Following a reshuffle of the squad, France played out a 1-1 draw with Croatia at Poljud Stadium. It was a rocky start for the defending champions, who had previously lost their opening Nations League encounter to Denmark. Despite their status as world champions and top contenders, France has managed only one point so far. For the match in Split, coach Didier Deschamps opted for a drastically different side, making 10 substitutions and leaving stars like Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe on the bench, coming off a frustrating 2-1 defeat at home to Denmark.
Didier Deschamps returned to lead the team after taking time off during the Denmark game to mourn his father's death. France took control in the second half, and by the 52nd minute, Adrien Rabiot put them ahead 1-0. He finished clinically after receiving a pass from Wissam Ben Yedder, marking his second goal for the national team with a precise low strike.
However, France let the lead slip toward the end of the match. After a foul by Jonathan Clauss, the VAR intervened to award Croatia a penalty. Andrej Kramaric kept his composure and sent the ball into the right side of the net, fooling goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who dived the wrong way.
Having squandered two leads in less than a week, France now faces a difficult path if they hope to qualify for next year's Nations League finals. While Croatia struggled to create many clear-cut openings, West Ham's Nikola Vlasic came close, but he was stopped by Mike Maignan in his first competitive appearance for the team.
Luka Sucic also had a golden opportunity to score, but his effort drifted wide of the target. Overall, the match was a sluggish affair with very few highlights, and the slow tempo persisted for the full 94 minutes, leaving the crowd with a game lacking in excitement.
Speaking after the final whistle, Deschamps noted that the primary goal for France is to prepare for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar. He felt his team performed decently, pointing out that Croatia posed very little threat during the second half. While he admitted the draw wasn't the ideal result, he expressed confidence that the team would recover and perform better in the coming matches.
France's next challenge is an away game against Austria this Friday, followed by a home match against Croatia on June 14. Meanwhile, Denmark currently leads League A Group 1 with six points after a 2-1 win over Austria, who sit in second place with three points.
Denmark now tops the League A Group 1 with six points after beating Austria 2-1. Austria holds the second spot with three points.