Antoine Griezmann says Didier Deschamps knows exactly where to play him after the Barcelona forward played a pivotal role in France's hard-fought win over Croatia. 

Griezmann scored a superb eighth-minute goal, his third international strike of 2020, as Les Bleus prevailed 2-1 in Zagreb. 

The former Atletico Madrid player was deployed in a central position as he worked alongside Anthony Martial and Kylian Mbappe, who netted a late winner after Nikola Vlasic's equaliser.  

While he impressed for France, Griezmann has yet to find form under new Barca boss Ronald Koeman. Playing predominantly on the right flank, the 29-year-old has failed to score or even create a chance in his three LaLiga appearances in 2020-21.

However, he put any club issues to the back of his mind to help his country come out on top in the Nations League clash on Wednesday.

"The coach knows where to put me," Griezmann said of Deschamps in an interview with TF1. "I take advantage of this situation, of this place, of the confidence of the coach and my team-mates. 

"It was a complicated match, not very beautiful to see, not very beautiful to play, on a difficult ground. We knew how to suffer, the most important is to win and show that we are strong."

France's victory keeps them level on points with Group A3 leaders Portugal, the two nations having drawn 0-0 on Sunday. 

"It was difficult for everyone. We knew we were going to have a battle," Deschamps told TF1. 

"We did the right thing in the second half. This team has always had character. Just because you won a title in 2018 doesn't mean you win with a snap of your fingers.  

"If we didn't manage to score against Portugal, it's also because the opposition was good. We had great opposition today even if we had an excellent start to the match."