March 25, 2025, SAINT-DENIS, France: Goalkeeper Mike Maignan saved twice in a penalty shoot-out as France triumphed 5-4 over Croatia after a 2-2 aggregate draw in their UEFA Nations League quarter-final, securing a spot in the semifinals in June.
Les Bleus won 2-0 on the night with goals from Michael Olize and Ousmane Dembele at the Stade de France, overturning their deficit from Thursday’s first leg. With no further goals in extra time, the match went to penalties, where Maignan saved shots from Martin Baturina and Josip Stanisic, while Franjo Ivanovic also missed. Despite misses from Jules Kounde and Theo Hernandez for France, Dayot Upamecano scored the decisive penalty, sparking celebrations in front of 77,502 spectators.
“We woke up thinking it could be a great night. We were convinced we were going to do something great,” said France captain Kylian Mbappe. “And we know when it comes to penalties that we have a goalkeeper who can make the difference.”
France, winners of the Nations League in 2021, will face title-holders Spain in the semifinals in Stuttgart on June 5, with the final in Munich three days later. Croatia, having lost in the 2023 Nations League final, will now start their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign in June.
France’s Nations League progress means their World Cup qualifying campaign will start in September, with a group featuring Ukraine, Iceland, and Azerbaijan. Both teams had been seeking silverware, with Croatia holding a 2-0 advantage after the first leg. However, France made five changes from that match, including bringing in Bayern Munich’s Upamecano and Olize.
The hosts dominated early but only broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute with a free-kick from Olize. They leveled the tie on aggregate 10 minutes from time when Dembele finished a pass from Mbappe, sending the match into extra time. Despite Mbappe failing to score in his last seven matches for France, he converted in the shoot-out, and Aurelien Tchouameni, Randal Kolo Muani, and Desire Doue also scored for the hosts before Upamecano’s winning penalty.