France defence is Achilles heel
Croatia began the game with the absolute dearth of spirit that characterised their miserable opening game against a Switzerland side reduced to ten men.
Otto Baric has at his disposal a side which is technically proficient, but in attitude is either overawed by more illustrious opposition or entirely spineless.
In the first period, with the exception of Dado Prso, Croatia were idle in their exertions and seemed to be grateful just to be on the same pitch as the maestro Zinedine Zidane.
In truth, in what was ultimately nothing short of a poor training match in the first half, Zidane was the exception.
The Real Madrid playmaker is a player who has won everything the game has to offer but yet, was still one of the few Frenchman on the evening to play with a conviction that the highest stage surely deserves.
However, for all his sublime and sumptuous ability on the ball, his genius may not yet prove enough to retain the title for a France side that is at present too cocksure to play with the spirit of true champions.
Jacques Santini's side could have been three or four goals to the good if they had the inclination in the opening period but instead they sank to the lethargic level of their opponents, basking in the sun with neat touches but no final product.
After the break and one can only presume Mr Baric spent the interval throwing the best china around the Croatian dressing room.
Endeavor replaced lethargy as the keyword in Croatia's vocabulary and Zidane was no longer a player to be admired but rather kicked and subsequently controlled.
Buoyed by the exemplary Prso, Croatia contrived to pull apart a French defence that began the tournament with a reputation as being steely but was exposed as being a definite Achilles heel.
Whilst England sat back and launched the ball onto the grateful head of Lilian Thuram and William Gallas, Croatia worked the flanks and forced Marcel Desailly to reveal his years and Mikael Silvestre an inability to defend when pressurized.
Desailly, at fault for Croatia's opening goal, is living on a reputation that exceeds his current ability and is a liability to a France side that is desperate for a leader in their back four.
A side of Croatia's ability should not worry a player of Desailly's calibre but yet time and time again the Chelsea pensioner was a yard short and out-of-sorts.
Even the normally majestic Thierry Henry, much like Michael Owen, is struggling to replicate his Premiership form and is instead looking a player entirely shorn of confidence.
The expectation on this calibre of player is such, that every misplaced pass is magnified and every miss becomes 'glaring' - irrespective of whether it warrants lamenting or not.
Sven Goran Eriksson will have been an interested observer and will be hoping Baric's side plays with the type of character shown in the first half.
If, however, Croatia can reproduce their second half display then England will have to take the game to their opponents and suppress their attacking intentions.
