France face unwanted record after Belgium take Nations League lead

France are one match away from equalling their longest-ever run without scoring in the first half after Belgium went into the break 1-0 ahead at Stade de France on Monday.

The sides are meeting in the fourth round of the Nations League, with France struggling to find an answer to Belgium’s attacking threat before half-time.

Benfica player Dodi Lukebakio opened the scoring for Belgium, finishing after an excellent assist from Romeo Lavia. The goal left France facing a difficult second half on home soil and increased the pressure on them to respond.

However, the half-time deficit was not the only concern for France. Their failure to score continued a worrying pattern in the opening 45 minutes of matches.

According to French statistics outlet Stats Foot, France have now gone eight consecutive matches without scoring in the first half. It is their longest such sequence since the period between May and October 2010, when they failed to find the net before the interval in nine successive games.

France are therefore one match away from matching their worst historical run for first-half goals. The statistic underlines the team’s difficulties in making an impact early in matches.

They must now improve after the interval if they are to avoid a damaging result against Belgium and prevent their position in the Nations League from becoming more complicated.