France vs Albania: The hosts of Euro 2016 are much better in the second half
Match facts ahead of the Euro 2016 meeting
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Your support makes all the difference.Using the Independent's dedicated Euro 2016 app, we take a look at all the key match stats ahead of France vs Albania...
- France have won four of the six matches played against Albania but have failed to win either of the last two meetings (D1 L1).
- Ergys Kace’s free-kick effort helped Albania to a 1-0 victory over France when they last met in June 2015.
- Albania have never scored more than once in a game against France (three goals scored in six matches).
- Albania have never beaten Les Bleus in France; conceding nine goals across three games and have only scored once in return (D1 L2).
- France have lost just once in their last 11 matches at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille (vs Argentina 2009 - W7 D3).
- Les Bleus have played at this venue twice before in the European Championships; losing to Czechoslovakia in 1960 (0-2) but beating Portugal in 1984 (3-2), both games saw them concede twice.
- France have won their last six games on home soil in the European Championships (5 in 1984, 1 in 2016).
- France have only kept two clean sheets in their last 17 games at the EURO (against Romania in 2008 and Ukraine in 2012).
- France’s five shots on target (including their two goals) in the opening game against Romania all came in the second-half.
- In fact, seven of France’s last eight goals at the EURO have been scored after half-time.
- N’Golo Kanté made more touches (101), more passes (86), more interceptions (5) and more tackles (3) than any other French player in the opening game against Romania.
- Olivier Giroud has scored eight goals in his last six starts for France.
- Against Romania, Dimitri Payet became the first French player to score and assist in the same EURO game since Thierry Henry in 2000 (v Czech R.).
- Payet scored six goals and delivered nine assists in his last 17 league games at the Stade Vélodrome as a Marseille player.
- Albania have lost their last two internationals – they’ve not lost three in a row since October 2013.
For more stats, play-by-play commentary, comprehensive Euro 2016 news from the Independent and pre-match coverage, download Independent Euro Live 2016.
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