With Modric’s early goal, Croatia overtakes France in Nations League Group 1; French have not yet won the competition and fall in the group stage
For the first time in history, the Croatia won the France 1-0 this Monday, 13, at the Stade de France, for the fourth round of Group 1 of the League of Nations A. 2021/22. Luka Modric, from a penalty, guaranteed the Croatian victory in the five minutes of the match. As a result, the French have yet to win in the continental competition and have been eliminated in the group stage.
Croatia reached seven points and took the second place in Group 1, two points behind the leader Denmark. France, on the other hand, parked in the two points, in the bottom of the key, and runs the risk of falling to League B in the last rounds. The reigning world champion has two points less than the third place Austria. It is worth remembering that the first of each group advances to the stage and the lantern falls from the division.
The teams return to the field for the dispute of the fifth round of Group 1 only on September 22, at 15:45 (GMT). Croatia will host Denmark at home, and France will also host the duel against Austria. The stadiums for the matches have not yet been confirmed by UEFA.
THE GAME
Croatia needed less than five minutes to open the scoring at the Stade de France. At two minutes, Konaté took down Budimir with a stomp in the area and the referee signaled the penalty. The decision was upheld after a VAR check. Modric went for the kick and didn’t waste: 0 to 1.
France’s best chance of the stage came in the 45th minute, when Digne took advantage of the leftover ball from a corner and sent it on the first try, but was stopped by the defense. In the next minute, the left-back swung the net from the outside with a shot deflected by the mark.
⏰ 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗦 ⏰
Croatia shock winless France in Saint-Denis! Best display tonight was from _______ 🤔#NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/RjmNWoBcUO
— UEFA Nations League (@EURO2024) June 13, 2022
In the nine minutes of the second half, Mbappé finished with danger to the right of Ivusic’s goal. At 15, the French shirt 7 hit a cross after Nkunku’s pass, but the Croatian goalkeeper was needed to avoid France’s tie. With the duo Mbappé and Benzema, France took danger to Croatia, but stopped in the opposing defense. Final score: 1-0.
Source: sportbuzz
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
