10’: Croatia Controlling This Game So Far

Modric, using the outside of his right foot, opens up the French with a lovely cross-field ball to the overlapping Strinic, but Umtiti clears out his cross. Nice moment though, one of many for Croatia in the first 10 minutes in which they’ve had almost all of the ball.

Victor Mather: France’s defense has been forced to clear the ball seven times already. Croatia has just one clearance.

8’: Corner for Croatia

Strinic and Rakitic work a nice give-and-go there in the left corner, and Pogba has to come over to cut off the former when he gets the ball back in the area. Corner to Croatia.

Grioud wins it in front of Lloris, and the French try to break out.

6’: Croatia Leads in Attendance and Volume

The atmosphere in here today is much improved from some of the drab ones we had in the semifinals. That’s largely due to the Croatians, who have taken over several sections behind their goal and are, at times, simply pulsating as they jump up and down. The much smaller French contingent down the other end hasn’t had much to cheer yet.

5’: Croatia Keeps Attacking

Vrsaljko slips free for a moment deep down the right wing and fires in a cross, but again France is there to clear. Solving Varane and Umtiti will take better balls than that one, but getting it off at all is a positive for Croatia early.

Victor Mather: Say this about Croatia: The team is not afraid to shoot. Coming into this game it has 100 shots, third in the Cup behind Belgium (which has played one more game) and Brazil. But the accuracy has not been sensational: Only 26 of those shots were on target, far behind Belgium and Brazil.

3’: Varane Shuts It Down

Perisic probing down the left is the first real test for France, but Varane, so smooth, slides over and shuts it all down.