Croatia ran out of miracles.
The upstart World Cup finalists from a country of only 4 million had reached the final against mighty France with three straight victories in extra time, including a pair of penalty kick shootouts.
On Sunday, they erased an early 1-0 deficit before France took control with three straight second-half goals in a 4-2 victory that gives Les Bleus their second World Cup title, following the 1998 squad's victory that served as childhood inspiration for many of the current team members.
One player who doesn't remember that championship is 19-year-old wunderkind Kylian Mbappe, and he put an exclamation point on his coming-out party in this tournament by scoring France's fourth goal in the 65th minute, which gave the eventual champs an insurmountable 4-1 lead.
France took a 2-1 lead at the end of a wild first half with a pair of goals that involved some controversy. Star French forward Antoine Griezmann was fouled outside the penalty area on what replay showed was a clear dive. It nonetheless led to an 18th-minute free kick that was headed into the back of the Croatian net by forward Mario Mandzukic for an own goal.
The underdogs tied things up 10 minutes later, however, when Ivan Perisic coralled a bouncing loose ball at the top of the box, cut it back to his left foot, and drilled a shot to the far post. It marked the fourth time in the tournament that Croatia had overcome a deficit.
Perisic played the goat in the 38th minute, however, when video review showed he had committed a clear handball in front of his own net. Griezmann converted the ensuing penalty, and the French never trailed.
Paul Pogba (59th minute) and Mbappe scored six minutes apart midway through the second half to turn the game into a rout, but Croatia saved some face when Mandzukic cleverly picked the pocket of French keeper Hugo Lloris and tucked one inside the far post to give Croatia life in the 69th minute.
However, the French defense clamped down from there and head coach Didier Deschamps found himself once again hoisting the trophy, just as he had done as French captain 20 years earlier on home soil.