For a few glorious moments, it could have been 1998 all over again. Thousands of supporters on the streets of Paris and beyond, a soundtrack of triumphant bursts of La Marseillaise, and everywhere you looked – red, white and blue. By the end of the night, the picture was grimmer, as police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse unruly mobs.
France’s World Cup win 20 years ago, when Brazil were crushed 3-0 in Paris, will always retain its special place in the hearts of the nation’s footballing fraternity, given it was their maiden triumph on the biggest stage of all. But this summer’s success in Russia has run it pretty close.
In 1998, the numbers in the Champs-Elysees – the “world’s most…