Continuing a strong run of UEFAEuropean Championship form will be the aim for Spain when they face France on Tuesday at Fußball Arena München in the semifinals. Catch the match LIVE on SuperSport at 9pm CAT.
Spain won their last Euro 2024 match, beating Germany 2-1 in extra time in the quarterfinals on July 5. The Spanish side scored once in the additional period. Dani Olmo and Mikel Merino were on the scoresheet in the win. They are unbeaten in their last eight games in all competitions. In nine games this year, they have seven wins, one draw, and one loss.
France won their Euro 2024 quarterfinals game 0-0 (5-3) on penalties against Portugal on July 5. Neither team scored in the additional period, sending the sides to spot-kicks. They are unbeaten in eight in a row. In 2024, they have won four, drawn four, and lost one.
France won the last meeting between the sides, triumphing 2-1 in the Uefa Nations League Final at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in October 2021. Karim Benzema struck first for the French side in the 66th minute. Kylian Mbappé also was on the scoresheet. Mikel Oyarzabal scored for Spain in the 64th minute.
Fabián Ruiz and Olmo have proved attacking threats for Spain in Euro 2024 play. They are the team's joint top scorers with two goals, tied for the fifth highest in the competition's scoring charts. Olmo has scored the critical first goal of the match once. Mbappé has been the leading attacking threat for France, scoring once in this season's Euro 2024.
The Spanish side have scored in each of their five Euro 2024 contests this season.
The Opta Supercomputer has been put to work once again. This is what it has come up with for the #EURO2024 semi-finals 👀 pic.twitter.com/bu4uzHyScP
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) July 8, 2024
Spain have won each of their last six matches in all competitions. The Spanish side scored 16 and conceded three in that period, scoring first in four of the six contests. A majority of their goals (nine) came in the first half, while their opponents netted two times in the first 45 minutes. France have won two and drawn four in their last six.
The French side scored three and conceded one over that period, netting first in three of the six. They had one goal in the first half, while their opponents failed to find the net before the break.
France forward Kylian Mbappé has scored just one goal from 20 shots at EURO 2024. Indeed, at the European Championship overall he has scored just once from 34 attempts (3 per cent), a contrast to his record at the World Cup, where he has scored 12 goals from 39 shots, a 31 per cent shot conversion rate.
Lamine Yamal has created 14 chances for his Spain teammates at EURO 2024, the most by a Spaniard at a major tournament since Xavi at EURO 2012 (25). He has three assists, with no Spanish player ever registering more at a single European Championship tournament, while his 14 chances created is the most by a teenager at a major tournament Opta has on record (since 1966 for World Cup, 1980 for EURO).
France goalkeeper Mike Maignan has a save per centage of 94 per cent at EURO 2024, the best of any goalkeeper to have played more than one game. Indeed, it is the best by a goalkeeper at a EURO tournament since Iker Casillas at EURO 2012 with that year’s winners Spain (also 94 per cent).
Which player will be the star of the semi-finals?! 🤩#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/3YIxlMeZFE
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) July 9, 2024
Spain have registered lower possession totals than their opponents in two of their five EURO 2024 matches (48 per cent v Germany, 47 per cent v Croatia), more times than they’d done so across 44 games at major tournaments between the 2006 and 2022 World Cups (once in the EURO 2008 final v Germany, 46 per cent).
There have only been four goals scored in France’s five EURO 2024 matches (three for, one against), with those either penalties (2) or own goals (2). All 128 non-penalty shots have failed to be scored (86 for France, 42 for opponents), while France are the only team on record since 1980 to have more than 50 non-penalty shots at a EURO and fail to find the net with any of them.
Since the start of 2023, Spain have the best win per centage of any European nation, winning 15 of their 19 matches under Luis de la Fuente (79 per cent). They have won their last seven games in a row, last winning more consecutively between June 2009 and June 2010 (12).
France are looking to reach their fourth EURO final (1984, 2000 and 2016) but only the second not played on French soil (EURO 2000 in the Netherlands). Spain, meanwhile, are looking to reach their fifth final, with only Germany playing in more (6). The Spaniards have progressed from four of five semifinals, but lost on penalties to eventual winners Italy at this stage at EURO 2020.
Spain are the only team who have won all five matches at EURO 2024. No team in European Championship history has won six matches in a single tournament and no team has ever won six EURO games in a row.
Meeting in the EURO 2024 semifinal, and having already met in the group stage (1996), round of 16 (2006), quarterfinal (2000 and 2012) and final (1984) of major tournaments, Spain v France will be just the third fixture to be played at each stage of World Cup and EURO tournaments, along with Italy v Spain and England v Germany.
This is the sixth meeting between Spain and France at a major tournament. France won three of the first four (2-0 in EURO 1984 final, 2-1 in EURO 2000 quarterfinal, 3-1 in 2006 World Cup round of 16), while Spain won the most recent game, a 2-0 win in the EURO 2012 quarterfinal. The other game was a 1-1 draw during the EURO 1996 group stage.