Didier Deschamps walked back into France’s World Cup base in Boston on Saturday, hours after burying his mother in a private ceremony in France. His return came a day after Les Bleus, under the interim charge of assistant Guy Stéphan, dismantled Norway 4-1 to seal top spot in Group I with a perfect record. Ousmane Dembélé’s hat-trick provided the cutting edge in a performance that, viewed from Paris, was seen as a tribute to their absent manager.

The victory over Norway completed a flawless group phase: a 3-1 defeat of Senegal and a 3-0 win against Iraq had already secured a place in the knockout rounds before Deschamps departed on Tuesday. The French Football Federation confirmed his return with a terse message — ‘Didier is with us’ — and he was expected to lead Saturday’s training session at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Stéphan, who has been Deschamps’ long-time deputy, acknowledged the emotional weight on the squad. ‘The players were very affected,’ he said after the Norway match. ‘They heard Didier speak to them and say he was in mourning and had to leave. Given the closeness between them, the players wanted to do something good.’ That sentiment, analysts in London note, adds a layer of unity to a team already performing with machine-like efficiency.

France now face Sweden in the round of 32 on Tuesday at East Rutherford, New Jersey. Deschamps, 57, is set to leave his post after the tournament, ending a 14-year tenure that brought a World Cup title in 2018 and two other major finals. His immediate task is to extend a campaign that has so far yielded nine goals and none conceded, with the Swedish test the next obstacle on a path that many in the French camp believe could carry them deep into the competition.