Clinical Croatia Ends France’s Unbeaten Streak to Take Charge in Quarter-Final

Croatia leads France 2-0 on aggregate following their UEFA Nations League quarter-final clash, where Ante Budimir and Ivan Perisic found the net, bringing an end to Les Bleus’ five-match unbeaten streak.

Early excitement unfolded when referee Espen Eskas awarded a penalty, adjudging Ibrahima Konate guilty of a handball in the area under pressure from Budimir.

However, Andrej Kramaric squandered the opportunity as his penalty was brilliantly saved by Mike Maignan, who thwarted the shot with his trailing leg after diving to the right.

This let-off for France saw Kylian Mbappe, making his first international appearance in over six months, have a shot turned away by Dominik Livakovic early on.

Mbappe appeared vigorous, and Livakovic was on hand to deny him again as he parried away another effort after the Real Madrid star was set up by Lucas Digne.

The first breakthrough came for the hosts in the 26th minute when Budimir connected with a cross from Perisic to head home.

This goal was a source of disappointment for Maignan, who failed to block what should have been a straightforward header, with the ball deflecting off his chest and into the goal.

Perisic then scored himself just before the end of the first half, unleashing a powerful right-footed volley past Maignan after William Saliba inadvertently deflected Martin Baturina’s initial strike right into his path.

The 36-year-old’s strike marked his first international goal since December 2022, putting Zlatko Dalic’s side in a dominant position at the break.

Didier Deschamps’ team returned for the second half with increased intensity, and Ousmane Dembele will rue not hitting the target after he connected with Mbappe’s pass, only to end up striking the side netting.

Dembele and Mbappe combined once more shortly after, but Dembele’s shot from Mbappe’s assist was deflected behind by Livakovic.

Despite enjoying superior possession, the two-time FIFA World Cup champs struggled to breach Dalic’s resolute defence.

Substitute Bradley Barcola epitomised this as he failed to latch onto a promising cross from Matteo Guendouzi into the box.

Livakovic continued to shine, making a remarkable right-handed save to deny Mbappe yet again, ensuring his clean sheet remained intact.

This victory serves as a vital morale boost for Croatia, who finished their group stage campaign on a less than reassuring note with two draws and a loss.

Meanwhile, for France, their quest to become the first team to win this competition multiple times now hangs in the balance as they head into the second leg on Sunday in Saint-Denis.