In 1972, Andrei Tarkovsky directed "Solaris", a science fiction masterpiece in which Kris Kelvin travels from Earth to a Soviet space station orbiting the titular planet to find that it is communicating with the people aboard the station by bringing their dreams to life, for better and for worse. The 11 host stadiums were never as impenetrable or hostile as an alien world, nor was the football ever as poetic as the work of Tarkovsky, but this was a tournament that ran on the power of the Id.

How else can you explain England? When he was appointed as a last-minute no-hope replacement for "Big" Sam Allardyce as England manager, only in his deepest desires could Gareth Southgate imagine himself taking his squad all the way to a third-place play-off in Saint Petersburg, reigniting hope in English football and becoming a fashion icon along the way, instead of ending the tournament in premature disgrace like everyone since Bobby Robson.

And what of the hosts themselves: Russia were the lowest ranked team to ever compete at a World Cup and were lucky and/or fiddled the draw to make sure they were matched with a team like Saudi Arabia to prevent immediate and obvious embarrassment. Instead, not only did they acquit themselves well and play like a real, genuine team – putting them above a lot of canonically better sides – but they also brought a definitive sunset on the reign of Spain and exited the tournament on the narrowest of margins.

Not all dreams are as positive and rewarding we would like to believe, however. Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi went into this World Cup knowing it was their last real shot at confirming their GOAT status – but for either man to achieve their goal, their rival would have to fail, so it is apt that their intertwined, single-minded fates both ended in the same manner at the same stage. Likewise, two teams at very different places in the footballing spectrum, Brazil and Egypt, spent so long wishing for the fitness and health of their talisman that they put all their focus on Neymar Jr and Mo Salah respectively and forgot to build a team for them to be part of.

And the less said about Germany - who spent four years of sleepless nights tossing and turning over the World Cup winners curse, making it a reality in the process - the better.

For France and Croatia, their place in the final allowed each of them to bring their hopes to life. Les Bleus could not have been more obvious in their lust for the glory they feel has been denied for too long, often by their own hands. Croatia's Blazers only wanted revenge. France denied their post-Yugoslav golden generation what was rightfully theirs and, now, 20 years later, the second batch would take what was rightfully theirs.

But dreams often have a way of turning to nightmares when we least expect it. Having convincingly ground their way through all opponents, Croatia looked to grind through France and France made them pay for this early on; Griezmann's first real touch was snatched away quickly by Marcelo Brozevic and he seized on the opportunity, throwing himself to the ground for a soft free kick. It was in a dangerous area and, reading the expected curve of the ball, Croatia defended deep, too deep, and the ball sliced off the top of Mario Mandzukic's head, deflected past goalkeeper Danijel Subasic and gave France the 1-0 lead off the first ever World Cup final own goal.

Mandzukic, the hero of the tie with England only three days prior, could not have made a bigger mistake. Thankfully, for the neutrals in the audience, this was just the thing to break the tension of the game and open things up. Barely 10 minutes later, Croatia repaid the favor and made it 1-1 off a free kick of their own. 

They had spent the whole tournament working on complex set pieces that looked like they belonged on the training ground, but when it mattered, Ivan Perisic smashed it beyond Hugo Lloris as the final step of a dead ball play that involved more moves than The Macarena. A feint, then Luka Modric's foot, Sime Vrsalko's head, Perisic's smooth control, his setting of the hips and finally a gorgeous left-footed blooter. Easily one of the tournament's best goals.

Back in it and looking strong, Croatia controlled possession and the flow of play – until the 33rd minute when their worst fears came true. France nicked a corner and, when Griezmann swung it in, it missed Blaise Matuidi's head and hit Perisic's arm instead. The referee consulted the VAR system and decided, after a long look, that it was a penalty. Slow motion replays on TV and in the stadium made it look entirely accidental on the Croatian's part – where, exactly, was his arm supposed to go – but it didn't matter. France's first was soft, their second was a joke.

It would, of course, get worse. 2-1 down at half time isn't a death sentence. Reinvigorated by the break and nowhere near as leggy as expected, Croatia came out swinging in the second half and a promising counterattack early on found them interrupted by four members of Russian protest group Pussy Riot, who decided the best way to protest against Russian President Putin was to invade the pitch while dressed as policemen.

The game was stopped while they were removed. TV cameras were quickly diverted and commentators talked around the issue. The enduring image is Kylian Mbappe giving a halfhearted high five to one of the protestors – and why wouldn't he? They'd stopped Croatia at their most dangerous – but the others, including one of Dejan Lovren one step away from committing a murder, tell the rest of the story. Fake injuries, dodgy referee decisions and now a run in; this World Cup final was a steel chair away from being WrestleMania.

Understandably, Croatia was shaken and didn't recover. Paul Pogba made it 3-1 just before the hour and Mbappe became the first teenager since Pele in 1958 to score in a World Cup final, making it 4-1. To make sure it wasn't a total rout, and to avenge his earlier mistake, Mandzukic pressurized France's keeper, momentarily turning Lloris into Liverpool's Loris Karius.

It stayed 4-2 and France did deserve to win (the tournament, if not the game). Croatia were right to be aggrieved when they collected their runners up medal but as the heaven's above Moscow opened and soaked the winners – as well as officials such as Gianni Infantino, Vladimir Putin, Emmanuel Macron and Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic – France were a vision of pure bliss, living out their greatest fantasy. The depth of their talent is sensational, and whatever coach Didier Deschamps did to get everyone on the same page, joining the legendary Franz Beckenbauer as the second man to win the World Cup as a player and coach is more than a just reward.

Vive la France. Vive la republique. Vive Les Bleus.