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Croatia 2-0 France: Report And Full Match Highlights From Les Bleus' Loss

Match report and highlights from Croatia 2-0 France.

Apratim Banerjee

IMAGO / HANZA MEDIA

France succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against Croatia in the UEFA Nations League quarter-final first leg on March 20 at Stadion Pljud in Split.

Ousmane Dembele was the only PSG player in Les Bleus' starting XI, while loanee Randal Kolo Muani also started. Former Parisians like Kylian Mbappe, Adrien Rabiot, and Lucas Digne started. Bradley Barcola, meanwhile, came on as a substitute.

Ante Budimir drew first blood with his 26th-minute goal. Ivan Perisic then made it 2-0 with his strike in the injury time of the first half (45+1').

Croatia vs France
IMAGO / Pixsell

Didier Deschamps' France had better control of play. They managed 63% possession of the ball. Les Bleus also registered six shots on target and completed 597 passes compared to Vatreni's 369.

France managed nine corners compared to Croatia's three. However, it was Zlatko Dalic' Vatreni who emerged as winners. The second leg of the quarter-final will take place on Sunday, March 23.

Croatia vs France match highlights

United States

United Kingdom

Watch the highlights on the UEFA.com website.

The game marked Kylian Mbappe's return to the national team after his absence in the last two international breaks. However, the French captain failed to make a notable influence.

Ousmane Dembele, meanwhile, has been in dazzling form for PSG. He also failed to spark a comeback. Both the superstar attackers need to be at their best if Les Bleus are to still qualify for the semi-finals from this position.

Despite creating a substantial attacking threat throughout the game, France fell short when trying to convert those chances. Finishing is an area Deschamps needs to focus on for the second leg.

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Apratim Banerjee
APRATIM BANERJEE

Apratim is an experienced sports journalist and has covered Football, Boxing, MMA, and more for the past five years. He has worked for Sports Illustrated, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and other publications. Apratim is currently pursuing an MSc. in Sport Marketing at Loughborough University London.

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