"We are back! A friendly that feels like a final with a knot in my stomach," declared Paris Saint-Germain's Neymar ahead of their clash with second-tier minnows Le Havre on Sunday. 

The Brazilian superstar, who became the world's most expensive footballer when he swapped Barcelona for PSG in a 222 million euro (250 million U.S. dollars) deal, has ample reasons to be in jubilant mood.  

The much-anticipated showdown in the Normandy region of northwestern France is PSG's first public outing since the country's Ligue 1 earned the unwanted distinction of being the only one of Europe's five major leagues to cancel its season in March. And more importantly, action-starved fans were allowed back into a stadium for the first time since COVID-19 forced almost all elite sports to be played behind closed doors.

Though the level of infections had begun to pick up again lately in France, the local government still continued their efforts to relax the coronavirus-related restrictions at full speed and permit about 5,000 supporters to throng into Le Havre's 25,000-seat Stade Oceane.

Le Havre were utterly no match for the Ligue behemoth, whose mastery in dictating the speed and tempo of this one-sided encounter is beyond doubt, but the game itself is not so much relevant as symbolic of the resembalance of normalcy.  

"It is a victory for French football," beamed sports minister Roxana Maracineanu, who attended the game with great relish. "I am delighted that football in France can resume with fans in the stadiums. We are the only country in western Europe that can do this." 

"It's a progressive return to normal life for players and supporters," added the former world swimming champion. 

For all the euphoric optimism, however, the bold move in France, whose coronavirus death toll surpassed 30,000 this week, could pose potential risks as worries intensify about a second wave of infections. 

The news that five Red Star Belgrade players were diagnosed with coronavirus after celebrating their Serbian SuperLiga title in front of hundreds of thousands of ecstatic supporters served as a fresh reminder of the deadly virus' unrelenting brutality.

With games being a viral hotbed, the spectators in Stade Oceane were told to wear masks and maintain social-distancing rules throughout, but many defied the health protocols and took off their face coverings as the game wore on. 

The French government's lackadaisical attitude is a notable exception to Europe's circumspection. The English Premier League have suggested that fans may have to content with watching games from the comfort of their own homes for the next six to 12 months according to the division's medical advisor. 

The Germain Bundesliga, which were the first major European league to restart their season following the coronavirus shutdown, proclaimed that they would only consider the possibility of fans returning to the stadium next season at the earliest. 

Maracineanu pointed out that the sports authority would review their latest daring attempt to rush back to normalcy later this week, with adjusting the attendance limit possibly on the agenda. 

Neymar and co. couldn't care less though. They are bracing for busy schedule at the business end of the season as the team set to play Saint-Etienne in the French Cup final on July 24 and Lyon in the French League Cup final seven days later before reigniting their Champions League ambitions on August 12. 

With or without fans, the Ligue 1 giants are march on with renewed vigor and resolution.