Reports of France’s demise may have been exaggerated somewhat. All the talk of disharmony in the camp, after coach Corinne Diacre left world-renowned stars such as Amandine Henry and Eugénie Le Sommer out of her squad for this tournament, were washed away in a startlingly brilliant opening half illuminated by a hat-trick from Grace Geyoro.
These were both firsts in a Women’s Euros tournament game – a team scoring five goals and a player claiming a treble by half-time – but what is not so novel is the rising crescendo that will be proclaiming France as one of the favourites to win the competition. Third in the world, with 15 successive wins, yet they remain the perennial underachievers. They get built up, only to knock themselves down. Maybe this time it will be different.
