First it was Bastille Day, now Adelaide’s French community is revelling in World Cup

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IT’S been a big weekend for the French.

Saturday, it was Bastille Day, France’s national day and one full of celebration.

By the early hours of yesterday morning, possibly still recovering from the night before, they gathered again to watch France play Croatia in the world’s most-watched sporting event, the 2018 World Cup final.

It was worth staying up for as the French team beat a gallant Croatia 4-2 in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium to claim the trophy and bring to an end the best World Cup in decades.

There was a large crowd at La Buvette Drinkery, a French bar in the city, as well as another gathering at the Arkaba at Fullarton. Some of the delegation at La Buvette were from the Naval Group, the French company building Australia’s new submarine fleet.

Others stayed at home for the game that kicked off at half past midnight.

Amelie Froger has been in Adelaide for two years after moving from France “for love’’.

She said she had been hopeful before the game started.

“We expected it a little bit but it’s still good to confirm and Croatia played beautifully as well,’’ said the 26-year-old who works for Predict Australia, the local arm of a longstanding French company. She celebrated the win in appropriate style.

“I enjoyed winning with a bottle of red wine,’’ she said.

Her country folk also took to the streets in France to celebrate the nation’s second World Cup success. As many as 90,000 fans gathered to watch the game on giant screens next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Another 250,000 invaded the Champs Elysees and the Place de le Concorde, while massive crowds also formed to watch the game in Bordeaux, Lille and Marseilles.

There were also 110,000 security guards deployed for Bastille Day and the World Cup final and there were clashes with fans as the party continued well into the night, with water cannons and tear gas used to disperse the crowds.

Two fans died in the celebrations, with one man dying after jumping in a canal in the city of Annecy. Adelaide’s honorary consul for France Sue Crafter, who helped organise a 700-person Bastille Day celebration at the Art Gallery on Saturday, said there were about 4000 people from France living in South Australia, a number that is likely to grow as the shipbuilding industry gathers pace.

“Every few months we are seeing new French companies coming to Adelaide to have a look around,’’ she said.