World Cup Finals & More

France won its second World Cup championship, defeating Croatia 4-2 on Sunday in Moscow to the bring the competition to a close.
Croatia, on the whole, probably played better; France simply made the most of its opportunities, stretching its lead to 4-1 in the second half. The six goals were the most in a World Cup final since 1966. In Saturday’s game for third place, Belgium topped England 2-0. Next up as World Cup host: Qatar, in 2022. Can hardly wait.

Boxing:
Yes, Manny Pacquiao still climbs into the ring now and then. On Saturday night (actually Sunday morning at the site in Malaysia), the eight-time world champion picked up another belt, the WBA’s welterweight title, with a seventh-round knockout of a plodding Lucas Matthysse. It was Pac-man’s first win by KO in nearly 10 years. Yes, he plans to fight on, even as he turns 40 in December.

Auto Racing:
Martin Truex Jr. won the NASCAR race at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday night, passing Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch in the late going to repeat as champion. … Scott Dixon won the IndyCar race at Toronto on Sunday for his third title in this race.

Tennis:
Novak Djokovic won his fourth men’s title at Wimbeldon, beating Kevin Anderson in three sets on Sunday. Angelique Kerber took the ladies title on Saturday with a straight set triumph over Serena Williams. …

MLB:
As baseball pauses for its All-Star Game Tuesday night, the middling and muddling St. Louis Cardinals fired Mike Matheny, their manager for the last seven years. The Cardinals look as if they will miss the postseason for the third straight season. … The Detroit Tigers were quite unkind to former teammate Justin Verlander. They battered him for four home runs in a 6-3 victory over the Houston Astros. …

Golf:
Michael Kim shot a final-round 66 on Sunday to win the John Deere Classic by eight shots, a tournament record. Kim, 25, won for the first time on the PGA Tour. Vijay Singh birdied the second playoff hole to beat Jeff Maggert and win the Constellation Senior Players Championship.

Football:
Running back DeMarco Murray, last with the Tennessee Titans, said he is retiring after seven NFL seasons. He is currently unsigned. He was Offensive Player of the Year in 2014 with the Dallas Cowboys, and then joined the Philadelphia Eagles for a year.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman