World Cup final DELAYED after extravagant closing ceremony and frantic rush to clear pitch

THE World Cup final kick off was DELAYED after a star-studded closing ceremony overran. The match was due to begin at exactly 8pm GMT (3pm local time) on Sunday. The World Cup final was delayed by a few minutes Credit: EPA However, the Argentina national anthem was still being sung at that point. There was then a frantic rush to remove the flags and staging from the pitch while both teams prepared to kick off. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! The match eventually started six minutes late. MORE TO FOLLOW Comment now