The FIFA World Cup 2022 is about to reach its climax, as Argentina are set to take on France in the summit clash on December 18 at the Lusail Stadium in Doha, Qatar. France became the latest to qualify for the final after a tough fight against Morocco in the semi-final, which ultimately resulted in a 2-0 victory for Les Blues. The goals came from Theo Hernandez in the first half, and Kolo Muani late into the second half.
Argentina, on the other hand, defeated Croatia quite comfortably in the first semi-final, courtesy of another magical performance from Lionel Messi who scored 2 goals and 1 assist, along with a brace from Julian Alvarez. Lionel Messi has been lethal for the Argentines in his final World Cup, as he has found the back of the net five times and also registered four assists. Therefore he has 1.5 goal contributions per game.
When the two come head to head, however, Argentina will be going in with a slight historical advantage. Argentina and France have faced each other 12 times in history, with the Albicieste winning 6 of those games, while France have won just 3. Three of the 12 matches have ended in a draw. In World Cups, France and Argentina have faced each other thrice, with Argentina winning two and France winning one. The lone victory of France in the FIFA World Cup against Argentina came in the Round of 16 in 2018, which they won by a margin of 4-3.
In terms of goals scored, Argentina lead again. In the 12 matches so far, they have scored 15 goals while France have scored just 11. Lionel Messi has come against France thrice in his career, and has scored just one goal against them, back in a friendly match in 2009.
Here’s a head-to-head record of Argentina vs France down the years in different competitions:
1930
| Year | Result | Competition
France 0-1 Argentina
World Cup
1965
France 0-0 Argentina
Friendly
1971
Argentina 3-4 France
Friendly
1971
Argentina 2-0 France
Friendly
1972
Argentina 0-0 France
Brazil Independence Cup
1974
France 0-1 Argentina
Friendly
1977
Argentina 0-0 France
Friendly
1978
Argentina 2-1 France
World Cup
1986
France 2-0 Argentina
Friendly
2007
France 0-1 Argentina
Friendly
2009
France 0-2 Argentina
Friendly
2018
France 4-3 Argentina
World Cup
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Argentina were ousted from the 2018 World Cup Round of 16 at the hands of eventual champions France, and now Lionel Messi and co. will be looking to exact revenge from the defending champions.
