It is a final very few people could have anticipated four weeks ago, when the competition in Russia was just beginning.

Instead, it is a gifted French side with the second-youngest squad at the tournament, embodied by the lightning-quick Mbappe, who face a Croatian team inspired by Luka Modric, arguably the finest midfielder in the world at the moment.

It is just the second time that none of Brazil, Germany, Italy or Argentina have made the final, after Spain's win over the Netherlands in 2010.

But this is still the World Cup final, and for France there is the possibility to join Argentina and Uruguay in winning the trophy for the second time, after 1998.

Beaten on penalties by Italy in the 2006 final, France's hunger is all the greater after the agony of their defeat as hosts against Portugal in the Euro 2016 final.

Half of France's team is different now, however, with Mbappe having burst onto the scene. His explosive performance in the 4-3 win over Argentina in the last 16 lit up the competition, but apart from that France have played like a Deschamps side, with the emphasis on defence.

It has been a gruelling, exhausting run for Zlatko Dalic's team, and they must rouse themselves for one last effort.

"Stereotype-shattering", "stunningly warm" -- a trip to Russia for the FIFA World Cup was largely a "pleasant surprise" for those touching down from the west but for thousands of tourists from a country which didn't even have a team of its own to cheer for, it was "usual warmth".

"I am from India," that's all one need say to unlatch the Russian warmth, which has now bowled over the world at large after years of scepticism based on the mystique of Soviet era.

From wide smiles to generous discounts, nostalgic Russians, who still aren't over their love for Raj Kapoor and Mithun Chakraborty, go an extra mile when they hear an Indian voice calling out for directions, shopping or mere chit-chat.

"I love India, the food, the people, the movies, the colours. Discount for them always," said a shopkeeper selling traditional Matryoshka dolls, which are among the most prominent symbols of Russian culture.

"Russian people have a special affection for India. They are always extended extra warmth," added a tour guide, who has had a busier-than-usual one month thanks to the huge influx of fans for the World Cup.

The tourist flow from India rose by a conservative estimate of 20 to 30 per cent for the FIFA World Cup, according to prominent travel agencies. Russian news agency Sputnik pegged the hike in ticket bookings by Indians at an audacious 400 per cent based on feedback from a travel agency.

This, despite the fact that India does not have a team of its own at the World Cup and is unlikely to have one for some time to come.

"Russia is always a welcoming place for Indians. The westerners are now realising how warm the Russian people are but for us Indians, we know it for a long time. It's always great to be here whether there is a World Cup or not," said one Indian tourist, who is here to catch the extravaganza that gets over this Sunday but is also a frequent traveller to the Russian capital for business dealings.

Moscow alone has been paid a visit by over three million global tourists, according to the historic city's head of Department of Sport and Tourism, Nikolay Gulyaev.

The Indians, however, don't figure among the top-five in numbers this summer which are dominated by German, Dutch and French nationals.

"But there is no denying that they (Indians) have the pride of place in Russian hearts. You can link it to Bollywood or the Soviet era close political ties, but it is special," said a tour operator here.

Among the Indian celebrities, mega-star Amitabh Bachchan was there in St Petersburg to catch the first semifinal between France and Belgium and his lesser-seen and known Bollywood colleague Fardeen Khan was among the over 78,000 who filled in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow for the second semifinal between Croatia and England.

They were among the thousands who descended to catch the ‘greatest show on earth' where India's on-field presence is at best a pipedream right now.

"But Moscow ended up offering so much more than just football. The sites, the history, the food and of course the affection is unforgettable. I'll be back to explore more," said an Indian tourist, draped in a tri-colour, as he headed in to watch England lose to Croatia in the historic second semifinal at the Luzhniki. PTI

France fine-tuned their preparations for the World Cup final against Croatia on Friday, desperate to overcome the bitter disappointment of losing the Euro 2016 final as FIFA declared Russia 2018 the best-ever tournament.

Didier Deschamps' team are firm favourites to win Sunday's showpiece in Moscow and become world champions for the second time -- 20 years after their first triumph in 1998.

But they will come up against a hungry Croatia side boasting one of the players of the tournament in Real Madrid star Luka Modric, who is desperate to win the trophy for the nation of just over four million people.

France failed to click in the group stages but they have gone up through the gears during the knockout rounds and look a formidable blend of youthful vitality and experience.

They will approach the match at the 80,000-capacity Luzhniki Stadium full of confidence and with the pain of losing the final of Euro 2016 on home soil to Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal spurring them on.

"The tears have dried from Euro 2016 but it's still there in a little corner of people's minds," said midfielder Blaise Matuidi on Friday.

"It will be useful for us on Sunday, even if I don't like to keep bringing up the past. It will serve as a lesson to us and it means we know what it is to play in a final.

"We'll approach it differently and hope that we play really well and win it. It's up to us to put everything into place to achieve our dream of lifting the World Cup." Deschamps' team are packed with attacking stars such as Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann but it is their defence that has shone in the past two rounds, not conceding a single goal.

Croatia -- the smallest nation to make it to the final since Uruguay in 1950 -- have battled through three periods of extra-time to reach the final. That means they have played the equivalent of a whole extra match more than France.

But coach Zlatko Dalic said there would be no excuses despite their exertions.

"We prepared to get to the final and we want to play it," he said. "Going to extra-time might be a problem along with the fact France have had an extra day to recover but there will be no excuses."

- 'Best World Cup ever' -

As the tournament drifts towards its end, FIFA president Gianni Infantino declared it the best ever.

"I was saying this would be the best World Cup ever. Today I can say it with more conviction... It is the best World Cup," Infantino said in Moscow.

More than one million foreign fans have visited Russia during the World Cup, according to FIFA figures.

"A lot of pre-conceived ideas have changed thanks to this World Cup," said Infantino.

"Everyone has discovered a beautiful country, a welcoming country, full of people keen to show to the world what maybe sometimes is said is not what happens here." He also said the use of the VAR (video assistant referee) had been a success and praised the quality of the football, with just a single 0-0 draw in 62 games so far.

- Security operation -

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to pour onto the streets of Paris at the weekend, 20 years on from the 1998 win on home soil, when Deschamps was captain of the side.

A security operation swung into full gear, with plans for 110,000 law enforcement officers to be deployed across France as the country celebrates the national Bastille Day holiday and the World Cup final.

"Everything is being done so the French can live these festive moments with peace of mind, despite the terrorist threat which remains at a high level," Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said.

Before the final, England will play Belgium in a low-key battle for third place in Saint Petersburg on Saturday.

Gareth Southgate said his young team, who were just 22 minutes from reaching the final before Croatia's impressive comeback in the semi-final, would have to learn from their bitter disappointment.

"The team will be better in a couple of years," Southgate said in comments to the British press.

"We have to build. We have some good young players coming through. We've had success at youth level.

"What we've done over the last few weeks has shown what is possible. We want to be in semi-finals and finals and we've shown to ourselves that can happen.

"Now we have to use it as a springboard to reach the latter stages of tournaments consistently." (AFP)

Harry Kane says England restored pride during their run to the World Cup semi-finals and can use the tournament as a springboard for sustained success for a talented young generation.

Playing in their first World Cup semi-final for 28 years, England blew a golden opportunity to reach their first final since 1966, surrendering a 1-0 half-time lead to lose 2-1 to Croatia after extra-time in Moscow on Wednesday.

The tournament's top goalscorer with six goals, Kane himself missed a huge chance to give England breathing space in the first half.

But he believes even brighter days lie ahead for the third-youngest squad on show in Russia.

"It hurts now but I know when we look back there are a lot of positives, (a lot of) experience we can take. That's the aim, in two years' time in the Euros to go again and win big tournaments," said the Tottenham Hotspur striker.

"We've shown we can do well in these tournaments and the aim is now not to wait another 20-odd years to get to another big semi-final. It's to go again and try to achieve our dreams."

In their run to the last four, England re-engaged with a fanbase disaffected by decades of failure at international tournaments, most notably in a humiliating exit to Iceland at Euro 2016.

World Cup fever swept the nation back home and even after the defeat, thousands of England fans at the Luzhniki stadium stayed behind long after the final whistle to give their side a rousing send-off.

"It's massive that we had a good tournament and restored pride in the nation. The fans are excited to watch us play and that's how we have to keep progressing," added Kane.

"We should be proud and hold our heads up high because we've come a long way from two years ago. Even out there the fans singing after a defeat, it's a proud feeling." -

England manager Gareth Southgate has taken much of the credit for moulding his young side, not only with a commitment to play attractive and attacking football on the field, but a fresh open attitude with fans and media off it.

"This team is very special," said Kieran Trippier, who had got England off to a flying start in the semi-final with a fifth-minute free-kick to open the scoring.

"It all comes from the manager. Unbelievable manager... I can't speak highly enough of him. He sets the tone, he brought this team together. Everybody knows how close our team is and that all comes from him."

Trippier was one of many England players with limited international experience before the tournament who went onto shine in Russia.

And he expects a "great future" for England, with most of the current squad still young enough to be around for the 2022 World Cup.

"There is a great future going forward, trust me, with this team," added Trippier.

"In the future for sure with this manager, with these players, the team is only going to progress and I'm sure we can go far in the next tournaments.

"We've got a great team spirit, great chemistry, a very young team. We can succeed and do the country proud."(AFP)

British media reflected Thursday on England's heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Croatia in the World Cup semi-finals, praising manager Gareth Southgate and his young team despite their exit.

England won plaudits not just for their deeds on the pitch -- reaching the semis for the first time since 1990 -- but for bringing together a nation bitterly divided over Brexit.

"Our divided nation has been united thanks to a polite Englishman and a bunch of modern ordinary lads," said the Sun.

"Forget Manchester United, West Ham United, Newcastle United. For now we're an England United, first in hope, now in defeat." The Daily Mirror also credits Southgate and his men for fostering a spirit of unity.

"They go into Saturday's third-place play-off (against Belgium) with their heads held high, knowing they have done themselves proud and put a smile back on a conflicted country's face." The Times points out that since England won the World Cup in 1966, Britain has joined what is now the European Union and is heading towards the exit.

"Whether we will actually have exited the EU by the time we make our next World Cup final is a moot point," it says.

"However, as the impressive England manager Gareth Southgate has said, the team did create a brief sense of unity at a time of division," it adds.

"England beaten, but Southgate has relit the fire, say proud fans," said a Guardian headline.

"Those players will look back eventually on a tournament that has shifted England's reputation for leaden football and tournament neuroticism," it said.

"All the same, it may take some time to shake off the ordeal of losing this semi-final, the knowledge that the World Cup may never open up so obligingly again and the additional trauma from the fact that, for a long while, Gareth Southgate's team had led us to believe they could do it. They really did.

"The Daily Telegraph believes England have "moved forward into a brighter age".

"The worst outcome now would be for England's campaign in Russia to be tossed on the fire with all the others. Blessings should be counted, when the angst wears off," it said.

"Save us from the kind of revisionism that ignores hard facts. One is that England progressed from a group stage exit in 2014 to a semi-final defeat in extra-time four years later. No country on earth would call that anything other than improvement." (AFP)

FIFA World Cup 2018: Cult of Gareth Southgate grows, England World Cup fever mounts

England is basking in unexpected World Cup success as coach Gareth Southgate is elevated to national hero status, cathedral organs belt out football anthems and the country prepares to shut down for Wednesday's semi-final.

Clean-cut, waistcoated manager Southgate was not even supposed to be in Russia. Now he's about to lead England against Croatia with a place in Sunday's final beckoning.

When the 47-year-old was appointed in November 2016 after Sam Allardyce left his post following a newspaper sting after just 67 days in charge, there was little fanfare.

That's all changed now. "Southgreat" trumpeted the Sun on Sunday. "Cry God for Harry, England and St George!" said the Sunday Telegraph.

England, basking in a long summer heatwave, is starting to believe the team can reach their first final since 1966 after the young side saw off Sweden 2-0 in the quarter-finals on Saturday.

Almost 20 million people in Britain tuned in, not accounting for the many more who watched in pubs and public viewing areas.

Streets were deserted as people crammed into sweaty pubs, gathered around big screens or stayed home to watch the national side reach the last four of a World Cup for the first time in 28 years.

Marks and Spencer, official tailors to the England team, declared Saturday #NationalWaistcoatDay in honour of Southgate and the team.

The manager has even been promised a lifetime supply of waistcoats from a firm in London.

"I'm so impressed with Southgate's performance, and with his choice of attire," the founder Sir Plus, Henry Hales, told the London Evening Standard.

Exeter Cathedral, in southwest England, tweeted a video of an organist playing the unofficial team anthem "Three Lions (Football's Coming Home)" in an tweet entitled "To Russia With Love".

The song itself, released by the Lightning Seeds and comedians Frank Skinner and David Baddiel for Euro '96, hosted in England, is storming up the charts again.

Fans have also adapted another song, "Whole Again" by Atomic Kitten.

"Looking back on when we first met, I cannot escape it, I cannot forget," the fans chant.

"Southgate you're the one. You still turn me on and football's coming home again."

Southgate was an accomplished defender for England and a clutch of Premier League clubs, but his managerial experience is limited to a spell at Middlesbrough and with the England Under-21s He famously appeared in a pizza advertisement that played on his penalty miss in the Euro 96 semi-final shootout against eventual champions Germany.

But he has gone from fall guy to hero, taking social media by storm, with the hashtag #GarethSouthgateWould used thousands of times by people imagining how he would help them out.

"#GarethSouthgateWould siphon the petrol out of his own car and put it into yours, if he saw you parked up on the hard shoulder on a motorway out of fuel. He'd wave you off, then he'd wait for the AA (Automobile Association) to come get him, because that was his last few drops," tweeted @DrawtyDevil.

AmnestyUK tweeted: "#GarethSouthgateWould ensure we retain all our hard-won #humanrights after #Brexit." Former British Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson tweeted: "#GarethSouthgateWould come all the way to London to make sure there was a ramp to get me off the train when he was only popping to Boro to get some milk."

 Twitter user Claire Eubank tweeted a radically altered version of The Lord's Prayer.

"Our Gareth, who art in Samara, Hallowed be thy waistcoat.... For Thine is the semis, The Final and the Glory, For ever and ever. #It's Coming Home."

Southgate's rising profile has been a bonanza for lookalike airline pilot Neil Rowe, who even managed to temporarily fool BBC TV presenter and former England international Gary Lineker when he spied him in the crowd during the match against Sweden.

"I signed kids' napkins in McDonald's in 96 after he missed the penalty, have been shouted at by Colombian fans and got free beers in the Irish bar," Rowe told the BBC. Perhaps, though, the Daily Mirror summed it up best as to why Southgate has wowed the English public.

"He is a gentleman." (AFP)

Twenty years ago, Croatia made its World Cup debut with a result that happened only once previously in the tournament's history and has never been topped.

Finishing in third place the first time it participated in soccer's biggest showcase set a lofty standard.

The Croatians' memorable run to the semifinals in 1998 remains a moment of pride for the country. It also created a shadow every successive Croatia team has been forced to deal with and has not come close to matching. Until now.

Croatia can equal what that 1998 team did if it beats Russia on Saturday in the quarterfinals and perhaps finally rid itself of that 20-year shadow.

The current squad of stars such as Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic, Mario Mandzukic and Ivan Rakitic will be held in the same esteem as the stars of '98 such as Davor Suker, Zvonimir Boban and Slaven Bilic with one more victory.

Or if they can't get past the home team, they will be the latest Croatia team to fall short.

"It has been talked a lot about the two teams and their similarities," Perisic said.

"They achieved a historic result in France. Now we've come close and hopefully we can even do it a little bit better than them. We know our quality and we believe in ourselves and we are on the right track at the moment."

The current group of Croatians has become tired of hearing about what happened in 1998. It's not a matter of respect - there is great admiration for what the '98 team accomplished - but matching or exceeding what that team did has been a burden in every major tournament for the past 20 years.

As Rakitic said recently, "At this point we need to forget about them, with all respect to them." Croatia's third place finish in its debut has been equaled only by Portugal in 1966 when the tournament featured just 16 teams. The 1998 team finished second in its group, beat Romania in the round of 16 and knocked off Germany 3-0 in the quarterfinals. Croatia lost to eventual champion France in the semifinals, but rebounded to beat the Netherlands and finish third.

It's what Croatia has done - or hasn't - in the four World Cups since that debut which has created the shadow this team plays under.

"It was different football 20 year ago," Ante Rebic said.

"They achieved a top fantastic result. We are now on a good way and have great support in Croatia and I believe in our team we can do something similar."

Croatia was ousted in the group stage in 2002 and 2006, didn't qualify for 2010 in South Africa and was again dumped in the group stage in 2014 - albeit from a very difficult group.

The 2002 and 2006 tournaments were particularly frustrating because a win in the final group games would have advanced Croatia to the knockout round.

Even the European Championships haven't been kind. Croatia reached the quarterfinals in its first tournament in 1996 and has advanced that far only once since. Croatia has never made the Euro semifinals.

"Our goals are higher," defender Domagoj Vida said.

"God-willing we would like to lift the World Cup trophy. That's what we are here for." Croatia is the heavy favorite in the quarterfinal matchup with the host team, and a win over the Russians would be held in the same esteem as its quarterfinal win over Germany that happened 20 years ago this week.

Modric may be the favorite for the Golden Ball as the best player in the tournament thus far. Goalkeeper Danijel Subasic has become a national hero for saving three penalties to advance Croatia past Denmark in the round of 16. And Croatia is on the side of the bracket where playing in the final seems entirely possible if it can beat the Russians.

That would certainly eliminate the pressure that still lingers from 20 years ago.

"It was a dream to be in a similar situation one day. Now is the time and hopefully we can achieve a similar result," Perisic said. "That's why we are really looking forward to the game against Russia." (AP)

Sweden coach Janne Andersson said his side were "easy to analyse but very difficult to beat" ahead of Saturday's World Cup quarter-final against England.

Sweden are attempting to reach a first semi-final since 1994, when they were beaten 1-0 in the last four by eventual champions Brazil.

They saw off the Netherlands in qualifying and knocked out Italy in a play-off, before finishing top of a World Cup group featuring defending champions Germany.

Sweden remain one of the least fancied teams left in the competition, with little in the way of star power following the retirement of Zlatan Ibrahimovic after Euro 2016.

"I think there was a coach who once said about their team that they're quite easy to analyse but quite difficult to beat. I think that's a right description for us," Andersson told reporters on Friday.

"It shouldn't be that difficult to get an idea of what we do.

"The surprise is probably that we're terribly consistent," he added. "Whether or not you take us seriously and how they perceive it, that's very difficult for me to say.

"We're really strong in our beliefs and we really have been from the outset." Sweden have lost to England just once in eight competitive meetings -- a 3-2 defeat during the group stage at Euro 2012 -- but Andersson said past records are meaningless.

"We're a completely different squad and so are they, so anything that went before is not relevant," he said.

The 3-0 win over Mexico in Sweden's final group match is the only time the Scandinavians have scored more than once in their past 11 official games.

- 'Holistic approach' -

They have kept three clean sheets in four outings in Russia but captain Andreas Granqvist will have his work cut out against Harry Kane, the leading scorer in the competition with six goals.

"He's incredibly skilled, not just at penalties but as a striker. It's going to be a very tough match against him but we will do our best to stop him," said Granqvist, who will be partnered by Victor Lindelof in central defence.

"We need to be very strong in the penalty box and try and make sure they don't get the service they need." Andersson said it would take a "holistic approach" to beat England, who are looking to reach their first World Cup semi-final in 28 years.

"Football isn't that simple. You can't identify one single factor, you need to look at the overall picture," the Sweden coach said.

"Many things must be right to beat a team like England.

"We need to get the defence right, we need to be courageous when we have possession. We have a clear idea of what we want to do in attack and we want to able to implement all of this."

Seven of England's nine goals in the tournament have come from dead-ball situations, a statistic not lost on Andersson.

"Set-pieces will be one key factor. For the first time I feel we meet a country who's more or less on a par with us in that respect," he said.

"It's a holistic approach. You need to get everything right, not one individual detail." (AFP)