English
France defeats Croatia in a tense UEFA Nations League clash
Saint-Denis, France – France overcame Croatia with a 2-0 victory in a hard-fought UEFA Nations League quarter-final match at the Stade de France on March 23rd, 2025. The game, refereed by Michael Oliver from England, was characterized by tension and disciplinary issues, with a total of seven yellow cards shown, six to Croatia and one to France.
Despite a commanding 65% possession, France failed to translate their dominance into goals until the second half. M. Olise broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute, and O. Dembele sealed the win with a second goal in the 80th minute. Croatia, with only 35% possession, barely threatened the French goal, managing only 5 shots, none of which were on target. France, on the other hand, took 20 shots, although only three of those were on target. The corner count was significantly in favor of France (14-0). The aggressive nature of the match was reflected in the high number of fouls (28 in total), with Croatia committing 18 and France 10. Despite the scoreline, the match demonstrated the intensity and competitiveness of both teams.
Substitutions croatia: at minute 60 F. Ivanovic came in and A. Budimir went out., at minute 71 M. Pasalic came in and I. Perisic went out., at minute 71 M. Baturina came in and A. Kramaric went out., at minute 81 K. Jakic came in and M. Kovacic went out., at minute 81 N. Moro came in and L. Modric went out., at minute 106 M. Pongracic came in and J. Gvardiol went out.
Substitutions france: at minute 66 D. Doue came in and B. Barcola went out., at minute 99 R. Kolo Muani came in and O. Dembele went out., at minute 106 E. Camavinga came in and M. Olise went out., at minute 111 W. Zaire-Emery came in and M. Kone went out.
The teams lined up as follows:
France
Titulares:
Croatia
Titulares:
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