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BFW Fight Club: What happened between Mario Mandžukić and Domagoj Vida on the field when the game ended?

They didn’t come to blows, but they exchanged some words.

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Moments after the final whistle sounded and France wrapped up its second World Cup with a 4-2 win over Croatia, Mario Mandžukić and Domagoj Vida had a heated exchange on the field.

While no reports have come out explaining what happened as of yet, it appears something went down, but exactly what the issue was is hard to discern.

9 Now’s Wide World of Sports, an Australian outlet, noted that Mandžukić went directly after Vida when the game ended; but still, no explanation was given.

One of Croatia’s biggest names, star striker Mario Mandžukić was in everything that was good and bad for his side in their disappointing World Cup final loss to France. And the veteran couldn’t keep his emotions in check when the full-time whistle was blown, with the goal scorer making a bee line for his teammate Domagoj Vida, before the pair engaged in a quick but heated exchange.

It was not clear what were arguing about as their teammates commiserated each other following the full-time whistle, but it put into perspective what was at stake in the biggest match in Croatia’s football history.

Mandžukić and Vida during happier times...four days ago.
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Vida looks as if he could have been an extra in Eastern Promises (but in reality he just seems like a free-spirited, family guy), while Mandžukić has never been one to shy away from expressing himself to anyone, anywhere, so this probably shouldn’t be all that shocking.

It was likely nothing more than two emotional, hyper-competitors dealing with the harsh realization that a lifetime goal - that was right in their grasp - had just slipped away. For all we know, it might just be the normal interaction between the duo.

On the BFW Fight Club scale, this is certainly less hostile than than the Robert Lewandowski-Mats Hummels fracas and Arturo Vidal vs. bar patrons melee, but maybe more volatile than Joshua Kimmich vs. Antonio Rudiger during Die Mannschaft training camp.

Aside of that conflict, what a game!

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