Courtesy: Google
The return of Kylian Mbappe to the French national team after six months as captain didn’t work out well as Croatia defeated France 2-0 in the UEFA Nations League quarter-final first leg at the Stadion Poljud in Split. Ante Budimir and Ivan Perisic scored the goals for Croatia in the first half, which proved to be more than enough for them, to take a massive first step towards reaching the semis of the tournament at the expense of France.
Notably, Kylian Mbappe-led French national team had much of the ball and created more chances in front of goal, but they weren't able to convert them into something meaningful. Croatia, on the other hand, found a way to get on the scoresheet in the 26th minute when Ante Budimir’s header spun into the back of the net after bouncing off Mike Maignan in the French goal against the run of play.
France will play Croatia in second leg of UEFA Nations League quarter-final on March 23
Before the conclusion of the first half, during the added time, Ivan Perisic, one of the most well-known footballers in the world, smashed the ball in the bottom corner past the French goalkeeper, to make the scoreline 2-0 in favour of Croatia. The scoreline could have been 3-0 in favour of the hosts going into the second half if not for Mike Maignan saving a penalty of Andrej Kramaric in the eighth minute of the contest.
With this tough result, France will have to score at least two goals in the second leg of the UEFA Nations League quarter-final against Croatia at the Stade de France in Paris on Sunday, March 23, to stay in the tie by forcing the penalty shootout. Kylian Mbappe, who has scored 20 goals for Real Madrid in La Liga this season, will have to step up and lead from the front if he wants to take France further in the competition.
