Antoine Griezmann shone, but France failed at the final hurdle in Euro 2016, as Portugal took the trophy. Here's a look back at Les Bleus' tournament.
At a glance
Although supporters were immensely disappointed by losing the final to Portugal, Euro 2016 was a success for France, who will head into the 2018 World Cup confident they can win it.
Highlight
Although beating Germany 2-0 in the semifinal was an undoubted highlight, the dominance enjoyed by Die Mannschaft in the match made the victory less impressive than the real high point of the tournament for France -- their 5-2 quarterfinal win over Iceland.
Up until that thumping of this summer's surprise package at Stade de France, Didier Deschamps' men were struggling to look convincing and only just squeezed past the Republic of Ireland in the round of 16.
The Iceland victory proved that Les Bleus could live up to pre-tournament expectations and blow teams away, even if Lars Lagerback and Heimir Hallgrimsson's troops were drained after their win over England.
Beating the Icelanders in such convincing fashion boosted the confidence of the French and gave them the self-belief that they would beat Germany and make it all the way to the final.
Low point
Without a doubt, losing to Portugal in the final.
To come so close to ultimate glory and then let it slip through their fingers will have hurt the French and the devastation on many of the players' faces after the match told its own story.
Most galling for France will be the nagging feeling that they should have beaten the Portuguese. With star man Cristiano Ronaldo out injured early on, the game was there for the taking.
However, the injury suffered by the Real Madrid man appeared to make Deschamps' men complacent, and that only heightens the sense of disappointment.
Up until the final, the tournament had been gradually building toward an almighty high with some acceleration between the round of 16 and the semifinals.
Star man
Antoine Griezmann. Coming into the tournament, the Atletico Madrid star was hyped up as one of the ones to watch this summer and a favourite for the Golden Boot. Ultimately, he lived up to that billing.
Although Griezmann made a slow start against Romania and was then benched against Albania, his goal as a late substitute in the 2-0 win over the Albanians launched his Euro 2016 campaign.
The 2-0 win over Ireland in the round of 16 saw Deschamps stumble upon the best formation for Griezmann and his double against the Irish in Lyon ensured that France would spend the rest of their tournament playing 4-2-3-1.
Although it ultimately was not enough in the final, Les Bleus now have a new shape that must be utilised from now on in order to bring the best out of Griezmann at international level.
Lessons learned
The most significant lesson learned by France at Euro 2016 is that there is so much talent in this squad that not all of it can be utilised at the same time.
Part of the reason why Deschamps was so indecisive tactically and unsure of his best starting XI until deep into the tournament was that he was trying to fit too many quality players into the team, even if it meant playing them out of position.
The 4-2-3-1 that eventually found favour does not incorporate all of Les Bleus' most talented players but it does work with a large number of them and most importantly, it brings the best out of their most gifted star, Griezmann.