England’s victory over Senegal has set up a mouthwatering 2022 World Cup quarter-final clash with France.
The Three Lions eased past Senegal 3-0 in the last 16 thanks to goals from Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka, while Les Bleus surged on in their title defence as two strikes from Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud’s record-breaking effort saw them beat Poland 3-1.
Here’s how the two sides have fared in head-to-head clashes over the years.
England hold the edge over France in the head-to-head standings, managing 17 wins to France’s nine with five draws. However, the Three Lions’ dominance in the fixture is skewed by a number of heavy victories back when television screens were all black and white.
England won 11 of the first 14 meetings from 1923 to 1957 before they met again in a two-legged qualifier for the 1962 Euros. The first leg ended 1-1 in Sheffield before France earned a stunning 5-2 victory in Paris.
The Three Lions would win five of the next eight games before the new millennium, when things turned in France’s favour. They have won four of the last seven games, losing just once in 2015 when Dele Alli and Wayne Rooney netted in a 2-0 success under Roy Hodgson.
The most recent encounter between England and France came in 2017. Harry Kane put England ahead early on before Samuel Umtiti and Djibril Sidibe turned the game on its head to have the hosts 2-1 up.
Kane equalised minutes into the second half with a penalty after Raphael Varane was sent off, but Ousmane Dembele’s 78th-minute strike eventually separated the two sides.
Ryan Bertrand, Phil Jones, Dele Alli and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were among the starters for England that day.
England H2H record vs France
England have faced France five times in major tournaments; twice at the World Cup and three times at the Euros.
The Three Lions have a winning record against Les Bleus at the World Cup. Their first meeting in the competition came on the last matchday of the 1966 group stage as two goals from Roger Hunt sealed a 2-0 victory.
Bryan Robson struck twice in a 1982 victory over the French, though it was the losers who enjoyed the better tournament by finishing fourth as England were eliminated in the second group phase after goalless draws with West Germany and Spain.
At the Euros, France hold the edge over their rivals, going unbeaten in all three fixtures. A goalless draw occurred at Euro 92 before the two sides met 12 years later. Frank Lampard’s header had Sven-Goran Eriksson’s team on track for victory, but a free kick and a penalty from the legendary Zinedine Zidane – both in stoppage time – saw France win 2-1.
The last major tournament meeting between the sides came in 2012. Joleon Lescott headed in from Steven Gerrard’s free kick, but Samir Nasri struck before half time to seure a point for Les Bleus.
Three players have netted three goals in this fixture, though we have to venture into the record books to find them. Everton legend Dixie Dean racked up 18 goals in 16 appearances for England, with braces coming in big 5-1 and 6-0 victories over the French in the late 1920s.
George Camsell is another England player who boasts an outstanding scoring record in barely any games. The former Middlesbrough striker netted 18 goals in nine England appearances, with four in total coming against France.
Jules Dewaquez is France‘s leading goalscorer against England, though he never won when scoring against the Three Lions. Instead, he netted in 4-1, 3-1, 3-2 and 4-1 defeats throughout the 1920s.