France produced a dramatic comeback to defeat Croatia on penalties in the second leg of their UEFA Nations League quarter-final tie, progressing to the semi-finals after a 2-0 victory (2-2 on aggregate) at the Stade de France. Goalkeeper Mike Maignan proved to be the hero in the shootout, saving two Croatian penalties.
Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, France dominated the second leg in front of a passionate home crowd. After a goalless first half, the hosts broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute. Michael Olise, formerly of Crystal Palace and now with Bayern Munich, curled a superb 25-yard free-kick over the Croatian wall, leaving goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic helpless.
France continued to press for a second goal, and their persistence paid off in the 80th minute. The in-form Ousmane Dembele swept home Olise’s cutback, leveling the aggregate score.
The match went to extra time, with France continuing to dominate. Kylian Mbappé had three chances to win the tie, but was denied by impressive saves from Livakovic.
The tie was ultimately decided by a penalty shootout. Maignan saved Martin Baturina’s first penalty, and Franjo Ivanovic shot over. While Jules Kounde and Theo Hernandez missed for France, taking the shoot out to sudden death. Maignan saved again, this time from Josip Stanisic, before Dayot Upamecano scored the decisive spot-kick to secure a 5-4 shootout victory for France.
France’s Resilience and Semi-Final Showdown
The victory was deserved for France, who were the better side throughout the second leg. They are aiming to reclaim Nations League glory after.
France, looking to win the Nations League for a second time after their 2021 triumph, will now face European champions Spain in the semi-finals in June. The win also determines the World Cup qualifying groups for both nations. France will be in Group D alongside Azerbaijan, Iceland, and Ukraine. Croatia, as a result of losing the quarter-final, are placed in Group L with the Czech Republic, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, and Montenegro. France Croatia
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