MARSEILLE, France (AP) – After a hellish year, France is just one step away from football heaven.
What better way to get there than by downing the world champions and France’s nemesis for over half a century: Germany.
A 2-0 European Championship semifinal victory for Les Bleus in the city that lent its name to the French national anthem showed that France is back as a major footballing force for the first time since Zinedine Zidane walked off the field in disgrace in the 2006 World Cup final.
No footballing victory can ever wipe away the horror and pain that froze French hearts last year after two terror attacks in Paris.
But by advancing to the final against Portugal on Sunday, the Euro 2016 host put a lot of very big smiles on a lot of French faces.