FRANCE 98 – Nantes Stadium

La Beaujoire was indeed born under a lucky star. The ground, built for the European Nations Cup in 1984, was the setting shortly after its inauguration for a match that has lived on in every French football fan’s memory. On 16 June 1984, in front of 51,000 spectators, France, after an indecisive victory over Denmark in Paris (1-0), took on the Belgians in their second game. Usually very difficult opponents, on this occasion France’s northern neighbours were quite literally swept aside by a French side right at the pinnacle of its form. 3-0 up at half-time, with goals by Platini, Giresse and Fernandez, the visitors never really had a look in. And in the second half Platini, the French captain, added two more–his first hat trick for his country. A feat he was to repeat a few days later against Yugoslavia.