France heads into the World Cup playoffs on a high note and brimming with confidence after another clinical display of attacking football resulted in a 3-0 win against Finland and took the team's goal tally to 13 in three games.
This time, coach Didier Deschamps will hope France's passage to Brazil is smoother than it was to get to South Africa.
Four years ago, a late goal by William Gallas sent France to the World Cup and broke Irish hearts after television replays showed that Thierry Henry had clearly handled the ball before crossing for Gallas' goal.
France will not be seeded in next week's draw and could face difficult opposition like Portugal or Ukraine.
But on this form, no team will want to face France, especially with the way Franck Ribery is playing and now that strikers Karim Benzema and Olivier Giroud are both scoring.
''We used the ball well, we used the width well with our fullbacks and we controlled possession,'' Deschamps said. ''In terms of our attacking play, our presence in front of goal, we had an enormous amount of possession. We could have scored more as we created a lot of chances.''
After five matches without scoring, major doubts were raised about Deschamps' team, but the turnaround has been spectacular since the dire first half against Belarus last month. France woke up in that game and went on to win 4-2, then thrashed Australia 6-0 on Friday night.
''We are much more in control than we were before,'' Deschamps said. ''The players are in really good shape at the moment, as well. I hope nothing happens to any of them and that they'll all be here next month.''
In the past two games, Giroud and Benzema have scored twice - with Giroud also contributing to France's second goal on Tuesday night when his header led to an own goal - while Ribery has been simply unstoppable.
''All of the forwards showed good movement,'' Deschamps said. ''They have a lot of freedom in attack and their understanding was generally very good.''
Having won the treble with Bayern Munich last season, Ribery says he wants to win the Golden Ball and is clearly on a mission.
He scored twice against Belarus, netted one and set up three against Australia, and almost tore the back of the net out with a fantastic early strike against Finland. He then set up Benzema's goal late on after some sublime trickery and a perfectly weighted cross from the left.
''He's in top form, he's full of confidence and you can see it,'' Deschamps said. ''He's always been an influential player, but he also depends on the players around him.''
Giroud started at center forward for the third straight match, with Benzema again on the bench, which looks like a successful strategy by Deschamps. It has given the team more of a central focal point in attack, thanks to Giroud's ability to either hold the ball or lay it off thanks to excellent touch, and it has made Benzema hungry again.
After 15 games without an international goal, Benzema's confidence was clearly sapping away. Dropping him to the bench has given him a wake-up call and the relief was clear at Stade de France when he enjoyed a spot of shadow boxing with the crowd as he celebrated his goal.
With France in this form, it is their playoff opponents who could well be facing a knockout next month.
Deschamps has switched to a far more high-tempo game and there is clearly more bite and hunger than before - perhaps best typified by Samir Nasri.
His international future looked bleak after last year's European Championship, where he was given a three-match ban for insulting a journalist and then struggled to keep his place in the Manchester City team.
But Nasri has been excellent since being recalled by Deschamps. He gives the team an added touch of technique in midfield and he combines well with Ribery, his former Marseille teammate.
Deschamps finally seems to be bringing the best out of France's previously inconsistent players - just in time for the playoffs.
