'I do not know where I am!'

French striker Antoine Griezmann hit a hat-trick as Atletico Madrid thrashed Sevilla 5-2 on Sunday to cut the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona back to seven points.

The result was also a boost for Manchester United, who face Sevilla in the Champions League last 16 second leg next month after the two sides were locked 0-0 from the first game.

"I'm very happy with the team's work, but a little less happy that we conceded two goals," said Griezmann.

"It's good that we have several forwards who score goals, but the most important thing is the three points."

Former Chelsea star Diego Costa grabbed the opener just before the half-hour mark after a farcical mix-up in the Sevilla defence.

Goalkeeper Sergio Rico attempted to play a short ball to Ever Banega standing on the edge of the penalty area.

However, his teammate dallied too long and predator Costa nipped in to steal the ball off the toe of the Argentine before confidently burying the opportunity.

Sevilla had plenty of chances with Colombian striker Luis Muriel seeing Atletico keeper Jan Oblak deny him with a smart save.

Three minutes from the break, Griezmann scored his first of the night when he danced between three defenders to score with a fierce right-footed drive past Rico.

Griezmann made it 3-0 five minutes into the second half, converting his team's first La Liga penalty of the season after Costa was brought down by Rico.

Sevilla imploded with Koke making it 4-0 after more suicidal defending before Griezmann completed his hat-trick on 80 minutes, taking his Liga tally to 11 for the season.

The home side salvaged a degree of pride when Pablo Sarabia and Nolito tucked away goals in the last five minutes.

On Saturday, Luis Suarez hit a hat-trick as Barcelona thrashed neighbours Girona 6-1 while Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice for Real Madrid in a 4-0 defeat of Alaves.

Real are third, seven points behind Atletico and 14 back from Barcelona.

Earlier on Sunday, Santi Mina scored both goals as Valencia defeated Real Sociedad 2-1 to stay firmly on course for the Champions League next season.

The victory took fourth-placed Valencia to 49 points, just two behind Real and eight ahead of Villarreal in the race for spots in the continent's top club competition.

Valencia went ahead in the 34th minute with a Santi Mina header before Mikel Oyarzabal levelled with a powerful drive after 54 minutes.

However, a mistake by Sociedad goalkeeper Tono Ramirez 13 minutes later allowed Mina to tuck away the second goal and ensure the three points against rivals who were eliminated from the Europa League on Thursday at the hands of Salzburg.

- En-Nesyri's rollercoaster -

Athletic Bilbao came from a goal down to defeat rock-bottom Malaga 2-1 on a roller-coaster day for Moroccan international striker Youssef En-Nesyri.

The 20-year-old gave Malaga a 12th minute lead, finishing off a cross from the right hand side.

Markel Susaeta levelled five minutes later before a half-volley from Mikel San Jose secured the win for Athletic just before half-time.

En-Nesryi then missed a penalty on the hour when his spot-kick was saved by Bilbao goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.

His frustrations then got the better of him when he was red-carded six minutes from time after picking up a second booking.

Villarreal goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo saved two penalties as his side beat Getafe 1-0 to consolidate their push for European football next season.

Turkey international Enes Unal scored the only goal at El Madrigal after just three minutes and Asenjo preserved the lead by saving a first-half spot-kick from Angel Rodriguez.

The 28-year-old then kept out a Jorge Molina penalty on 51 minutes to allow Villarreal to climb above Sevilla into fifth after halting a run of three league matches without a win.

French star Antoine Griezmann has extended his contract with Atletico Madrid by a year, the Spanish club announced on Tuesday.

Griezmann's contract now runs until June 30, 2022, and ends rumours linking him with a move away from Atletico.

"The first thing that I want to do is apologise to the people who misunderstood my statements," the 26-year-old said.

"Maybe I expressed myself badly or someone wanted to make news where there wasn't any, but since I came, I have given my all for my club, my teammates and my coaching staff, and I'm very happy to live one more season with all of you."

Griezmann arrived in Atletico in 2014 for 30 million euros from Real Sociedad, where he started his career in 2009.

He has scored 83 goals in 160 games for Atletico, with whom he reached the Champions League final in 2016.

Atletico's sporting director Jose Luis Perez Caminero dubbed the contract extension "great news because he is one of the best players in the world".

"Antoine is a different football player, capable of changing a match, with spectacular qualities, a very complete player."

France's 2018 World Cup-winning star Antoine Griezmann on Monday announced his retirement from international football, bringing to an end a 10-year career with his country.

"It is with a heart full of memories that I am closing this chapter of my life," France vice-captain Griezmann, 33, wrote on X.

The Atletico Madrid forward made his France debut in March 2014 and has gone on to win 137 caps, a figure beaten only by his former teammate Hugo Lloris (145) and 1998 World Cup winner Lilian Thuram (142).

Griezmann is also fourth in France's list of all-time leading goal-scorers with 44, behind only record marksman Olivier Giroud, Thierry Henry and current captain Kylian Mbappe.

He scored in France's 4-2 win over Croatia in the final of the 2018 World Cup in Moscow, having previously helped his country reach the final of Euro 2016, a tournament he ended as top scorer with six goals.

Griezmann was also outstanding for Les Bleus on their run to the 2022 World Cup final, which they lost on penalties to Argentina in Qatar.

His last major tournament will be remembered less fondly, as neither he nor his team found their best form at Euro 2024 despite making it to the semi-finals.

Griezmann's last appearance for France came in a UEFA Nations League win at home to Belgium earlier this month.

The striker's decision to quit is further confirmation that an era has come to an end for the French side.

Lloris and centre-back Raphael Varane both retired from international duty in the wake of the 2022 World Cup, with the latter quitting football entirely last week at the age of just 31.

Giroud stopped playing for his country in the wake of this year's Euros in Germany.

Coach Didier Deschamps will name his next France squad this Thursday ahead of Nations League matches against Israel in Budapest on October 10 and Belgium in Brussels four days later.

Atletico Madrid are hoping Antoine Griezmann's injury is nothing more than a sprained ankle after the forward was substituted in their 1-0 defeat by Inter Milan in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, manager Diego Simeone said.

Atletico's all-time leading goalscorer, who has scored five goals in six Champions League games this season, was replaced by Angel Correa in the 78th minute.

"He (Griezmann) sprained his ankle and we hope it will be just a sprained ankle," Simeone told reporters.

Atletico's injuries are piling up ahead of next week's Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Athletic Bilbao.

Defender Jose Maria Gimenez was also injured a minute after halftime on Tuesday, while midfielder Thomas Lemar and winger Marcos Paulo are also sidelined.

Simeone also said he was optimistic about his team's chances of advancing to the Champions League quarter-finals when they host the Serie A leaders in the second leg on March 13.

"Going beyond the defeat, we've proven that we're able to compete. We know what we'll face," Simeone added.

"After playing against them now we know how they play. Now we hope that when the time comes we'll be in top shape and we'll compete the way this tournament demands."

Energetic, disciplined and clinical, France won the World Cup on Sunday with a 4-2 victory over Croatia that, even in such a moment of achievement, still left the feeling there may be much more to come from Didier Deschamps' outstanding young team.

With key talent Kylian Mbappe just 19 years old and the second youngest squad in the tournament, this triumph could be the start of a memorable era for French football.

Deschamps was lambasted for being over-functional, even boring, two years ago when France lost to Portugal in the Euro 2016 final in Paris but his critics will be silent now.

While he has remained a coach who focuses on creating a solid organisational structure, this time he had the additional threat of Mbappe's pace and skill to go with the cleverness of Antoine Griezmann and the physical presence and positional awareness of Olivier Giroud.

This is not the France of 1984, the European champions with the creative genius of Michel Platini and Jean Tigana and it is a less expressive team than the 1998 World Cup winners dominated by the brilliance of Zinedine Zidane.

It is, however, a thoroughly modern team, with technically accomplished young players, a distinct identity and no obvious weak points.

"We did not play a huge game but we showed mental quality. And we scored four goals anyway. They deserved to win," Deschamps said and it was hard to argue.

Their triumph is indeed fully deserved -- there simply was no better all-round team than France in this tournament.

Having topped their group, they revealed their counter-attacking flair and the thrill of Mbappe in beating Argentina 4-3 but games which truly showed their character were the expertly-managed quarter-final and semi-final victories over Uruguay and an excellent Belgian team.

France were not at their best in the final, with Croatia enjoying the better of the possession for long stretches and their defence struggled at times against the directness and speed of winger Ivan Perisic.

It was an own goal and a harshly-awarded penalty, after video review, that put Deschamps' side in front but once Paul Pogba had driven in the third and Mbappe added a superbly-taken fourth, the title was in their grasp.

Impressively, they won the final without a major contribution from Ngolo Kante, their defensive anchor and the best protector of a back-line in the game, who has formed such an excellent partnership with Pogba in the centre of the field.

Kante was booked in the 27th minute and wasn't his normal self afterwards but the strength in depth available to Deschamps was evident when he was able to bring on the always reliable Steven Nzonzi in the 55th minute.

With Nzonzi dominating central midfield France were stronger and their last two goals coming after that switch.

As he has done throughout this tournament, Pogba played with great tactical discipline in a largely defensive role but still managed to pop up with the crucial goal to make it 3-1 in the final.

Croatia were beaten but did not lose heart after a dream run to the World Cup final in Moscow which saw them beat a host of illustrious oppenents along the way. PHOTO: REUTERS

But the player who captures the imagination in this team is without doubt Mbappe, whose terrifying pace sometimes masks his excellent touch and skill.

With experience, his decision-making will improve and he should be an even bigger threat in the 2020 European Championship.

The relative youth of the France side is no guarantee of improvement and they will need to show they same kind of hunger and desire that Croatia have shown throughout the tournament.

But it is hard not to feel that Deschamps' side have another gear available to them and are capable of something really special if they need to.

Argentina and Croatia both pushed France hard and both ended up conceding four goals.

That truly is the stuff of champions.

What they said

It is really beautiful. It is marvellous. We did not play a great match but we showed a strong mental quality. We also scored four goals. We merit it. I am very happy for this team. We are coming from very far and it has not always been easy, but thanks to hard work, they are here and are on top of the world for the next four years.

FRANCE COACH DIDIER DESCHAMPS

"I don't know where I am, it is great... Very happy. It was a difficult match. Croatia play a great game. We started timidly. We knew it was a World Cup Final. We got into the game and on counter attacks, we made the difference. Very happy. We look forward to lifting the cup and taking it to France."

ANTOINE GRIEZMANN, SCORER OF A PENALTY

We have been celebrating with eveyone and my teammates in the locker room. The president (Macron) was here, likewise President Putin and the Croatian president, who congratulated us.

STRIKER OLIVIER GIROUD

I'm very happy. I was able to show my ambitions and our collective ambition, which was to win. It was a long road, but it was worth while and we are world champions and very proud. It is the life that we wanted, we are proud to make French people happy.

KYLIAN MBAPPE, 19-YEAR-OLD STRIKER AND GOAL SCORER

“It is a dream since I was a young boy. I hope we have made you proud. What did you tell your teammates before the game? I told everyone that we are 90 minutes away from realising our dream, we are 90 minutes from entering into history books for life, and we were 90 minutes away from making France rock, even children and their children will know about this. So guys, we can do this. There are two teams and a Cup and we are not going to let another team take this Cup. That is all I told them."

FRANCE MIDFIELDER PAUL POGBA

"First of all I want to congratulate France. We are sad but proud at the same time. We played well but the penalty knocked the wind out of us and after that it was very difficult. I just want to say one sentence about that penalty: You don't give a penalty like that in a World Cup final. We wanted to win the World Cup so much but that's football. The French did not surprise us, we let in two soft goals coupled with an own goal and a penalty. What we had in terms of luck in this tournament, we lacked today. When you concede four goals you cannot expect to win the game."

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic

"We have no regrets because we were the better team for much of the game. Unfortunately, some clumsy goals swung it their way. They will be celebrating but we can hold our heads high. When the emotions settle, we will be able to analyse more clearly. I am proud of the (best player) award. The incredible fan support makes me even happier. You know that despite the defeat you've achieved something big, but it's hard when you come so close and fall short."   

Croatia captain Luka Modric

"We played our hearts out and have no regrets. I hope our fans felt it too. I think what we have accomplished will be remembered forever and we can be proud of ourselves. That includes our overall conduct, our performances and our fans who represented the country in the best possible way along with ourselves." 

Croatia full back Sime Vrsaljko

"Emotion, emotion, big emotion. Looking at the score now after the game, I think that it's justice. We need to say congrats to the French players, coach. I think the best team won today."

Davor Suker, president 

of the Croatian Football Federation