Tallinn (AFP)

For the first official match since their Olympic coronation in Tokyo, the French volleyball players did not go into detail, dominating modest Slovakia in three sets (25-22, 25-20, 25-19) in a controlled start to the 'Euro-2021, Friday.

Tallinn's Saku Suurhall was far from full for the first official competition appearance of the new French Olympic champions early Friday evening on the shores of the Baltic Sea.

Just over 200 supporters were present, out of the 7,000 that the Estonian enclosure can contain.

The very large part were however acquired with the cause of the Blues, with some French flags.

They are the ones who provided the atmosphere in the stands, including "Aux Champs-Élysées" by Joe Dassin between the second and third set.

"We took pleasure in playing in front of them. We weren't aware that there would be a little public for us, it's cool. It contributes to the thing and we it motivates us", slipped Jean Patry at the end of the match.

Against Slovakia, which France had faced for the last time at Euro-2013 (3-0 victory), Bernardinho celebrated his first official match as coach of the Blues, he who took the head of the team after the Games and the end of Laurent Tillie's nine-year term.

On the ground, it was the two heroes of the Olympic final won against Russia, Jean Patry and Earvin Ngapeth, who provided the show, with 17 points each, while the Blues clearly dominated the Slovak attack against (15 in total), notably Barthélémy Chinenyeze (6).

- "Serious, clean, calm" -

It is thanks to this sector of play of the block that the French were able to take back the direction of a second set more hooked than the first and that they ideally launched the third act.

When the Slovaks took the lead in the last round, it was again Ngapeth and Patry who allowed the Blues to take the lead again.

Trévor Clévenot, author of a very good meeting (13 points), scored the match point, after only 1h19 of play.

The star of the France team Earvin Ngapeth, very prominent against Slovakia, as here during the Olympic final in Tokyo, August 7, 2021 JUNG Yeon-je AFP / Archives

"That's what we needed, to be serious. We needed a victory anyway, as we did tonight, it's nickel, it's clean, it's calm," said Patry. .

Only small shadow on the board for Bernardinho, the very small elongation to an adductor of Nicolas Le Goff, preserved by the supervision for the match against Slovakia and that Daryl Bultor has perfectly replaced at the central position.

The Blues will be at rest on Saturday, before facing Croatia on Sunday (6 p.m.), then Germany on Monday (7 p.m.), which will be the first big test of this first round, where the French will also be opposed to Latvia and the 'Estonia.

© 2021 AFP