France beat Argentina in Kazan thriller

Croatia face France in Moscow on Sunday attempting to win their first World Cup while Didier Deschamps' side are aiming to land their second title two decades on from their triumph on home soil.

France, who are clear favourites to triumph in the Luzhniki Stadium, will also be spurred on by the bitter disappointment of losing the Euro 2016 final to Portugal in Paris.

It is a final few people anticipated when football's global showpiece kicked off four weeks ago.

Croatia have brought joy to their Balkan nation of just four million people by defying the odds to progress to the final while reigning champions Germany, then Argentina and Brazil all fell by the wayside in Russia.

They have been inspired by mercurial midfielder Luka Modric while coach Zlatko Dalic, who only took over last year with the squad in chaos, has coaxed remarkable performances from his team.

Deschamps would become only the third man to win the World Cup as both a player and a manager -- he was captain when France lifted the World Cup in 1998.

His France side, spearheaded by 19-year-old forward Kylian Mbappe and the more seasoned Antoine Griezmann, are the favourites.

Paul Pogba has finally become a leader in midfield for France and N'Golo Kante has excelled in doing the tireless work that allows his teammates to shine, while Samuel Umtiti and Raphael Varane are the nucleus of a solid defence.

Les Bleus laboured through their group, beating Australia and Peru by the odd goal and drawing with Denmark in the only goalless game of the tournament.

Then they hit form, sweeping aside Argentina in a match which announced to the world that Mbappe is set to be an international superstar as he scored twice and outshone Lionel Messi.

But apart from that 4-3 win, France have played like a Deschamps side, with the emphasis on defence.

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic has won many admirers for own performance at the World Cup final in Moscow, where she stood in driving rain at the closing ceremony, smiled and hugged every player from both teams.

Croatia lost to France 4-2 in a thrilling final on Sunday.

Grabar Kitarovic, clad in a red-and white Croatia soccer shirt, stood on the podium with Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron when the medals were given to the players.

While Putin was handed an umbrella, she stood soaked but smiling in the heavy rain, clearly delighted by Croatia's brave showing. Aides eventually found her an umbrella.

"Best scene at the World Cup. Pouring Rain, no umbrella and Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic hugs every single player from Croatia and France, even if Croatia has just lost. That's pure emotional and so warmly. No politics, only sport! Congrats to both teams!," a comment on social media said.

Another one pointed out her graceful demeanour despite Croatia losing the final.

"A heart broken Croatia President looks graceful in defeat hugging every player!," it said.

"She made the fans more emotional," another comment added.

Grabar Kitarovic displayed great passion throughout the tournament, following the team in all the games after the group stage but missing the semi-final against England due to the NATO summit in Brussels.

"The Croatian president is coming out of this as the winner. Football shirt, rain, crying, hair ruined, doesn’t give a damn," was another one among many comments.

Some also saw a display of a great sporting spirit as she hugged players from both teams: "Loved your gesture and sporting spirit during World Cup final game. You are the true epitome of sportsman spirit. Way to Go!"

Later on Monday, the Croatian capital Zagreb will stage a welcome celebration for the soccer team, which achieved the greatest success in the history of Croatian football, surpassing their performance 20 years ago when Croatia won the third place at the World Cup in France.

After taking off Kylian Mbappe as Paris Saint-Germain struggled to a home draw with Rennes on Sunday, coach Luis Enrique said the soon-to-leave superstar will play "when I want him".

Luis Enrique took off France captain Mbappe in the 65th minute with PSG losing. His replacement, Goncalo Ramos, won and converted an added-time penalty that gave the home team a 1-1 draw in Ligue 1.

Mbappe has said he plans to leave when his contract expires after this season with Real Madrid expected to be his next destination.

"It's very simple, sooner or later, when it happens, we have to get used to playing without Kylian," Luis Enrique told the post-match press conference.

"When I want him to play, I'll play him, and when I don't, same thing."

Between the 64th and 70th minutes, Luis Enrique replaced his entire forward line, also taking off Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola.

"It's a message for everyone," said Luis Enrique immediately after the game. "If you think I'm going to accept a player slacking off on the pitch, I'm not."

At the press conference he stressed that he was not singling out any players and that the whole team was "less inspired" than usual.

"No, no, you've got it all wrong. It's a message for everyone. I'm delighted with the attitude of my players. But if anyone thinks I'm going to give up on them, I won't.

"I wanted to change the feel of the match. I didn't want to take off Dembele but I thought he was hurting.

"I'm lucky enough to coach around 20 very high-level players, and I want them to understand that every minute has to be earned."

"I want maximum competitiveness. I want every player to deserve his playing time," he said.

"I want my players to say to themselves: 'When I'm in the starting line-up, I have to make the most of it'."

PSG, who have an 11-point lead over Brest in Ligue 1, face third-placed Monaco on Friday before travelling to San Sebastian to face Real Sociedad in a Champions League round-of-16 second-leg game on March 5, holding a 2-0 lead from the first leg.

"I'm loving it," said Luis Enrique. "I'd like every match to be like that, like Brest, Monaco and Real Sociedad. The tougher the games, the better. Does anyone think the return leg will be easy against Real Sociedad?"

France coach Didier Deschamps has cast doubt on Kylian Mbappe's chances of representing his country at this year's Paris Olympics, saying that it would be "very difficult" to compete at the Games straight after Euro 2024.

"It is very difficult from a psychological and physical viewpoint to take part in two competitions like that one after the other, in the summer, without having any holiday," Deschamps admitted on Thursday.

The France coach confirmed that some members of his squad for the European Championship are likely to also feature in the Olympics squad, which will be named by Thierry Henry.

However, Deschamps said the Euro "remains the priority" and that the identities of those players featuring at the Olympics would need to be known before the continental championship, which starts on June 14.

"We don't want any interference with our preparations, so once we are in our training camp at Clairefontaine, it needs to be clear who is going and who is not going," Deschamps said.

It is understood that Paris Saint-Germain superstar Mbappe, the France captain, is very keen to represent his country at the Olympics, along with Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann.

Yet the European Championship in Germany does not finish until July 14, with the Olympic football tournament beginning on July 24.

That means there would be no time for a break in between, at least if France go deep into the Euro.

Men's football at the Summer Games is for players aged under 23, although three overage players can feature too, paving the way for the 25-year-old Mbappe and other senior French stars to take part.

However, football's world governing body FIFA does not oblige clubs to release players for the Olympics, which could complicate Mbappe's situation even more.

The forward has already told PSG he plans to leave when his contract expires at the end of this season and Real Madrid is expected to be his next destination.

His new club is unlikely to be thrilled at the prospect of Mbappe going to the Games rather than taking a holiday ahead of the start of the new season -- the final of the Olympic tournament is set for August 9.

France legend Henry is currently in charge of the national Under-21 side and will oversee the team at the Olympics.

He accepts that whether Mbappe features in the squad does not ultimately come down to him.

"I have no certainties. I am at the mercy of a yes or a no from a club," Henry said on Thursday.

"And then if they agree and then change coach in the meantime, who is to say I would still have him?"

Paris St Germain's Kylian Mbappe said that helping his hometown club to finally win their first Champions League title is a matter of pride for him, after he scored twice to help guide his side to a 4-1 comeback win at Barcelona and into the semi-finals with a 6-4 aggregate victory on Tuesday.

Mbappe, who is set to leave PSG in the summer with Real Madrid as the biggest favourite to sign him, told reporters that his future is not in his mind and that his focus is totally on bringing glory to the French capital.

"I have the dream of winning the Champions League for Paris," Mbappe told reporters at Barcelona Olympic stadium on Tuesday.

"I'm proud to be at PSG since the first day. It's not because there are good times and bad times that my pride takes a hit. The pride of playing for this club, of representing the club of the capital of my country, it's something special for me who grew up there.

"To experience an evening like this one as a Parisian, it's great. We have one more step to go before we reach the final in Wembley, so we need to stay calm."

After loosing 3-2 in the first leg in Paris, PSG fought-back down 1-0 at Barcelona after the locals went down to 10 men just before the half-hour when last man Ronald Araujo was red-carded for fouling Bradley Barcola.

Former Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele equalised for the visitors just before the break while Vitinha and Mbappe finished the job in the second half, with PSG facing Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals after the Germans beat Atletico Madrid.

Having failed to get past the round of 16 in the last two seasons and being pinned against the ropes by a Barca side who were in the ascendancy, PSG put on a gritty performance to make the most of the home side's mistakes and turn the tie around.

"We beat a great team this evening, but even if we had lost, I would be proud to be Parisian. Now it's certain that during evenings like this, the pride is even greater," Mbappe said.

"We are very happy, we beat a team that we wanted to beat and to be closer to the final. This one is for the fans that came here to support us and those back home. It's a night to be proud."