Having already sampled the delights of Nature Park and the Port Moresby museum, France ventured out on a third expedition since arriving at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup with a trip to Fisherman's Island, an island paradise off the coast of Papua New Guinea's capital.

Spirits were high as the squad set out by bus and boat, with the volume turned up on their favourite tunes as they sang and joked together, clearly still euphoric following their semi-final victory against Japan. Once they arrived, however, the players were left speechless by the warm welcome they received from the fishing village's inhabitants.

After presenting a shirt signed by the whole team to the chief of the village, the players got their fill of selfies and local interaction, not least since they were followed everywhere by dozens of children. Gilles Eyquem's charges then spent a relaxing moment in the stunning turquoise waters of the nearby beach before heading back to their boat.

"It was wonderful," explained Valerie Gauvin with a broad smile after returning to the hotel. "It was good for us to get out a bit. We were all pleased to get a chance to mix with the locals, and to see all those smiling faces and children. You could tell they've been paying close attention to our matches because they knew all of us already!

"We needed this little break together because yesterday's game was gruelling and we have to recharge our batteries to be ready for the final," added the forward, before jumping into a lift with her team-mates and France staff – and starting preparations for the tournament decider against Korea DPR.