France Win World Cup in Highest-Scoring Final Since 1966

In arguably the best World Cup ever, France beat Croatia 4-2 in the final to lift the trophy for the second time in their history.

France was +700 to win the World Cup heading into the tourney, and a France vs. Croatia final was listed at +8000.

Here's a look at all the betting results from Sunday's World Cup final, as well as stats and trends throughout the tournament.

Match #64: France vs. Croatia (Final)

Result: France 4-2 Croatia (France win World Cup)

Moneyline: France +120
Spread: France -0.5 (+120)
Total: Over 2 (+122)

This match was exciting from the start, with Croatia on the front foot in the beginning. Despite owning the run of play, France struck first on an own goal in the 18th minute to go up 1-0. An own goal was listed at +2500 to be the game's first.

The lead didn't even last 10 minutes when Croatia deservedly tied it 1-1 through Ivan Perisic.

Croatia looked lively and must have felt good to get the game level again, but that didn't last either. Ten minutes after Perisic scored, he was called for handball in the box after VAR reviewed the decision. Antoine Griezmann slotted home the PK to put France up 2-1.

Any PK awarded was listed at +175 before the match. Any PK awarded after VAR review was listed at +185, and a France PK awarded after VAR review was listed at +400.

By halftime, Over 2 goals had already cashed for the 80% of bettors that took it. The odds of France leading 2-1 at halftime were +2500.

Once the second half ensued, there was more craziness, including at least four people running onto the pitch.

When play started up again, Paul Pogba put France up 3-1 early in the second half, and 19-year-old Kylian Mbappe scored a pivotal fourth goal for France.

Croatia did get one back on a Hugo Lloris blunder to make it 4-2, but they weren't able to get closer than that.

• The exact scoreline of France 4-2 was listed at +11300.
• Either team to score 3+ goals was listed at +2600.
• Over 5.5 goals was listed at +3300 before the match.

It was the highest scoring World Cup final since 1966 (England beat West Germany 4-2), and one shy from the record set in 1958 (Brazil beat Sweden 5-2).

Odds Throughout Tournament

France to win World Cup + Harry Kane to win Golden Boot was listed at +10000 before the tournament.

Harry Kane to win the Golden Boot was listed at +1800 heading into the tournament. He scored six goals, two ahead of Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)., Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Denis Cherysev (Russia), Antoine Griezmann (France) and Kylian Mbappe (France).

Golden Ball Winner

Croatia's Luka Modric won the Golden Ball for tournament's best player despite the loss in the final. It's the sixth straight World Cup that the Golden Ball hasn't been awarded to a player from the winning team:

2018 Luka Modric – Croatia (2nd place)

2014 Leo Messi – Argentina (2nd)

2010 Diego Forlán -Uruguay (4th)

2006 Zinedine Zidane -France (2nd)

2002 Oliver Kahn -Germany (2nd)

1998 Ronaldo – Brazil (2nd)

He entered the tourney at +10000, was +1500 heading into the knockout round, and +210 before the final.

World Cup Results, Trends and Stats

• Favorites 35 wins (-0.87 units)
• Underdogs 15 wins (+7.15 units)
• Draws 14 (-12.10 units)
• 30 Overs, 24 Unders, 10 Pushes

Underdogs would have been down more than 10 units if not for South Korea beating Germany in the group stage.

There were 169 total goals in the tournament's 64 matches. The Over/Under before the tournament was 159.5. Every team scored at least once.

Biggest Upsets/Payouts During World Cup

South Korea (+1850) vs. Germany
Mexico (+580) vs. Germany
Argentina-Iceland Draw (+444)
Saudi Arabia (+425) vs. Egypt
Japan (+400) vs. Colombia

We hope you enjoyed the content at Action Network during the World Cup. If you missed anything, here are some additional links:

• World Cup Group Betting Results
• Sportsbooks' Betting Handle
• Team-By-Team Betting Previews
• World Cup Central – Odds, Futures and Props