Hooligan meltdown averted in nervy Lille

“You should go,” the man said. “You should go now. Russian and Slovakian hooligans are on their way here now and you must leave this area for your own safety.”

Although the small Slovakia flag face painted on his cheek dampened the menace a little, the warning delivered to two young women hanging around outside Lille’s central train station was a stark one.

His sentiment echoed that of Michel Lalande, one of the city’s government officials, who had predicted that yesterday was going to be a “dark day” in Lille’s history.