Was anybody else even close to France?

Coming into the 2018 World Cup, I (and I think many others) had 4 teams in mind who were genuinely in contention to win it all. 

Those 4 teams were (in order of how likely I thought they were to win) France, Germany, Spain, and Brazil. In a tournament where so many highly ranked teams were sent home early, France remained the incorruptible exception. I picked France to win the tournament beforehand because they flat out had the most talented squad. I was certain Mbappe would break out, Kante would dominate, and Varane and Umtiti would be at least fairly solid in the back. My doubts were about Giroud scoring, Deschamps being tactically sound, the fullbacks, and Pogba being able to overcome his more petulant side and really stepping up as a leader, doing whatever he needed to win games. My certainties turned out to be correct, and I was overwhelmingly proved wrong about Pogba, Deschamps, both fullbacks, and although Giroud never score, he was certainly integral in creating space for Mbappe by stretching the field and occupying centerbacks. 

Despite France being outstanding at every single position, (if we forget about Lloris' second 45 in the final, and understanding Giroud was not a typical 9) did they ever really look like they were in danger? 

Deschamps used the Australia match to tinker with playing a 4-2-3-1 with Giroud (that often turned into a 4-3-3 because of Matuidi) or a true 4-3-3 with Dembele, and still managed to get the result he needed, despite the mistake from Umtiti that lead to the penalty. 

Peru looked threatening, but France got the goal they needed and the result they needed. 

The Denmark match doesn't need to be mentioned does it? 

Even after going down to Argentina 2-1, there was a recognition among fans and the French players that they were always going to find their way back into it. In fact the Pavard goal seemed more like the go ahead than the equalizer, and Mbappe's goals, although special for him and for the future of soccer, seemed like they were the 5th and 6th goals of a rout rather than the go ahead and eventual winner. 

It was always going to be difficult to break down Uruguay the way they'd done Argentina, they might have been respectively the best defensive team and worst defensive teams of the tournament. So they changed it up. Instead of relying on Mbappe getting in behind, they got a set piece and executed it perfectly. A gift from Muslera was just insurance they didn't seem like they needed. 

Belgium seemed like the first team that could genuinely challenge them, and they did for the most part, but France got what they needed, just like the Uruguay game, and defended spectacularly. Belgium had no sense of urgency, no "throwing of the kitchen sink," and France coasted through to the final.

Even in the final, where Croatia looked threatening for a long time, and certainly had more chances in the first half, France never panicked. Before the final Deschamps emphasized his 3 C's: calm, confident, concentrate, which France followed to a T. 

In many ways the final was a microcosm of the tournament, the own goal, the VAR, the Croatia having to come back, and in one more key way: France were playing like they knew something we didn't. It was uncanny how much they looked like a team that had come from the future where they already knew the outcome and were just going through the motions they needed to win it. The only times they looked emotionally volatile and as if they didn't already know they were going to win it were once they had already done it. That final whistle let them release that valve and let out all the pressure they felt. Deschamps 3 C's went out the window and were replaced by Pogba's 3 C's: chanson, champagne, and champion du monde.