France 2-0 (2-2) Croatia Player Ratings: Les Bleus enter the semi-finals after an dramatic comeback

France qualified for the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League, beating Croatia 2-0 on the night and 5-4 in the penalty shootout. The goals in normal time were from Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele, whereas Maignan pulled off two excellent saves in the penalty shootout. Their opponent in the semifinal is yet to be decided.

Deschamps made five changes from the opening leg, primarily attacking ones to overturn the two-goal deficit. Dayot Upamecano, Theo Hernandez, Manu Kone, Michael Olise, and Bradley Barcola, all come into the side. Meanwhile, Dalic has made just one alteration from the first leg. Young attacking midfielder Baturina dropped to the bench and was replaced by Sucic.

France started the game off authoritatively, playing with higher intent than they displayed in the first leg whereas Croatia were sitting deep as they looked to hold on to their lead from the first leg. France came close to opening the scoring as Olise slotted a fantastic through pass to Barcola, who was left one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but Livakovic made an excellent save with his feet to deny him.

The hosts got another chance to break the deadlock through Tchouameni as he aimed his header towards the far corner, but the effort was a whisker wide of the post. Croatia defended well, but France were starting to create chances as they searched for a way back into the tie.

Despite a slow start from France in the second half, it was Michael Olise who scored a fantastic free kick from close range to give France their first goal. It was a sigh of relief for the hosts as it inspired confidence in the side.

France continue to dominate the game whereas Croatia continue to sit back. While Mbappe missed an easy sitter and it looked like France wouldn’t be able to score another one, it was Dembele who stroked home from an Olise cutback for a deserving equalizer. While Croatia were showing some intent to attack, they struggled to get past the defense of the hosts. France desperately tried to score the third one but Croatia managed to hold on to push the game towards extra time.

Deschamps had a lot of substitutions to use, which gave them the luxury to add fresh, energetic legs. Desire Doue almost came close to providing his side with a goal but were denied by some moments of defensive excellence. Albeit it looked like there was a goal coming from either side, especially Mbappe getting into dangerous positions, both sides time-wasted for large periods during the thirty minutes of added time to see the game out to the penalty shootout.

The shootout was off to an exciting start as Baturina’s penalty kick was met with an excellent save from Maignan. To make things worse, Franjo Ivanovic kicked this penalty too high, which was fortunately met with an equally bad penalty from Kounde. It came all down to Theo Hernandez who failed to convert his shot, sending the shootout to sudden death. Maignan became the hero again, saving Stanisic’s penalty, leaving the game to Upamecano, who calmly converted to finally seal the game in France’s favor.

Here are the France vs Croatia player ratings.

France Player Ratings

GK- Mike Maignan – 7/10

The player did not have anything major to do in the whole game as he did not face any serious threats throughout the match. But he was the hero in the shootout, making crucial saves.

LB- Theo Hernandez – 7/10

His blistering pace and overlapping runs on The left flank provided France an attacking option which they did not get in the previous game. His defensive performance on the other hand was not as excellent as his attacking one.

CB- William Saliba – 6.5/10

Other than a few misjudged passes under pressure, he was very comfortable in the game making timely interceptions and the composure overall was good.

CB- Dayot Upamecano – 7/10

A robust defending performance where he made effective clearances. His involvement in setpieces was visible in both defensive and attacking setpieces.

RB- Jules Koundé – 6.5/10

A solid disciplined performance in defense where he was involved in making interceptions and clearances. His reliable defensive skills provided a solidity in the back line. His attacking contributions on the other hand were not as high quality as one would expect.

CM- Manu Kone – 5.5/10

His distribution was not good as lapses in positioning contributed to dangerous turnovers. This resulted in France struggling to make effective turnovers.

CM- Aurélien Tchouaméni – 5.5/10

A critical free-kick error overshadowed his overall performance as he struggled to deliver a commanding midfield presence.

CAM- Michael Olise – 8.5/10

His creativity and passing stood out today, especially his pass to Barcola in the first half. A free-kick in the second half spurred life into his team and the crowd.

LW- Bradley Barcola – 5.5/10

He burst past his marker with ease on some occasions, trying to create chances with passes and crosses into the box. He’s missing the first half. Was unacceptable as it would have given his side an advantage in the first half itself.

ST- Kylian Mbappé – 6.5/10

He was getting into some very good positions but he struggled to convert them, especially the chance in the second half where he should have done much better.

RW- Ousmane Dembele – 8/10

He threatened Croatia’s defense consistently with his energetic runs and incisive passes and crosses. He was rightfully rewarded with a goal which turned out to be an equalizer.

SUB- Desire Doue – 7.5/10

The young, exciting midfielder was added into the fray to provide more creativity as his side was chasing a goal. He performed well in the added time where he almost scored a goal and gave his side a lead.

SUB- Randal Kolo Muani – NA

He was substituted during added time to chase a goal and find the winner but he failed to do so.

SUB- Eduardo Camavinga – NA

The midfielder was added in in the second half of the extra time to add both creativity and defensive stability.

SUB- Warren Zaire-Emery – NA

The young versatile player was added in to close up the game so that they do not concede another goal.

Manager- Didier Deschamps – 7/10

He made good changes to the starting 11 after he put out a defensive side in the first leg. His team continued to play attacking football and despite him not making a lot of substitutions in the second half, his side dug in to score two goals to push the game towards extra time.

Also Read: Uruguay 0-1 Argentina Player Ratings: Argentina Trounce on Uruguay in a Low-Stakes Affair

Croatia Player Ratings

GK- Dominik Livakovic – 7/10

He pulled off some very crucial saves especially a very big save to deny Barcola a goal was a pivotal moment in the first half. Unfortunately, he could not do anything to stop the free kick in the second half.

LB- Josko Gvardiol – 6/10

There were some defensive errors like the costly free kick he considered and a late yellow card, which was a black mark over his other good defensive moments. But his block to deny Dembele’s goal in added time was commendable.

CB- Josip Sutalo – 7/10

A strong defensive display where he was involved in multiple clearances, especially from aerial threats in set pieces. His composure during pressure situations was commendable.

CB- Duje Caleta-Car – 5/10

While there were some good moments. They were overshadowed by his reckless challenges and tactical errors. His foul at the edge of the box was the reason why they conceded a free-kick goal.

RB- Josip Stanisic – 5.5/10

A lack of consistency in his performance, struggling to keep up with Barcola on the flank, and a yellow card summed up an average outing.

CM- Luka Modric – 6/10

While he played a crucial role in the first leg, he over-committed into some challenges and his lapses in defensive moments caused costly turnovers. His creativity was evident but his side was playing very defensively which did not allow him to showcase his full talent.

CM- Mateo Kovacic – 6/10

A cynical but necessary challenge on Olise as a desperate attempt to stop him got him into the books of the referee. His overall passing range was satisfactory but not at a level where it could influence the game.

CM- Petar Sucic – 6/10

It was an inspiring performance where he did not create any chances nor take risky shots. But he did well to provide a stable presence and contribute defensively

LW- Ivan Perisic – 5.5/10

The star of the first leg, there were some flashes of individual brilliance but he did not look rapid and an injury resulted in a substitution.

ST- Ante Budimir – 4.5/10

He struggled massively to provide any sort of meaningful contributions, but on the other hand he did not receive a lot of good passes like he did in the first leg.

RW- Andrej Kramaric – 5/10

While there were some good creative moments where he showed his flair, he was inconsistent and was subbed off rightfully

SUB- Franjo Ivanovic – 6/10

He stepped in to provide a change in Croatia’s forward line, but he did not create significant chances.

SUB- Mario Pasalic – 6/10

He provided an energetic presence after coming on but his impact in crucial phases was limited.

SUB- Martin Baturina – 6/10

He brought energy and determination onto the pitch and injected some fresh legs too

SUB- Kristijan Jakic – NA

He was put in late in the game, but he considered a very late fall in the final seconds of the game to get into the books of the referee

SUB – Nikola Moro – NA

The defensive was put in to replace their captain Luca Modric to add some solidity and stability to the backline and the defensive organization.

SUB – Marin Pongracic – NA

He was subbed in to lock up the defense and make sure they do not consider in the final 15 minutes of the additional time.

Manager- Zlatko Dalic – 5/10

The manager set his side very passively aiming to not concede. They did not create a lot of meaningful chances and struggled to hold on to the lead they gained in the first leg, which rightfully got wiped.

Sportsdunia Player of the Match goes to France’s Michael Olise.

Also Read: Hungary 0-3 (1-6) Türkiye Player Ratings: Complete performance sees Turks go through with ease

FAQs