Michael Olise steals the show in France’s win against Croatia
Bayern Munich star Michale Olise continued his stellar season with an outstanding performance for France against Croatia in the Nations League quarter-finals.
Les Bleus had their work cut out last night after suffering a 2-0 defeat in the first leg of the Last eight.
However, Olise eclipsed even talisman forward Kylian Mbappe to inspire France to an incredible come-back victory.
The 23-year-old scored a sensational free-kick in the 53rd minute and set up Ousmane Dembele with a brilliant cut-back in the 80th minute to make it 2-2 on aggregate.
France came out on top after a thrilling penalty shoot-out, thanks to Mike Maignan’s decisive save against Josip Stanic.
Didier Deschamps’ men have also secured their place in the semi-finals, where they will Spain.
Just into his sixth game in his international career, Olise produced a performance of the highest order, showing that he can be the future of the French national team.
The former Crystal Palace star was the catalyst of France’s attack, often causing problems for Croatian players with his brilliant dribbling and progressing abilities.
The free-kick for his maiden goal for France was a belter and he almost added another assist after slotting in a brilliant through ball to Bradley Barcola, who squandered the opportunity.
Despite Croatia’s overwhelming defence, Olise posed a constant threat in the final third with his precise crossing.
He concluded the game with 57/68 accurate passes, five key passes and three successful dribbles.
His defensive work was another major facet of his game as he won seven out of 12 duels.
However, Olise’s stunning display doesn’t come as a surprise for Bayern fans.
The French winger has grown in stature as one of the best attackers in Europe since joining Bayern from Crystal Palace for around €60 million.
Olise has been phenomenal for Vincent Kompany’s side this season, bagging 13 goals and 11 assists in all competitions.
The Frenchman’s form is also crucial to Bayern, who top the Bundesliga table and will face Inter Milan in the Champions League quarter-finals.
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