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England v France: Women's EURO quarter-final facts

England came through the group stage with the best record but in the quarter-final their opponents are a France side they have not beaten since 1974.

France and England last met in March in the US
France and England last met in March in the US ©Getty Images

• England had the best record in the group stage, winning three games and scoring ten, twice as many as any other side.

• Their record 6-0 victory over Scotland was followed by wins against Spain (2-0) and Portugal (2-1), a game for which manager Mark Sampson changed ten starters.

• England had never previously finished in the top two of a UEFA Women's EURO group. Nor had they won all three games in a EURO group, men's or women's.

• England's Jodie Taylor has four goals, two more than any other player in the finals.

• France opened by beating Iceland 1-0 but then drew 1-1 with Austria and Switzerland to finish second in Group C.

Quarter-final pedigree
• England only once got past the group stage before, in 2009 when they won their quarter-final 3-2 against Finland.

• In the old two-legged pre-1997 quarter-finals, England beat Iceland 4-2 on aggregate in 1995, lost 6-2 to Italy in 1993, went down 6-1 to Germany in 1991. There was no quarter-final round when they reached the last four in 1987 and 1984.

• France lost on penalties in previous quarter-finals in 2013 (to Denmark) and 2009 (Netherlands). They also fell by the same method in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup against Germany. Four years earlier, though, they beat England on spot kicks in the last eight.

•  France also went out in the group stages of 1997, 2001 and 2005, when eight teams were involved.

• In the old two-legged quarter-finals, France fell 4-1 on aggregate to Italy in 1989. They have never made the last four of a UEFA Women's EURO, though they did so in the 2011 World Cup and 2012 Olympics.

Previous meetings
• This will be the 22nd meeting between these nations but only the second in a UEFA Women's EURO, finals or qualifying, after France beat England 3-0 in the last game of the 2013 group stage to eliminate the Lionesses. Eugénie Le Sommer, Louisa Necib and Wendie Renard scored.

• The teams have also met in the last two Women's World Cups: the 2011 quarter-final, which was 1-1 after extra time and 4-3 to France on penalties, and the opening game of the 2015 group stage, which Les Bleues won 1-0.

• Overall, in 21 meetings, France have won ten and England two, with nine draws (including the 2011 World Cup quarter-final). England's two victories came in the first two meetings in 1973, 3-0 in Brion, and 11 November 1974, 2-0 in Wimbledon.

• Since Mark Sampson became England manager, he has faced France five times: a 2-0 loss in the 2014 Cyprus Women's Cup, the 1-0 2015 World Cup defeat, 0-0 draws in the 2016 SheBeleves Cup in Baton Rouge and a Doncaster friendly in October, and a 2-1 reverse in the 2017 SheBelieves Cup in Chester, Pennsylvania in March. The last two meetings came after Olivier Echouafni's France appointment.

Miscellaneous
• England forward Toni Duggan and France's Élise Bussaglia have both recently signed for Barcelona.

• France defenders Renard and Eve Perisset are suspended. Amandine Henry and Jessica Houara D'Hommeaux are a booking from missing the semi-finals, as are England's Steph Houghton, Jill Scott, Fara Williams and Izzy Christiansen.

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