Zinedine Zidane's name was emblazoned across the banners in the stands, the Stade de France transformed for a night into a shrine to the country's favourite son yet the man himself watched last month's demolition of Italy from the comfort of his couch in Madrid. "I was happy for the team and, in a way, relieved for myself, too," he said, his mind drifting back to the World Cup final in Berlin, that head-butt and the choking anti-climax of his departure from the game. "You have to move on. We've done that now."
Victory over the World Cup winners provided a sense of atonement and, while France may still be mourning the retirement of a national icon, the reality is that life after Zizou is proving more of a liberation for Les Bleus.
Raymond Domenech's team arrive in Glasgow tomorrow for Saturday's Euro 2008 qualifier against Scotland with both sides having won their opening two Group B games, but with the French arguably more daunting than at any time since they won Euro 2000. Momentum has not merely been maintained in Zidane's absence; it is being generated afresh.
Domenech, once reviled by the public and treated with suspicion by senior members of his squad, is a man transformed. Humour has crept into his press briefings, the rather sour figure who struggled to cope with the weight of public expectation through a lethargic qualifying campaign and the early group matches at Germany 2006 now at ease in his role.
A record of only one defeat in normal time - against Slovakia in March - in his 31 matches in charge of Les Bleus earned the coach a contract extension last week to remain at the helm until after the 2010 World Cup. For him, bizarrely, Zidane's exit has proved more a help than a hindrance.
After Zidane's suspension against Togo in the last group game of the World Cup, the coach accommodated the veteran in a 4-2-3-1 structure which steadily grew in authority, dismissing Spain, Brazil and Portugal before dominating against the Azzurri. Yet there was always a nagging imbalance to the system. Florent Malouda and the livewire Franck Ribéry were clearly the future. Now, with Zidane gone, Domenech has finally stamped his blueprint on the side.
These days, Les Bleus rejoice in a strict 4-4-2, with Claude Makelele and Patrick Vieira a strong-arm presence in the centre and the young wingers revelling on the flanks. Ribéry was outstanding against the Italians in Paris in his favoured position, with the 3-1 victory far more convincing than the scoreline suggests.
Lilian Thuram, a veteran of wonderful club sides at Juventus and Barcelona and a World Cup winner in 1998, said the team "reached an unbelievable level" that night. Even Zidane acknowledged the complete display from his living room. "What they did was magnificent," he said. "The team were extraordinary."
Vieira and Thierry Henry are also rejuvenated. The midfielder, captain in Zidane's place, has risen to the extra responsibility, all leggy menace and snarling tackles to stifle midfield. His disciplinary record at Internazionale may be poor, but his is a rampaging presence for France these days.
Henry, meanwhile, appears to have taken his chance to shine. Too often he was eclipsed by Zidane and never enjoyed the adulation he does in a pocket of north London when playing for his country.
Only once did a Zidane pass directly supply the Arsenal forward with a goal during their long career in the national side together, the free-kick volleyed home in the World Cup quarter-final against Brazil. Now, though, there is belated recognition of his threat. Henry is the icon of the moment to replace the genius that was the galáctico: for Zizou, read Titi.
All of which has united a team intent, ultimately, on making amends for their penalty defeat in Berlin. "Everything we've done so far has been connected with the World Cup in some way, but the game against Scotland will be the first true match with only the European Championships on our minds," said Domenech. "This is a test. When things are going well, you have to be extra careful you don't become complacent or underestimate your opponents, but I'm not worried."
The recent French flourish should never take anything away from the majesty of the player they have lost, but it is an illustration of the talent that remains. Zidane will watch Saturday's contest back on his settee. A relative recluse these days, he attended Paris St-Germain's recent league game with his beloved Marseille and still intends to sign amateur terms with his first club, La Castellane.
Zizoumania will flare up one last time when he is presented to the crowd before next month's friendly with Greece, though Les Bleus have clearly already moved on.
