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World Cup finalists Italy and France have met five times in the most important tournaments, and during them, they still haven't determined which team is stronger.
Both teams have two wins against each other, one draw, two losses, and have scored six goals each.
However, recent history gives a significant psychological advantage to France.
The "Les Bleus" team, with players like Fabien Barthez, Lilian Thuram, Patrick Vieira, Zinedine Zidane, and Thierry Henry - the fastest on the field since the start - defeated the "Squadra Azzurra" led by Fabio Cannavaro and Francesco Totti in the 2000 European Championship final.
Additionally, two years earlier, France eliminated Italy in the World Cup quarterfinals.
Let's look back at the previous encounters between both teams in the most important tournaments.
Euro 2000 Final France 2 - 1 Italy (after extra time)
A dramatic victory in Rotterdam allowed France to become the second team, after West Germany, to hold both the World and European champion titles at the same time.
After the match, French coach Roger Lemerre described the victory as a "miracle," and it's hard to disagree.
Italy led 1-0 until the very last minutes of the match when Marco Delvecchio scored after a pass from the now-in-a critical condition and hospitalized Gianluca Pessotto. However, a trio of substitute players turned the game in favor of the French and eventually helped secure the victory.
First, in extra time, David Trezeguet's header reached Sylvain Wiltord, who sent the ball through Alessandro Nesta's legs into Francesco Toldo's goal, extending the match. After 13 minutes of extra time, Robert Pires broke through on the left flank and passed the ball to Trezeguet, who scored a precise shot to bring the European champion title to France.
1998 World Cup Quarterfinal France 0 - 0 Italy (after extra time, penalty shootout 4-3)
77,000 spectators watched France secure a spot in the semifinals after a nerve-wracking penalty shootout in Paris.
Neither team managed to score in 120 minutes of play - the best chances for Italy were missed by Christian Vieri, while Youri Djorkaeff and Emmanuel Petit had the best opportunities for France.
So the winner had to be determined in a penalty shootout. Bixente Lizarazu missed France's second shot, but then a failed attempt by Demetrio Albertini followed. Finally, Luigi Di Biagio had to score to avoid his team's elimination, but the bald goalkeeper hit the crossbar, causing the Stade de France to explode in joy among the home team's fans.
This was the third time Italy had to leave the World Cup after a penalty shootout, with France later defeating Croatia and Brazil to become World Champions for the first time in history.
1986 World Cup Round of 16 France 2 - 0 Italy
The World champion Italy had to bow down to the excellent French team led by legends Michel Platini, Jean Tigana, and Alain Giresse.
Captain Platini and forward Yannick Stopyra scored goals for France, who outplayed their opponents and could have scored more goals. Italy lacked the winning spirit and skill they had demonstrated when triumphing in Spain four years earlier.
In the following matches, in a classic duel, the French national team defeated Brazil in a penalty shootout, but seemed tired in the semifinals and had to admit defeat to West Germany with a 0-2 score.
1978 World Cup Group Stage France 1 - 2 Italy
Italy celebrated a victory in these first-stage matches.
Bernard Lacombe's goal in the first minute allowed France to start the match well, but Paolo Rossi and Renato Zaccarelli's goals sealed the victory for Italy.
Despite having a young Platini in their ranks, the French team was not at a high level, and a loss to host Argentina meant they had to exit the tournament after the group stage.
In contrast, Italy started the tournament impressively and defeated Argentina 1-0 in Buenos Aires, finishing the group stage without losing a point. However, in the second round, they had to face the fantastic Dutch team, and the 1-2 defeat meant an early trip back home for them.
1938 World Cup Quarterfinal France 1 - 3 Italy
Over 58,000 spectators gathered at Colombes Stadium to watch host France face defending champions Italy, and the victory went to "Squadra Azzurra."
Gino Colaussi quickly put Italy ahead, and although Frenchman Oscar Heisserer equalized just a minute later, the Italians dominated the match and celebrated a convincing victory after two Silvio Piola goals in the second half.
Italy defended their champion title that year, although it helped that South American teams boycotted the tournament because it was held in Europe for the second year in a row.
The Italian team at the time, along with the 1958 and 1962 championship-winning Brazilian team, were the only teams to win the championship twice in a row.
