Norway vs France facts

A tight contest could be on the cards as Norway face France at the CFR Cluj Stadium in Cluj-Napoca in the second round of Group D games at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Not only did the sides share a draw in a friendly last autumn, there has been little between them in their competitive fixtures over the years, France winning three games to Norway's two and hitting 13 goals to their opponents' 12.

There is already three points between the teams in Group D, however, Norway opening with a 2-1 loss against Switzerland – their first group stage defeat at the U21 finals – before France beat Italy by the same score. Emil Ceïde's 19th-minute opener was not enough to prevent Norway slipping to defeat against the Swiss at the Dr. Constantin Rădulescu Stadium while goals from Arnaud Kalimuendo (22) – a spectacular back-heel flick – and Bradley Barcola (62) gave France victory against Italy despite Loïc Badé's dismissal with seven minutes remaining.

While France are looking to reach the knockout rounds for a third successive tournament, Norway are in the finals for only the third time – although both previous appearances extended to the semi-finals.

Previous meetings

France and Norway drew 1-1 in a Caen friendly on 19 November 2022. Amine Adli gave the home side a 17th-minute lead at the Stade Michel-D'Ornano, Johan Hove earning Norway a draw with seven minutes left.

The sides have met in eight previous European U21 Championship fixtures, most recently in the play-offs for the 2013 tournament in October 2012. Raphaël Varane scored the only goal of the first game in Le Havre ahead of a pulsating second leg in Drammen, when early goals from Harmeet Singh (13pen), Håvard Nielsen (19) and Thomas Rogne (27) put Norway in charge. Although Josuha Guilavogui (28) quickly reduced the France deficit, second-half strikes from Anders Konradsen (57) and Jo Inge Berget (66) gave the home side a cushion that enabled them to withstand a late France fightback after strikes by Alexandre Lacazette (84) and Antoine Griezmann (87), leaving the final aggregate score 5-4 to Norway, who therefore went through to the final tournament in Israel.

Norway also reached the 1998 finals at France's expense, a 3-2 away win in Valenciennes in their final fixture taking them above their hosts and into first place in Group 3. Norway had led 3-0 at the break but were left hanging on by David Trezeguet's second-half double (64, 69).

That was France's first competitive U21 defeat against Norway in their sixth fixture. The reverse game in Molde had finished 1-1, the third such scoreline between the sides in the previous five matches; France won 2-1 in Lillestrøm in the first, in June 1987, and were 2-0 home victors in Tours in September 1988. However, while Les Bleuets went on to lift the trophy in 1988, beating Greece 3-0 on aggregate in the two-legged final, they failed to progress in 1990 having finished behind Yugoslavia in their qualifying section.

France beat Norway 1-0 on Matchday 3 of the 2019 European U19 Championship. Maxence Caqueret was in the France team, with Kristoffer Klaesson, Colin Rösler, Markus Solbakken, Erik Botheim and Hove all featuring for Norway.

Form guide

Norway

This is Norway's third appearance in the final tournament and a first since 2013 when, as on their 1998 debut, they reached the semi-finals. Both campaigns ended in defeat by Spain, 1-0 after extra time in 1998 and 3-0 ten years ago, when Norway had finished as unbeaten runners-up behind Italy in Group A.

Steffen Iversen scored both goals as Norway defeated the Netherlands 2-0 in the third-place play-off in 1998.

Norway were third in their 2021 qualifying section, 17 points behind both the Netherlands and Portugal.

This time round, Leif Gunnar Smerud's team won eight of their ten qualifiers to finish top of Group A on 24 points, two above Croatia.

Jørgen Strand Larsen, who is not in the final tournament squad, was Norway's top scorer in qualifying with six goals.

France

Champions in 1988 with a squad including Laurent Blanc, Eric Cantona, Franck Sauzée and Jocelyn Angloma, this is France's seventh appearance in the final tournament and third in a row.

Having missed out for six successive tournaments from 2007 onwards, France got to the semi-finals on their return in 2019 and the quarter-finals two years ago. France have qualified four times since a group stage was introduced in 2000, and have reached the knockout rounds on each occasion.

In 2021 Sylvain Ripoll's squad finished second in Group C behind Denmark before losing 2-1 to the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, the decisive goal coming three minutes into added time.

This time round France remained unbeaten to qualify as Group H winners, winning eight of their games and scoring 31 goals while conceding only five, three of them in their final fixture, a 3-3 draw away to runners-up Ukraine.

Amine Gouiri was Les Bleuets' top scorer in qualifying with five goals. Benoît Badiashile, who is not in the final tournament squad, started all ten matches, while four other players – Pierre Kalulu, Caqueret, Sofiane Diop (another finals absentee) and Kalimuendo – also featured in every game.

France have never conceded more than once in any of their 13 group stage matches at the finals, keeping nine clean sheets. They have won 11 of those games (D1 L1), including all four previous Matchday 2 fixtures, the last three without conceding.

Links and trivia

Norway's Warren Kamanzi joined Toulouse from Tromsø in January.

Have played together:
Kristoffer Klaesson, Leo Hjelde & Illan Meslier (Leeds 2021–)