Germany v France background
Monday, July 4, 2016
Article summary
World champions Germany will look to move a step closer to a clean sweep of major international trophies, but hosts France are on a roll going into the match in Marseille.
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UEFA EURO 2016 hosts have yet to beat Germany in a final tournament meeting of any consequence; with the final in sight, this would be the perfect time for Didier Deschamps' side to end that run.
Previous meetings
• The nations have met 27 times, Germany recording nine wins to France's 12. Their four games at final tournaments have ended in one win for France, a draw and two Germany victories, most recently a 1-0 success in the 2014 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals.
• The drawn game in that run of finals meetings also went the Mannschaft's way, West Germany winning 5-4 on penalties after a 3-3 draw in the semi-finals at the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain.
• The same teams also crossed paths in the World Cup semi-finals four years later, West Germany triumphing 2-0 in Mexico. On both occasions, they went on to lose in the final.
• France's only competitive finals win against Germany was a third-place play-off in 1958 – final score: 6-3.
• The sides last met in a friendly at the Stade de France on 13 November 2015, a match overshadowed by the tragic events in Saint-Denis and Paris the same night. The home side won 2-0, Olivier Giroud and André-Pierre Gignac the scorers.
• Germany's only previous game in Marseille was a 1-1 friendly game against France in September 1968; the record of German clubs in eight UEFA competition games at Olympique de Marseille is W3 D1 L4.
EURO facts: Germany
• Germany are unbeaten in six games (W4 D2, including five at UEFA EURO 2016) since a 3-1 pre-tournament friendly loss to Slovakia. The penalty they conceded against Italy in the quarter-finals was the first goal that has been scored against them at the finals.
• The Mannschaft are participating in their 12th successive EURO since missing out on the final tournament as West Germany in 1968, their first attempt.
• Germany have knocked out the tournament hosts in four separate EURO semi-finals, beating Belgium 2-1 in 1972 and overcoming Yugoslavia 4-2 four years later. They then downed Sweden 3-2 in 1992 and edged England on penalties after a 1-1 draw at the next edition.
• EURO winners in 1972, 1980 and 1996 – and three-time runners-up – Germany last missed out on the semi-finals in 2004, when they did not make it through the group stage.
EURO facts: France
• Group A winners France are unbeaten in nine games (W8 D1), their 0-0 draw against Switzerland in the group stage having ended a six-match winning streak dating back to a 2-0 friendly loss to England on 17 November 2015.
• France's record in Marseille is W7 D3 L4; they also played their semi-final at the Stade Vélodrome during the 1984 UEFA European Championship, beating Portugal 3-2 before going on to win the tournament.
• Les Bleus beat Albania 2-0 at the Stade Vélodrome in Group A on 15 June, Antoine Griezmann and Dimitri Payet scoring late goals.
• The last-16 win against the Republic of Ireland at Stade de Lyon was France's first EURO knockout success since lifting the trophy in 2000. Les Bleus lost to the eventual winners in the quarter-finals in both 2004 (Greece) and 2012 (Spain).
• France (1984) are one of three nations to have won a EURO as hosts, along with Spain (1964) and Italy (1968).
Coach and player links
• Current team-mates:
Manuel Neuer, Jérôme Boateng, Joshua Kimmich, Mario Götze and Thomas Müller with Kingsley Coman (FC Bayern München, 2015-)
Sami Khedira with Patrice Evra and Paul Pogba (Juventus, 2015-)
Mesut Özil with Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud (Arsenal FC, 2013-)
Bastian Schweinsteiger and Anthony Martial (Manchester United FC, 2015-)
• Antoine Griezmann scored against Manuel Neuer as Club Atlético de Madrid eliminated Bayern in this season's UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
• Ruled out for the remainder of the tournament with torn muscle fibres, Germany's Mario Gomez turns 31 on 10 July, the day of the final.
• France reserve goalkeeper Steve Mandanda played his club football for Marseille from 2007-16; he will join Crystal Palace FC after UEFA EURO 2016.
Penalty shoot-outs
• Germany's penalty shoot-out record is W6 L1:
3-5 v Czechoslovakia, 1976 UEFA European Championship final
5-4 v France, 1982 FIFA World Cup semi-final
4-1 v Mexico, 1986 FIFA World Cup quarter-final
4-3 v England, 1990 FIFA World Cup semi-final
6-5 v England, EURO '96 semi-final
4-2 v Argentina, 2006 FIFA World Cup quarter-final.
6-5 v Italy, UEFA EURO 2016 quarter-finals.
• No side has won penalty shoot-outs in successive rounds at a EURO final tournament.
• France's record in six competitive penalty shoot-outs is W3 L3:
4-5 v West Germany, 1982 FIFA World Cup semi-finals
4-3 v Brazil, 1986 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals
5-4 v Netherlands, EURO '96 quarter-finals
5-6 v Czech Republic, EURO '96 semi-finals
4-3 v Italy, 1998 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals
3-5 v Italy, 2006 FIFA World Cup final