is the French team successful in its entry into major competitions?

The Blues play their first match of the European Championship on Monday against Austria in Düsseldorf (Germany).

At the dawn of their entry into contention, the Blues did not spend the day managing only extra-sporting matters. Didier Deschamps led his last training session on Sunday June 16 before the match against Austria on Monday June 17 (at 9 p.m.) in Düsseldorf (Germany).

“Starting with a victory, there is nothing better because it puts us in a good position and that will be our goal tomorrow (…). I have seen almost all of the Euro matches and the trait What is common is the very high intensity. Austria has this strength, to put a lot of intensity and pressure. They also have the quality of using verticality well in the game. We will have to be. ready to get the result we want”warned Didier Deschamps at a press conference, who did not reveal his secret to getting off to a good start in a tournament.

100% wins under Didier Deschamps

2014 World Cup, Euro 2016, 2018 World Cup, Euro 2021, 2022 World Cup and now Euro 2024. Didier Deschamps is preparing to experience his sixth major tournament on the bench of the France team. Until now, his team has always started with a victory. She remains on a 4-1 success against Australia at the World Cup in Qatar. During the last Euro, the Blues had already started their competition with a match in Germany, against the Germans in Munich, won 1-0.

“I consider the first match to be very important, not decisive, but very important. Even if there are two matches behind, a victory puts you in a good position. That will be our goal, even if Austria thinks the same thing “warned Didier Deschamps, also taking the counter-example of Argentina during the last World Cup, crowned despite the initial defeat against Saudi Arabia.

22 years of invincibility

We have to go back to the 2002 World Cup to find traces of an early defeat for the Blues in a major tournament. Roger Lemerre’s players then got their feet wet against Senegal and experienced an elimination that was as bitter as it was early, right from the group stage. Since then, none of the Blues’ ten subsequent entries into the running has ended in a setback.

She only missed her entry to the Euro once

In ten appearances at the European Championships, France has only started with a defeat once, during its very first participation in 1960 against Yugoslavia, losing with a prolific score of 5 goals to 4. Michel Hidalgo, Michel Platini, Aimé Jacquet, Roger Lemerre, Raymond Domenech, Laurent Blanc and Didier Deschamps, all avoided defeat at the start of a European campaign.