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Defending Nations League champions France welcomed Croatia to the Stade de France for their matchday four commitment on Monday (June 13).
Les Bleus were eager to put an end to their winless streak. But much to the disappointment of the home supporters, the French stars once again failed to live up to their potential and succumbed to a 1-0 defeat in Paris. Croatian skipper Luka Modric scored the game's only goal from the penalty spot in the fifth minute.
The defeat against the Croats ended France’s 2022-23 Nations League campaign, with Didier Deschamps' team remaining at the bottom of the group with two points after four games.
Denmark are currently atop the standings with nine points, making it mathematically impossible for France to dethrone them with only two games to play. Moreover, if they lose to Austria in September, they will drop down to League B, making them the first big team to play in the second tier of the Nations League.
Coming back to the match, France looked a step behind the visitors from the first minute itself. They were incoherent and downright lethargic at times, making it quite easy for Modric and Co. to knock the ball around.
Just three minutes into the game, the hosts conceded a penalty from a corner, allowing Modric to step up and bury it to put Croatia ahead. The Real Madrid maestro found the bottom-left corner with power, escaping Mike Maignan’s hand.
Les Bleus came close to scoring the equalizer just a couple of minutes later, but Kylian Mbappe’s volley was straight at Croatian goalkeeper Ivica Ivusic. The 2018 World Cup winners nearly equalized in first-half injury time, but an unlucky deflection saw Lucas Digne’s goalbound effort hit the side netting.
Karim Benzema, Christopher Nkunku, and Mbappe all created chances in the second half, but the home team simply could not apply the finishing touch. Croatia, on the other hand, played mainly on the counter-attacks in the second 45, which almost paid dividends in the 71st minute.
Lovro Majer found himself in a good position right in front of the French goal but could not find a way to beat Maignan. Ibrahima Konate got the final opportunity for France in the fifth minute of added time. He did well to connect with Kingsley Coman’s cross, but could not keep his headed effort on target.
Overall, it was a drab and unconvincing display by France, one that certainly did not warrant maximum points.
On that note, here are five French stars who failed to live up to their potential against Croatia on Monday.
#5 Adrien Rabiot
Adrien Rabiot operated on the left side of France’s midfield. His passes were accurate and plentiful, but they usually did not turn out to be all that useful.
He was reluctant to take chances, and as a result, produced a performance that did not have anything to write home about.
On Monday, Rabiot failed in both his attempted dribbles, lost two ground duels, and ceded possession 10 times.
The Juventus midfielder's most noteworthy act came in the 67th minute when he was booked by the referee for simulation.
#4 Jules Kounde
Sevilla's Jules Kounde has proven his mettle time and again as a centre-back. On Monday, however, he was pushed to the right to make room for the Presnel Kimpembe-Ibrahima Konate pairing, which took a heavy toll on his performance.
He looked clueless at right-back, struggling to move the ball forward and create chances.
Against the 2018 World Cup finalists, Kounde couldn’t create even a single chance, ceded possession eight times, and failed in his only attempted dribble.
Needless to say, he did not have a single attempt at goal, let alone one on target.
The defender was subbed at half-time with a hamstring problem, with Benjamin Pavard replacing him.
#3 Matteo Guendouzi
Marseille midfielder Matteo Guendouzi started on the right side of France’s midfield on Monday.
He worked hard right from the first minute but could not do much to impact the course of the match.
The 23-year-old lost three ground duels, ceded possession three times, and committed two fouls.
He went into the referee’s books in the 18th minute for his clumsy and meaningless challenge on Croatian left-winger Josip Brekalo.
Guendouzi was taken off for Antoine Griezmann in the 80th minute.
#2 Ibrahima Konate
Winning his second international cap on Monday against Croatia, Ibrahima Konate ended up committing the foul that decided the game’s outcome.
In the third minute, the Liverpool man tripped up Ante Budimir while vying for the ball inside the penalty box. The referee pointed to the spot, and Modric put away the resultant spot-kick in style.
Konate had the opportunity to make amends for his foul in the fifth minute of second-half added time, but failed to direct his headed effort on target.
Against Croatia, Konate lost all three of his ground duels, ceded possession seven times, committed two fouls, and misplaced all three of his attempted long balls.
#1 Karim Benzema
Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema enjoyed his best-ever campaign for the Whites in the 2021-22 season, scoring 44 goals across competitions and winning both La Liga and the Champions League.
Unfortunately, he has not managed to carry his form over to the Nations League. Apart from scoring a goal in the opening day 1-2 defeat to Denmark, Benzema has not done anything of note. Last night, he was only a shadow of his brilliant self.
The French superstar didn’t have a single shot on target, failed in both his attempted dribbles, lost three of four duels, and ceded possession eight times.
Not a night to remember for the 34-year-old.
