France has secured its place in the Euro 2024 semifinals after a dramatic penalty shootout victory against Portugal on Friday. This win, however, is underscored by a truly unique and historic statistic: France is the first team in the history of the European Championship to reach the semifinal stage without having scored a single goal in open play.
Across five matches in the tournament thus far, every goal credited to France has originated from either an own goal by their opponents or a penalty kick. Les Bleus have also experienced two games where they failed to find the net at all, including a 0-0 draw against the Netherlands during the group stage and the recent quarterfinal clash with Portugal, which concluded 0-0 (5-3 on penalties).
đđ«đ· 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. đ pic.twitter.com/TWiQOjW0yS
â Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 5, 2024
In a Euro 2024 tournament where own goals have become a defining feature, France has certainly reaped some benefits. An own goal in their group stage encounter against Austria provided Les Bleus with a critical 1-0 victory and three points. Similarly, another own goal, this time against Belgium, paved their way to the quarterfinals with another 1-0 win. The tournament has already witnessed a record-breaking nine own goals.
Interestingly, while struggling to find the net in open play, France has also displayed remarkable defensive solidity, not conceding any goals in open play themselves. The only goal they have allowed was a penalty converted by Polandâs Robert Lewandowski in a group stage match.
Lewandowskiâs penalty actually leveled the score in that game, canceling out Franceâs solitary non-own goal of the tournament â a penalty scored by their captain, Kylian MbappĂ©. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, a result that was just enough for France to narrowly surpass the Netherlands and progress to the knockout rounds.
Euro 2024 match updates and sports news coverage on Yahoo Sports
It is somewhat surprising to see France, currently ranked as the worldâs No. 2 team by FIFA, facing such difficulties in scoring. However, the issue does not appear to be a lack of attempts. France has consistently outshot their opponents in every game, accumulating an impressive 87 shots over five matches, with 20 of those being on target.
Despite their struggles in converting chances, France has persevered and advanced. However, their unusual reliance on penalties and own goals might be tested in the upcoming semifinal. They are set to face Spain on Tuesday, a team known for their attacking prowess, having scored 11 goals in the tournament. Notably, all but one of Spainâs goals, which was an own goal by Italy, have been scored in open play, setting up an intriguing clash of styles and scoring fortunes.
