Croatia 2-0 France Player Ratings: Croatia triumphed over France at home in the quarter-finals of the Nations League

Croatia beat France 2-0 in the first leg of the UEFA Nations League A Championship Quarter-final, thanks to goals from Ante Budimir, and Ivan Perisic. It was their second-ever win against Les Bleus, marking it as an important night in their team’s history.

Zlatko Dalic preferred to trust his experienced players as the senior stars Luka Modric, Andrej Kramaric, and Ivan Perisic all got their starts. Meanwhile, Didier Deschamps had his talisman back as Kylian Mbappe returned to captain the side after a six-month absence. The in-form Michael Olise was relegated to the bench, as Deschamps preferred to start Ousmane Dembele on the right wing, instead of playing him as a striker, where he has excelled this season.

The game was off to an eventful start as the French defender Konate accidentally handled the ball in the box, with the referee instantly pointing towards the spot. Kramaric took the responsibility over Budimir to take the penalty, which he could not convert after his weak attempt was easily saved by Maignan. Both sides looked sloppy early into the game, struggling to string consecutive passes.

France slowly grew into the game, with Kylian Mbappe being at the heart of these changes. But, it was Croatia who drew first blood after Perisic’s excellent high cross to Budimir, who headed it into the net comfortably. The home side then started to push for a second with France struggling to keep the ball, yet trying to carve out an equalizer. Just as the half was going to end, Ivan Perisic fired a second goal with great technique into the bottom far corner with a half-volley, doubling the lead for the hosts.

France started to play with more urgency and intent in the second half, pinning the hosts in their half, and suffocating them with continuous attacks. As a result, the visitors were growing in confidence and finding openings, which they were unable to convert, thanks to the heroics of Livakovic. Croatia was defending like their lives were dependent on them, and as a result, France was getting frustrated. The game ended goalless in the second half, as the substitutions for France did not help them out.

Both teams will meet once again on Sunday for the return leg at the Stade de France with Les Bleus hoping to mount a comeback. Here are the player ratings for Croatia vs France.

Croatia Player Ratings

GK- Dominik Livakovic – 8/10

He was a rock in goal and consistently kept off the France attacks with his agile saves. Outside of those spectacular saves he made tonight, his move against Dembele under pressure was one of the highlights of the game

LB- Josko Gvardiol – 7/10

The Manchester City fullback cleared dangerous balls whenever possible and burst forward to assist the attackers at the same time. His efforts played a crucial role, especially for the second goal.

CB- Josip Sutalo – 6.5/10

A reliable, defensive presence at the back, making vital blocks and interceptions. While he was not flashy, he did the dirty job and kept the France attackers in check.

CB- Duje Caleta-Car – 6.5/10

He warded off the attackers and partnered well with Sutalo. His overall defensive contributions played a key role in Croatia’s defensive masterclass.

RB- Josip Stanisic – 6/10

While he struggled to deal with Mbappe on occasion, the versatile defender did his best to deal with him. His offensive contributions were meager, as his forward runs were not fruitful.

CM- Luka Modric – 7.5/10

The conductor of the night, the captain looked in good touch, spreading the ball around nicely and consistently progressing the ball forward. His set-piece threat was an added bonus, adding another layer to his performance.

CM- Mateo Kovacic – 6.5/10

Some of his plays were excellent, especially his line-breaking through pass to Budimir in the first half. While there were some lapses in judgment, his overall performance was satisfactory.

CM- Martin Baturina – 6/10

His defensive work rate while applaudable, was not met with that quality of the output. His creativity was also not on display, as he struggled to create chances.

LW- Ivan Perisic – 8.5/10

It was his brilliance, as he set up Budimir excellently for the opening goal with a flighted cross. He scored one for himself to establish the lead strongly, which laid the strong foundation for his side to go and win the game.

ST- Ante Budimir – 7.5/10

Despite struggling to out-run the centrebacks of the opposition, he opened the tally for his side with a neat timely run into the box and a tidy-headed finish.

RW- Andrej Kramaric – 5/10

He tried to deceive the keeper and tried to shoot down the middle slowly, which failed horribly. But his performance later received applause from the fans, as they appreciated his relentless work to create space.

SUB- Mario Pasalic – 6.5/10

His fresh legs brought new energy to the midfield, which was needed to defend their lead.

SUB- Franjo Ivanovic – 5/10

He was subbed in for a burst of creativity and attacking flair, but the way Croatia played did not allow him to help his side offensively.

SUB- Nikola Vlasic – 5/10

While his presence as a fresh, energetic body was helpful, his attacking output for the night was not satisfactory.

SUB- Petar Sucic – NA

He was subbed in very late in the game, mostly as a time-wasting tactic and also providing extra energy to the side.

Manager- Zlatko Dalic – 8/10

A comprehensive win for his side at home against one of the best teams in the world. His players restricted the high-quality attackers of France with fantastic defending and took their chances well when in attack.

France Player Ratings

GK- Mike Maignan – 7/10

A fantastic penalty save at the beginning of the match, which kept his side in the match early on. He was not really at fault for both the goals conceded and he did not have anything to do in the second half.

LB- Lucas Digne – 6.5/10

He was fantastic going forward, making key passes that threatened the opposition’s defense while his defensive performance was serviceable.

CB- William Saliba – 6/10

A calm, commanding presence in the backline, sniffing out dangers and engaging in physical duels with the opposition attackers. While there were a couple of careless moments, his overall display was right.

CB- Ibrahima Konaté – 4/10

A night to forget for the Liverpool defender as an unforced error from him in the box cost his side a penalty which, fortunately for him did not get converted. He then played Perisic onside for Budimir’s opener, which was the opening goal. He was rightfully hooked after the end of the first half.

RB- Jules Koundé – 7/10

His performance on both ends was excellent, as he provided defensive cover, locked up the flank, and also made offensive, threatening runs to support the attackers.

CM- Matteo Guendouzi – 6/10

While he had some moments that had sparked, like his pass to Barcola in the second half, he lacked consistency and his sporadic influence did not help his side massively..

CM- Aurélien Tchouaméni – 6.5/10

He dominated the midfield battle with his physicality and presence of mind while defending. However, his over-aggression to jump into tackles got him into the books of the referee, slightly hampering his overall display.

CM- Adrien Rabiot – 5.5/10

He provided a balance to both defense and attack, as his forward runs and interceptions helped his side out.

RW- Ousmane Dembélé – 6.5/10

He played at the top of a diamond midfield behind the two strikers. But, it hardly paid dividends as the in-form Frenchman looked lost and was not able to influence the game in the way he was doing for his club. But, he slowly grew into the game, linking up well with Mbappe.

ST- Kylian Mbappé – 7/10

The dangerman for the hosts, the captain made a sound return to the side with a fantastic performance, making dangerous runs and taking on multiple shots and it was surprising to see him not cap it off with a goal return

ST- Randal Kolo Muani – 5/10

An uneventful night for him, as he struggled to impose himself into the match and failed to get even a single shot on target.

SUB- Dayot Upamecano – 5/10

The centreback slotted into the backline after the end of the first half, after the initial pairing struggled against the attackers of the hosts.

SUB- Eduardo Camavinga – 6/10

His incisive passing and composure brought some stability, which helped France to attack at many regular intervals.

SUB- Bradley Barcola – 5/10

He got a golden chance to pull one back for his side, which he fluffed horribly with a bad finish, as he struggled to connect with the ball properly.

SUB- Kouadio Koné – NA

The midfielder was put in late in the game to provide fresh legs and additional support to overcome the deficit.

SUB- Michael Olise – NA

The in-form Bayern Munich winger was put in as a last resort to clinch something out of this match, but he did not have enough time to make an impact.

Manager- Didier Deschamps – 5/10

His side struggled massively as they were comprehensively outfoxed and outmuscled by the hosts. While the performance improved in the second half, the result overall is not satisfactory and they have a big job to do at home.

The Sportsdunia Player of the Match goes to Croatia’s Ivan Perisic.