France beat Croatia on penalties
In the second leg of the quarterfinal, held on Monday morning, France won 5-4 in a penalty shootout after drawing 2-2 in regular time.
KATHMANDU: France secured a dramatic comeback victory over Croatia in the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals, earning a spot in the semifinals.
In the second leg of the quarterfinal, held on Monday morning, France won 5-4 in a penalty shootout after drawing 2-2 in regular time.
This was after France had suffered a 2-0 defeat in Croatia in the first leg on Friday.
The match went into extra time after the overall score was tied at 2-2. With no goals in extra time, the game proceeded to a penalty shootout.
On home turf at Stade de France, France took the lead thanks to goals from Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembélé.
Despite putting pressure on Croatia from the start, France had to wait until the second half for their first goal.
In the 52nd minute, Olise scored a brilliant free-kick to give France the lead. In the 80th minute, Olise’s cross was converted into a goal by Dembélé.
With the aggregate score tied at 2-2, the game went to extra time. France controlled the pace of play, but neither team scored in extra time, leading to the penalty shootout.
In the shootout, France’s goalkeeper Mike Maignan saved penalties from Martin Butorina and Josip Stanišić, while Franjo Ivanušić also missed his attempt.
For France, Jules Koundé and Theo Hernández missed their penalties. However, it was Dayot Upamecano who scored the decisive penalty, ensuring the win for the home team.
Having won the Nations League in 2021, France will now face Spain, the reigning champions, in the semifinals in June in Germany.
The other semifinal will feature Germany against Portugal.
