Eugenie Le Sommer is European giants France's all-time leading goalscorer and has clinched record 10 domestic titles in her trophy-laden career. Amandine Henry captained France in the 2019 World Cup and was recently named Player of the Match in the Champions League final after her superb stunner helped Lyon outclass Spanish powerhouse Barcelona in May.

It's little wonder then that lots of eyebrows were raised in the football world when their coach Corinne Diacre left both Le Sommer and Henry out of France's 23-player squad for this summer's Women's Euros. Under immense pressure, Diacre insisted the decision was purely based on sporting reasons, and the French Football Federation felt the need to publicly declare their support for the veteran tactician.

Diacre is no stranger to headline-grabbing stunts. As early as 2014, she became the first woman to coach a men's professional team in France after taking over Ligue 2 side Clermont Foot. When Diacre left to join the country's women's national team in 2017, she reminded everyone who's the boss by stripping the eight-time Champions League winner Wendie Renard of the captaincy due to her below-par performance.

Diacre always found a way to prove she was right in the end, and on Sunday night, her latest controversial decision was again vindicated as France brushed off the off-field turbulence to thrash Italy 5-1 in their Women's Euro opener at Rotherham's New York Stadium.

France made the most of Italy's defensive frailties and were 5-0 up before the interval, with Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Grace Geyoro scoring a hat-trick. To Italy's credit, they didn't allow France, who arrived at the tournament on the back of 14 consecutive victories, to further extend their lead and even found a late consolation goal via substitute Martina Piemonte.

This was France's biggest ever victory in the showpiece event, and they became the first team to score five in the first half of a Women's Euro game. Geyoro also became the first player in the tournament's history to complete a hat-trick by the break and the fifth to net three goals in one fixture. 

It was also worth noting that Italy's goal was the first France conceded in their campaign, including the qualifying phase. Diacre's side previously scored 49 without response.

"We wanted to get off to a flying start in the first half, and hats off to my players!" beamed Diacre. "We felt great synergy, and we saw that in the first half. It's always good to have a great first game, but nothing is decided. We should savor this victory as the performance in the first half was so good."

The euphoria was echoed by Geyoro, who marked her 50th appearance for France with a bang. "I was able to convert a lot of the chances I got. I was helped by my teammates with great crosses," she told a press conference. "I am satisfied with my performance, but it's collective work. I was just back from injury, and I wanted to start strongly, and that was important to me."

Meanwhile, Italy defender Lisa Boattin could not hide her frustration. "We knew there was a big gulf between France and Italy, but we didn't expect a result like this," she told reporters. "Maybe it was the nerves that got to us at first. I don't like to talk about my individual performance; we win and lose as a team."

As things stand, no team will want to come up against this French team, which boasts a perfect blend of exciting attacking talents and stout defensive stalwarts despite the absences of two of their most recognizable faces.

Having failed to win the title during their six previous appearances at the Women's Euro, France are hoping to make a breakthrough this time around, and their best bet would be to let Diacre call the shots no matter what.