France Reaches Nations League Final Four After Penalty Shootout Victory Over Croatia

France erased a two-goal deficit to reach the Nations League Final Four, knocking out Croatia 5-4 on penalties after a 2-0 win in their quarter-final second leg at the Stade de France on Sunday.

Goalkeeper Mike Maignan made two crucial saves in the shoot-out. France edged Croatia 5-4 on penalties after their UEFA Nations League quarter-final finished 2-2 on aggregate, securing a spot in the last four in June.

Les Bleus won 2-0 on the night, with goals from Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele at the Stade de France. This result canceled out their first-leg loss on Thursday.

The match went to penalties after no goals in extra time. Maignan saved efforts from Martin Baturina and Josip Stanisic, while Franjo Ivanovic also missed for Croatia.

Jules Kounde and Theo Hernandez couldn’t convert for France. But Dayot Upamecano stepped up as the seventh taker and sealed the win, sparking celebrations among the players and the 77,502 fans in the stands.

France, winners of the Nations League in 2021, will now face reigning champions Spain in the semi-finals in Germany on June 5. The winner will move on to the final three days later. Germany will play Portugal in the other semi-final.

Croatia, who lost to Spain on penalties in the 2023 Nations League final, will shift focus to their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. That starts in June.

They’ll compete in Group L with the Czech Republic, Montenegro, the Faroe Islands, and Gibraltar.

France’s qualification for the Nations League Final Four means their World Cup qualifying campaign won’t start until September. They’ll be in Group D with Ukraine, Iceland, and Azerbaijan.

Both teams were chasing Nations League glory. Croatia had the advantage after winning the first leg 2-0 in Split, but France fought back.

Mbappe Struggles Again

France, with coach Didier Deschamps set to leave in 2026 after 14 years at the helm, hoped for a comeback similar to their dramatic turnaround against Ukraine in a 2013 World Cup qualifying play-off.

Back then, they bounced back from a 2-0 first-leg defeat with a 3-0 win at the Stade de France.

For this match, Deschamps made five changes from the first leg. He brought in Bayern Munich duo Upamecano and Olise to freshen up the lineup.

France pressed Croatia from the start in this rematch of the 2018 World Cup final. But it took until the 52nd minute to break through.

Olise struck first, curling in a stunning free-kick from just outside the box after Kylian Mbappe was fouled. It was his first international goal in his sixth game for France.

With Croatia on the back foot, Mbappe came close in the 75th minute, sending a shot from Dembele’s low cross just wide. Ten minutes later, the hosts drew level on aggregate.

Mbappe set up Olise, whose cutback was swept in first-time by an in-form Ousmane Dembele.

France carried their momentum into extra time. Mbappe forced two good saves from Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic.

Mbappe has now gone seven straight games without scoring for France. He’s found the net only once in his last 10 international appearances—a penalty against Poland at Euro 2024.

The Real Madrid star did convert in the shoot-out. He squeezed France’s first penalty just under Livakovic.

Aurelien Tchouameni, Randal Kolo Muani, and Desire Doue also found the net before Upamecano fired home the winner.