The French national team brought back one of its worst defensive memories, having conceded 4 goals in the first half of their match against England in the early hours of Sunday morning, in the 2026 World Cup third-place play-off, setting a negative unprecedented record in their history in major tournaments.

According to Stats Foot data via platform "X", France had not conceded 4 goals in the first half of an official match since April 24, 1968, when that happened against Yugoslavia in the qualifiers for the European Championship.

The same account added that what happened against England is the first of its kind in the history of the French national team during a major tournament, as "Les Bleus" had never conceded 4 goals in the first half of a World Cup or European Championship match.

🇫🇷 France had not conceded 4 goals in the first half since April 24, 1968 against Yugoslavia in EURO qualifiers (4).

France had never conceded 4 goals in the first half in a major tournament (World Cup + EURO). #FRAENG

— Stats Foot (@Statsdufoot) July 18, 2026

He also indicated that France had not finished the first half trailing by four goals since April 13, 1930, when they were down 5-1 against Belgium in a friendly match.

France had not been trailing by a 4-goal margin at halftime since April 13, 1930 against Belgium in a friendly (1-5). #FRAENG

— Stats Foot (@Statsdufoot) July 18, 2026

This figure reflected the extent of France's defensive struggles in the match, as they found themselves trailing by four goals before the end of the first half, scored by Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, and Bukayo Saka (brace).

The French team plays the third-place match after losing to Spain in the World Cup semi-finals, while England exited the tournament after losing to Argentina.

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