Croatia 1-1 France
Croatia and France remain at the bottom of the A1 group in the UEFA Nations League as neither got the full three points during their encounter on Monday at Split, Croatia.
This game was billed as the rematch of the 2018 World Cup final. However, both nations have used this as part of their preparations for the upcoming World Cup in November instead by giving some of their fringe players a little more run.
Didier Deschamps was back on the bench after being absent last Friday for personal reasons and he made 10 changes to his team following their opening defeat to Denmark, including the omission of Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe. Meanwhile, Zlatko Dalic didn’t start the likes of Sime Vrsaljko, Andrej Kramaric, and Mario Pasalic.
France drew first blood when Adrien Rabiot scored during the 52nd minute, but Croatia found the equaliser 31 minutes later when Les Bleus conceded a penalty to Andrej Kramaric where he easily scored.
Despite the low-scoring affair, there’s many UEFA Nations League 2022 highlights to look into. And here at SBOTOP, we’ll recap them one by one.
Highlights of the game
There were heartwarming scenes prior to the start of the match as Luka Modric was given a touching tribute to celebrate his 150th cap for Croatia and his Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema also gave him a huge hug.
There was a big banner flashed at the Stadion Poljud, saying: “You are our captain, we are your port.”
And when the action went underway, the Real Madrid midfielder proved why he’s deserving of such honor by showing off his class – including an enticing ball for Josip Brekalo over the top and a beautiful reverse pass to Ante Budimir, but both chances were thwarted by the French backline.
After some nice action produced by Croatia, France went out on a break courtesy of Matteo Guendouzi and Christopher Nkunku put the ball in the net, only to be waved off by the VAR.
France were enjoying more of the ball as half-time was creeping closer, but they couldn’t capitalise despite some attempts from Moussa Diaby and Aurelien Tchouameni to test Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic.
Les Bleus piled the pressure on Croatia early in the second half and they were rewarded in the 52nd minute when Adrien Rabiot collected a nifty pass from Wissam Ben Yedder to finish with a low shot.
Croatia then got their chance when Luka Modric launched a shot of his own, only to get parried away by Mike Maignan.
Zlatko Dalic’s men look frustrated since they were lacking pace, but they got the shot in the arm that they needed during the 83rd minute when Jonathan Clauss brought down Andrej Kramaric in the penalty area and the Hoffenheim striker coolly converted by sending Mike Maignan the wrong way.
Antoine Griezmann almost won it for France few minutes later following a defencive error by the Croats, but Dominik Livakovic and several Croatian defenders disrupted the Atletico man just enough to hit his shot too tight.
Croatia had one more chance to try and steal the game as Kramaric threatened again five minutes from time, but Maignan’s outstretched arms salvaged the point for his team.
Key statistics
This draw marks the first time since 2010 that France have not won in their first two group stage matches in any international competition.
However, the game was pretty much even statistics-wise for the Croats and Les Bleus as both nearly had the same amount of shots and time of possession. France have the slight edge with 52-per cent possession and 517 total passes, but Croatia have had one more shot (8 to 7) than their visitors.
This match also featured several milestones from key members of both sides.
Adrien Rabiot’s goal during the second half was only his second-ever while representing Les Bleus, while Andrej Kramaric notched his 19th goal for Croatia.
Furthermore for France, Boubacar Kamara notched his first cap for Les Bleus, while William Saliba, Matteo Guendouzi, and Christopher Nkunku were all handed their first competitive starts.
Meanwhile for Croatia, the evergreen Luka Modric had his 150th cap while Domagoj Vida is nearing the century mark with his 98th cap.
What’s next?
Up next for the Croats are Denmark, whose UEFA Nations League 2022 odds continue to improve since they’re leading Group A1 with six points following their most recent victory against Austria.
As for the French, they’ll face Austria on Saturday before taking on Croatia once again three days later at their home pitch.
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