Titleholder France held by Croatia to 1-1 in Nations League

SPLIT, Croatia: Titleholder France failed to rebound from its opening defeat in the Nations League after it was held by Croatia to 1-1 on Monday. Midfielder Adrien Rabiot broke the deadlock after the break and substitute Andrej Kramarić equalized from the spot late for Croatia not to lose to France for the first time in 11 years. The draw did neither any favors: France was stunned by Denmark 2-1 in Paris on Friday, the first loss after 20 unbeaten matches, and Croatia started its campaign by losing at home to Austria 3-0.

France will next travel to Austria on Friday while Croatia will visit Denmark. The kickoff of another League A game between Austria and Denmark in Vienna was delayed by 90 minutes due to power failure. France missed star striker Kylian Mbappé, who picked up a knee injury during the loss to Denmark, and was one of 10 changes in the starting 11 made by France coach Didier Deschamps.

In the absence also of Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann, France featured Wissam Ben Yedder and Christopher Nkunku up front. Deschamps called the result “satisfying.” “This is our chance to prepare for the World Cup and try all the possibilities we have,” he said. “We are using this competition the best we can.” France will face Denmark, Tunisia and a yet-to-be-determined team at the World Cup in Qatar.

The sold-out crowd of some 30,000 cheered Croatia captain Luka Modrić in his 150th appearance. “It was a phenomenal feeling, I am happy and proud of my 150th match for Croatia,” Modrić said. The first defensive half resulted in only one chance on each side and Nkunku had a goal disallowed for offside.