Mathilde Duffrene’s Q4 drag flick earned France an historic 1-0 win over Ireland to earn their first EHC victory since September 2003.

Indeed, the 20-year-old was not born when that last victory happened, making their post-match celebrations even more emotional.

It was a match in which they rode their luck early on as Katie Mullan bumped the ball off the frame of the goal and Christina Hamill did likewise from a corner second phase, both inside the first seven minutes.

Ireland ended with 13 penalty corners to their name but they were charged down and blocked away at every turn by the French defence.

And, they were stung when France broke out to win their fifth corner with 11 minutes to go from which Duffrene ripped home into the bottom right corner.

Ireland pushed on in the closing few minutes and won another couple of set pieces but Lucie Ehrmann was unbeatable, making for a rousing French celebration.