that then produced the third goal. In between that he scored the penalty to put France back in the lead and he had a major say throughout the entire tournament for France. AP France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings Olivier Giroud – 7 out of 10 Did his job as targetman, although Croatia’s allowance for France to play with the ball on the deck negated Giroud’s job somewhat. Getty Images France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings <b>Croatia:</b> Danijel Subasic – 4 out of 10 Whether or not the injury that he suffered earlier in the tournament affected him is unknown, but he was far from his best, particularly for Pogba’s and Mbappe’s goal as his movement was nowhere to be seen. AP France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings Sime Vrsaljko – 6 out of 10 Brilliant header on Modric’s free-kick drilled the ball back into the box and led to Perisic’s equaliser. However, he was passed too easily by Hernandez in the lead up to Mbappe’s goal. AFP/Getty Images France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings Dejan Lovren – 5 out of 10 Caught out of position too often and given that he was bigging himself up as one of the best defenders in world football, conceding four goals in a World Cup final was particularly embarrassing for him. REUTERS France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings Domagoj Vida – 6 out of 10 Got a touch on the ball to flick it forwards and into Perisic’s path, but defensively he was poor. REUTERS France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings Ivan Strinic – 5 out of 10 France appeared to target him and it paid off in the second half as the tide turned, with Zlatko Dalic hauling him off when the game was already gone. AFP/Getty Images France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings Marcelo Brozovic – 6 out of 10 One of the better performers in a Croatia shirt but he couldn’t do anything to stem the French flood that was coming his way in the second half. REUTERS France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings Ante Rebic – 6 out of 10 Had one good flash at goal that flew over the bar in the second half, and he was slightly disappointing going forward. EPA France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings Luka Modric – 6 out of 10 Ran out of steam after a virtuoso display throughout the tournament, and while he picked up the Golden Ball following the match, his disappointment was obvious to see. REUTERS France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings Ivan Rakitic – 6 out of 10 Once again outshined by his midfield teammate and he was lucky not to be booked for sarcastically falling over in front of the referee and getting up to applaud him. His frustration was obvious to see. AFP/Getty Images France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings Ivan Perisic – 7 out of 10 Another hugely important goal – at the time – as he swivelled and fired the ball past Lloris. Unfortunate to be penalised for the hand ball that swung the game in France’s favour, but he can be proud of the performance. AFP/Getty Images France vs Croatia World Cup player ratings Mario Mandzukic – 7 out of 10 Tried to head clear Griezmann’s free-kick, only to get his timing wrong and put it into his own net. Made up for the error as he charged down Lloris to score, but the damage was already done. Getty Images

That was where Croatia lost the game: tired in the first half, exhausted in the second, unable to keep playing their game, to keep resisting. Modric is Croatia’s director, but Perisic is their enforcer. Their top scorer - this was his third goal of the tournament - one of their indisposable men.

In a team built around midfield nuance, Perisic is an athlete. He barely looks like a winger, far taller and broader, a weapon for Croatia to use when they get near the box. Remember the semi-final here on Wednesday night, when Perisic kept Croatia in the World Cup because he could stretch that long body further than anyone else. Away from Kieran Trippier, past Kyle Walker, one long taut leg enough to beat Jordan Pickford and turn the game Croatia’s way.

Then, in extra-time, it was Perisic winning that header on the edge of the box that set up Mario Mandzukic to score the winner. Because there is no such as a lost cause in the 110th minute of a World Cup semi-final.

Perisic began this game like a man who had given everything he had for his country four days ago. His team-mates kept giving him the ball, but he struggled to ever give it back. He lost a 50-50 to Benjamin Pavard. He scuffed a cross straight to Raphael Varane. He ran into Kylian Mbappe and skewed the ball out of play. Even this model athlete could not find the energy within himself.

So how do you react? Perisic could have retreated within himself, played a more low-key game, hinted to his manager that if he wanted Mateo Kovacic or Andrej Kramaric on, that he should be the man to make to make way. And nothing much would ever be written about his final again.

Perisic bites back (Getty)

But that is not who Perisic is. He reached deep within himself to drag the game his way. No need for a hiding place. When a bouncing ball was teed up to him just outside the box, he was face to face with Ngolo Kante, the sharpest defensive midfield in football. It takes a lot to make Kante look slow, or clumsy, or in any way misguided or negligent in how he patrols his zone, but that is just what Perisic did.

Shifting the ball sharply inside with his right boot, he left Kante glued to the spot, darted to his left and drove it towards goal, skipping off Raphael Varane’s thigh and into the bottom corner. It was the greatest World Cup final goal for a generation.

But having stayed part of the game, Perisic could not opt out of it now. Him and his tired body were locked into it, whatever the consequences. Defending a corner at the back post, just before the break, Perisic did not react quick enough. The ball bounced off his hand, and in any other World Cup but this one he would have gotten away with it. But the France players appealed, Nestor Pitana eventually agreed, and France were back ahead. No hiding place in a final, no hiding place with VAR.

The Croatian can reflect on this tournament with pride (Getty)

The sad story of the second half was that neither Perisic nor his team-mates had enough left in their legs. When Perisic surged down the left, reaching the by-line one last time, he skewed his cross over Mandzukic’s header. France went down the other end, faced no resistance, and scored, and then they scored again. Perisic never stopped trying, and was brave enough to try to wrestle Pogba for a loose ball deep into added time, running to pick it up and speed up Hugo Lloris’ goal-kick, when the game was already lost.

But some football matches are so big that they transcends the result itself. That is why the claim that no-one remembers second place is such nonsense. There have been some heroic World Cup runners up in the past - Hungary 1954, Holland 1974 - and this Croatian team can take as much pride as either of them. They may not have re-imagined the game tactically or aesthetically, but they have showed us the furthest limits of what it means to play football as a team.