France endured a match to forget against a well-prepared Croatian side, who made the most of their chances and secured a comfortable 2-0 win.

In this reverse fixture, however, France is expected to return with a more refined tactical approach. At times in the previous encounter, they appeared frustrated, unable to press effectively or recover possession as quickly as they usually like.

Still, there were some positives to take from the loss. Statistically, France outperformed Croatia in most areas. They produced a slightly better expected goals (xG) rate of 1.49, registered 16 goal attempts compared to Croatia’s 8, had more shots on target (6 vs 4), and earned significantly more corners (9 to 3). The only missing piece was their finishing a lack of clinical conversion that ultimately proved costly.