Captain Hugo Lloris has claimed that France's run to the final of the European Championship has helped to unite an entire nation.
Les Bleus are just one game away from matching the success of the 1984 and 1998 cup-winning sides by going all the way on home soil.
Sunday's final against Portugal will be staged at the Stade de France, which was the same venue rocked just eight months ago when targeted by terrorists during a night of attacks across Paris.
"Of course we've had some very tough times this year, both with those tragic events but also with events that have gone on off the field," Lloris is quoted as saying by Sky Sports News. "But we're even prouder to be on the pitch, to really feel the entire French population behind us, to feel this happiness which is really shared between the players and the French people.
"That gives us greater strength, it's lovely to see, but we still have that final step to take to really finish this competition in the best possible fashion. I think the French people really needed to escape via this competition and sport has this strength to bring people together, to unite people.
"You can see that very clearly - we can see that because we are currently experiencing it. But we still have one step to take. It's certainly the hardest one, but it's well worth it to finish in a good way."
France got the better of Germany to progress through to the final, coming out on top as 2-0 winners thanks to an Antoine Griezmann double in Marseille.
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