Les Bleus draw strength from fortress France
Saturday, July 9, 2016
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France will head into Sunday's final defending a fearsome home record in major tournaments, having won 17 of 18 finals games on local soil since their last defeat 56 years ago to the day.
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Portugal will need to achieve what no team have managed since 1960 if they are to are to win UEFA EURO 2016 on Sunday – beat France in a major finals game on home soil.
Les Bleus have hosted five major tournaments in total, stretching back to their first run as organisers at the 1938 FIFA World Cup. There they exited at the quarter-final stage, and the French experienced similar disappointment at the maiden UEFA European Championship in 1960, but since then they have been a formidable force as the home nation.
Indeed, their last finals defeat in one of their own stadiums came 56 years ago to the day, as they lost a third-place play-off tie to Czechoslovakia at the 1960 EURO. Victorious at both EURO '84 and the 1998 World Cup, they have now won 17 of their last 18 major finals contests at home, two of those triumphs coming after extra time and one on penalties.
1938 FIFA World Cup
Won: 1
First round, 3-1 v Belgium
Lost: 1
Quarter-final, 1-3 v Italy
1960 UEFA European Championship
Won: 0
Lost: 2
Semi-final, 4-5 v Yugoslavia
Third-place play-off, 0-2 v Czechoslovakia
1984 UEFA European Championship
Won: 5
Group stage, 1-0 v Denmark
Group stage, 5-0 v Belgium
Group stage, 3-2 v Yugoslavia
Semi-final, 3-2 v Portugal (aet)
Final, 2-0 v Spain
1998 FIFA World Cup
Won 7 (including shoot-out win after draw)
Group stage, 3-0 v South Africa
Group stage, 4-0 v Saudi Arabia
Group stage, 2-1 v Denmark
Round of 16, 1-0 v Paraguay (aet, golden goal)
Quarter-final, 0-0 v Italy (aet, 4-3 on pens)
Semi-final, 2-1 v Croatia
Final, 3-0 v Brazil
UEFA EURO 2016
Won: 5
Group stage, 2-1 v Romania
Group stage, 2-0 v Albania
Round of 16, 2-1 v Ireland
Quarter-final, 5-2 v Iceland
Semi-final, 2-0 v Germany
Drawn: 1
Group stage, 0-0 v Switzerland
Regulation time
Played: 22
Won: 15
Drawn: 4
Lost: 3
Including extra time
Played: 22
Won: 17
Drawn: 2
Lost: 3
Including penalties
Played: 22
Won: 18
Drawn: 1
Lost: 3