France has advanced to the Euro 2024 semifinals, but their journey has been anything but typical. Their victory over Portugal in the quarter-finals, decided by a penalty shootout, secured their place in the coveted Euro Semifinals. However, this win also marked a historic and somewhat bizarre milestone: France has become the first team in the history of the Euros to reach the semifinal stage without scoring a single goal in open play.
Across five matches in the tournament leading up to the euro semifinals, every goal credited to France has originated either from own goals by their opponents or from penalty kicks. Notably, Les Bleus have also endured two games where they failed to score altogether, including a goalless draw against the Netherlands in the group stage and their recent 0-0 (5-3 on penalties) quarter-final clash with Portugal.
šš«š· France are in the semi final with zero open play goals scored. First time ever in the history of the Euros.
Zero goals also conceded from open play. š pic.twitter.com/TWiQOjW0yS
In a Euro 2024 tournament that has seen an unusually high number of own goals, France has certainly reaped some benefits. An own goal in their opening group stage match against Austria delivered a crucial 1-0 victory, and another own goal against Belgium in the round of 16 paved their way to the quarter-finals with another 1-0 win. To date, a record-breaking nine own goals have been registered in the tournament.
Interestingly, while struggling to score in open play, France has also showcased remarkable defensive resilience. They have not conceded any goals in open play throughout the tournament. The only goal they have allowed was a penalty converted by Polish captain Robert Lewandowski during a group stage encounter.
Lewandowskiās penalty actually equalized Franceās sole non-own goal in the competition thus far ā a penalty expertly taken by their own captain, Kylian MbappĆ©. This 1-1 draw against Poland was enough for France to narrowly surpass the Netherlands in the group standings and progress to the knockout rounds.
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](France Euro Semifinals Match Preview)
Despite being ranked as the worldās No. 2 team by FIFA, Franceās struggles in front of goal are undeniable. However, itās not for lack of trying. They have consistently outshot their opponents in every match, accumulating an impressive 87 shots across five games, with 20 of those hitting the target.
So far, Franceās solid defense has compensated for their offensive shortcomings, enabling them to reach the euro semifinals. But their unusual scoring record might be put to the test in their upcoming semifinal match against Spain on Tuesday. Spain has demonstrated considerable attacking prowess in the tournament, scoring 11 goals in their five games. Remarkably, all but one of Spainās goals, which was an own goal by Italy, have been scored in open play, setting up an intriguing clash of styles and fortunes in the euro semifinals.
