Croatia emerged as 2-0 winners against France in the first leg of the sides' UEFA Nations League A quarter-final clash at Stadion Poljud on Thursday night.

The hosts were dominant in the opening stages and could have broken the deadlock through an Andrej Kramaric penalty, but while the forward struck a poor effort down the middle, his side would take the lead before the half-hour mark thanks to Ante Budimir's header from close range.

Croatia capped off an incredible first-half display with a second goal just before the interval through Ivan Perisic, who took advantage of a deflection to line up a half-volley from the right which sailed past Mike Maignan.

Les Bleus pushed for a goal in the second half, but the hosts were able to withstand the visitors' pressure to take a first-leg lead in their quarter-final tie.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

© Imago

There were some who thought that Croatia's golden generation had come and gone, but while they have not yet advanced into the semi-finals, they continue to prove their doubters wrong.

As for France, though several players may be more focused on the return of club football, their underperformance at major tournaments is concerning.

Considering the talent at Didier Deschamps's disposal, it is not unreasonable to question whether he should have got more out of his players tonight, and whether his eventual successor will be able to ahead of his departure in 2026.

CROATIA VS. FRANCE HIGHLIGHTS

8th min: Andrej Kramaric (Croatia) missed penalty

© Iconsport

Ibrahima Konate bizarrely handles the ball after a cross is played into the box but while the referee awards a penalty to Croatia, Kramaric strikes down the middle and see his tame effort hit the feet of goalkeeper Maignan.

The rebound is scuffed!

26th min: Croatia 1-0 France (Ante Budimir)

© Iconsport

Perisic goes down the byline on the left and whips in a cross just before the ball goes out for a goal kick, and his delivery is met by Budmir, who diverts his header from the near post to the far corner of the net.

Maignan gets a hand on it but fails to keep it out!

45+1 min: Croatia 2-0 France (Ivan Perisic)

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Croatia attack down the left and play the ball into the box and it bounces off of William Saliba, but the deflection lands towards Perisic, who waits before striking from the right of the penalty area into the bottom-left corner.

What a hit!

MAN OF THE MATCH - IVAN PERISIC

© Iconsport

Perisic might be 36 years old, but the veteran rolled back the years in a fine display, setting up his side's first and scoring the second.

The forward was taken off after 70 minutes, and though he only had one touch inside France's penalty area, his goal gave his team a commanding lead heading into the second leg.

CROATIA VS. FRANCE MATCH STATS

Possession: Croatia 38%-62% France
Shots: Croatia 8-17 France
Shots on target: Croatia 4-6 France
Corners: Croatia 3-9 France
Fouls: Croatia 12-12 France

BEST STATS

✨🇭🇷 Ivan Perisić with a goal and an assist tonight for Croatian national team...

Insane impact once again for 36 year old winger as PSV Eindhoven player reaches 21 G/A with club and national team this season. pic.twitter.com/pKZPSq9Pic

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 20, 2025

WHAT NEXT?

Croatia and France will contest the second leg of their quarter-final clash on Sunday in Paris at the Stade de France, and the winner of the tie will face either the Netherlands or Spain in the semi-final in June.

Written by
Lewis Nolan