There has been plenty of excitement around the home nation heading into the men's Olympic tournament, with coach Thierry Henry selecting a strong squad even with superstars like Kylian Mbappe absent.
Yet it took more than an hour for the match in Marseille to spark into life, and even then France were reliant on a moment of magic from captain Alexandre Lacazette.
The United States were the better side up until Lacazette's breakthrough goal, with Djordje Mihailovic thundering against the crossbar shortly before the veteran striker went up the other end and picked out the bottom-left corner.
A frantic spell followed in which France twice could have been pegged back, grateful first to Guillaume Restes for a superb save from Paxten Aaronson and then to the goal frame as John Tolkin headed against the post.
Instead, a second goal against the run of play settled the nerves in the stands as Bayern Munich new boy Michael Olise curled a fine finish around Patrick Schulte from outside the box.
And Loic Bade added further gloss with a header from a Joris Chotard corner five minutes from time, while Griffin Yow saw a late consolation goal struck off for offside.
Data Debrief: Belated home comfort for Les Bleus
On paper, the gulf between the two teams was evident in the scoreline, but for those home fans in Marseille who grew audibly agitated early in the second half, this was far from easy viewing.
Although France finished with three goals, they only created chances worth 0.43 expected goals (xG). The strikes by Lacazette and Olise were inspired individual efforts rather than the result of fine team play.
Winning gold as the hosts is not easy in this event – only four nations (Great Britain in 1908, Belgium in 1920, Spain in 1992 and Brazil in 2016) have done so previously in 27 attempts – but more will be expected of Henry's outfit going forward.
Thierry Henry's side remain the only side in the tournament to win all of their games so far, and made light work of their opponents on Tuesday.
Jean-Philippe Mateta, who captained the side with Alexandre Lacazette on the bench, started off the scoring after the ball bundled its way into his path before finishing beyond Alex Paulsen in the 19th minute.
In a game that saw Les Bleus accumulate 34 shots at the Orange Velodrome, their dominance was rewarded with two quickfire goals late on.
Desire Doue would double the hosts' advantage from close range, with Arnaud Kalimuendo rounding off the scoring three minutes later to see France remain perfect.
France's triumph saw them win their first three games at the Games for the first time in their history, while also keeping three clean sheets on the spin for the first time at the Olympics.
In the other Group A encounter, the United States qualified for the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time since 2000 as they eased to a 3-0 win over Guinea.
A rampant start to the encounter saw Djordje Mihailovic and Kevin Paredes have Marko Mitrovic's two goals to the good just after the half-hour mark.
Despite finishing the encounter with just 37.8% possession, the United States were clinical in the final third as Paredes put the game beyond doubt in the 75th minute.
They return to action this Friday when they face Group B winners Morocco, who clinched top spot with a 3-0 win over Iraq while also finishing ahead of Argentina.
Henry led France to their first football medal at the Games since their triumph at the 1984 edition in Los Angeles, but will take home silver this time around.
Maghnes Akliouche and Jean-Philippe Mateta's late strikes saw Les Bleus come from 3-1 down in the final 10 minutes to send the encounter to extra-time.
However, Sergio Camello's brace broke French hearts at the Parc des Princes, with Spain continuing to assert their dominance on the international stage.
Despite the defeat, Henry lauded his players' efforts during the tournament, saying that he will remember their journey as something that united the country.
"It was magical. I told the guys that I was proud of them and that we've got a medal at the end. Sure this is not how we wanted to be but the story is amazing," said Henry.
"I think everybody enjoyed. It didn't end well but there was emotion, a medal and a beautiful journey. We are a beautiful country when we are together.
"It's beautiful to see people with jerseys, people with flags at the Olympics.
"It's difficult to celebrate this medal but we have to. There was a story, an amazing human journey."
Alexandre Lacazette, who was one of Les Bleus' three overage players at the Games, echoed the comments made by his head coach.
The 33-year-old has not played for France since 2017, but thanked Henry for giving him the opportunity to represent his country once again.
"To Henry, thank you for trusting me and make me wear the blue (French) jersey again," Lacazette said.
"I will remember the journey, the fact that I could wear the blue jersey again, the atmospheres that we had. I think all the French are proud of us after all. Even if we are disappointed.
"I don't know if this match was the most important but it's one of the most beautiful matches in terms of emotions."
France last triumphed in the competition at the 1984 games in Los Angeles, failing to reach the knockout stages at the Tokyo Olympics back in 2020.
But under the guidance of Thierry Henry, who scored 51 goals for Les Bleus during his international career, the French are among the favourites to scoop the top honour.
Henry's side have won two of their three pre-tournament friendlies this month, the latest result ending in a 1-1 draw with Japan, who won bronze in the 1968 games.
Lacazette was named by Henry as the nation's captain ahead of the competition, and will lead Les Bleus' star-studded line-up out against the United States in Marseille on Wednesday.
Jean-Philippe Mateta, Michael Olise, Rayan Cherki and Manu Kone are just some of the names at Henry's disposal.
Having not featured for Didier Deschamps' side since 2017, Lacazette explained that the squad are in unison of achieving gold at their home games.
"We all have the same ambition, to go all the way and win a medal," the 33-year-old said. "The fact that it’s a home games is really going to motivate us."
Henry has lost just two of his 11 games in charge of France's U21 and U23 sides (W7, D2) since being appointed back in August 2023.
Former Arsenal forward Lacazette said Henry wanted the team to play an attacking, possession-based style of football heading into the tournament.
"Tactically, he is decidedly forward-thinking... he especially wants us to enjoy ourselves and put on a show for the spectators,” Lacazette said.
Following their Group A opener against the United States, France will play Guinea and New Zealand.
