The Blues take Croatia at the Colback to offer themselves a comeback-Liberation
Devil Vauvert. This Sunday, March 23, at the Stade de France, the Blues managed to reverse the tide, in the quarter-final of the League of Nations, having Croatia on penalties (5 to 4) after having raised, in regulation time, the two goals collected in the first leg (2-0). The Blues can thank their goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who released two penalties during the session. The result has what to reassure to A year from the World Cup in Canada, United States and Mexico.
In Saint-Denis, the Blues showed a completely different face than in the first leg to Split. No defensive errors this time and a going to the front. Throughout the game, the French stifled the Croats, without however managing to find the opening in the first half. The fault of a solid defense of checkered players, who did not hesitate to take out the cut-off when they found themselves exceeded on the transition phases. As the break approaches, the yellow cards began to rain on the Croatian selection, but the score was unchanged.
It was not until the second half to see the mark it evolve. In the 52nd minute, Michael Olise finally found the way to the net through a wonder of free kick, a dead leaf deposited with the aim of Dominik Livakovic since the entrance to the surface. The part became a little more electric. In the 74th minute, we thought we saw the second goal arrive as the center behind Downto towards Mbappé was perfect, but the recovery of the Madrid went to approach the bad side of the left amount of Livakovic. It was only partly given: in the 80th minute, on an action of the same order, Ousmane Dembélé found by Olise left no chance to the Croatian porter. The two teams had come across all two games and stood up straight in extra time.
There it was a question of finishing the job before the exercise of the shots to the goal, traditionally not very smiling with the Blues. « We don’t like penalties, huh »thus urged coach Didier Deschamps at the break of the extension, to push his players to score the third goal. Without success, it will be necessary to go through the series of shots at 11 meters. The rest, you know it. With the AC Milan goalkeeper in the cages, we like the penalties a little more.
