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#3 An improved display on a historic night from Antoine Griezmann
Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann is one of the pillars of France's attack. The former Atletico Madrid superstar is one of Deschamps' go-to men and he was pivotal for the champions' triumph in Russia two years ago. However, as far as the Nations League was concerned, the 29-year-old had a night to forget during their previous outing in Stockholm.
Griezmann failed to manage even a shot on target let alone score a goal against Sweden. The attacker rounded off a miserable outing for his national side when he blasted a 90th-minute penalty wide which could have given France their second goal of the game.
Against Croatia, though, the World Cup winner was a much more livelier presence in every regard. Griezmann did well to lose his marker in the box and met Anthony Martial's delivery to poke the ball home and give France a much-needed equaliser. A few minutes later into the second half, his expertly-taken corner gave Dayot Upamecano an easy header to give his side the lead.
Overall, the Barcelona star played four key passes, won four out of his five duels, got himself a goal and an assist to make it a night to remember in France. Griezmann repaid Deschamps' faith in him by delivering a thoroughly professional display against Croatia. His goal was his 31st for France, helping him level Zinedine Zidane's tally as the joint-fifth highest scorer for Les Bleus.
#2 Croatia's defensive woes go on
The 2018 World Cup runners up began their Nations League campaign against a Cristiano Ronaldo-less Portuguese side. Despite the absence of their all-time top-scorer, the 2016 Euro winners ran riot against Zlatko Dalic's men, registering 27 shots at goal (eleven on target) against them. Croatia lost 4-1 on the night, and hoped for an improved display against Les Bleus.
However, it was more of the same from Croatia, although they would feel hard done by. They were undoubtedly the better side in the first half and for large parts of the game. The Vatreni were confident in their stride and managed to exploit the spaces left in behind by France's 3-5-2 system, troubling the hosts on several occasions.
Despite their attempts, they ultimately conceded four goals once again, which means that they've let in a staggering eight goals in their first two outings of the tournament. This also makes it four games running without a clean sheet for Croatia.
With several key players missing from the side including massive figures such as Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic, and others, Croatia need to arrest their poor form at the earliest possible if they have any hope of progressing to the next round. Dalic's men take on Sweden in the next set of fixtures scheduled for 11th October, 2020.
#1 Anthony Martial's remarkable return to Les Bleus
Anthony Martial is one of the most in-form strikers in the Premier League in 2020 and is fresh off a career-best season in club football. The Frenchman earned his call-up to Deschamps' squad after an absence spanning over two years. After impressing with a brief cameo in their game against Sweden, Martial was drafted into a new-look starting XI alongside Wissam Ben Yedder at the tip of Les Bleus's attack. It's safe to say that he sure didn't disappoint.
The Manchester United centre-forward delivered a perfectly-weighted ball into the box after a superb sequence of play to allow France back into the game in the first half.
Just two minutes later, Martial did well to find himself on the end of a teasing ball from Ben Yedder, and the 24-year-old slotted home from close range. Although it went down as an own-goal from Croat keeper Dominik Livakovic, Martial's touch proved to be decisive and ultimately gave them the lead.
In the 90 minutes that Martial played for France, he won a staggering 11 out of his 18 ground duels (!), more than any player on the pitch. The Red Devils' number nine also drew nine fouls, more than every single one of his teammates combined. With three key passes, two big chances created and an assist on the night, Martial marked his return to his national side in some style.
Despite his misses in the second half of the game, it was more than just an encouraging display from Martial upon his return. He is sure to give Deschamps a selection headache for their next round of fixtures.
Also read: How Manchester United could line up in the 2020/21 campaign
