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By Pierre Serisier

PARIS, Oct 13 (Reuters) - France's 5-0 drubbing of Slovenia in front of their home crowd on Saturday gave them a much-needed boost after their disastrous World Cup campaign and put them a step closer to defending their title at the Euro 2004 finals.

There is still a long way to go before qualification is secured, but the French proved they have overcome their recent troubles and restored some pride.

"Since our match in Tunisia in August we have opened a new chapter in our history," coach Jacques Santini said after the match.

"It takes time and we are still at the beginning of the story but things are improving."

France were held to a 1-1 draw in Tunisia in their first outing after they crashed out in the first round of their defence of the World Cup.

They snatched a 2-1 victory over Cyprus in Nicosia last month in their opening Euro 2004 qualifier but they still looked far from their best.

"It's because we had to struggle to beat Cyprus that the team is getting better now," Santini said.

"We realised that we needed to fight and it helped us to feel stronger mentally."

Thanks to the well-deserved success over Slovenia, their main rivals in Group One, France are top with six points from two games.

They are play Malta in Valletta on Wednesday and aim to grab three more points before a break from internationals over the European winter.

"I always have said that we want to complete the year with nothing less than nine points," Santini said.

"So despite our good outing on Saturday, we must keep focused and set our minds on the next game.

"We must prove that we can repeat performances like tonight's."

Impressive Gallas
Saturday's success was certainly the most impressive since the 4-0 trashing of Portugal in a friendly match at the Stade de France last year.

But if a beaming Santini was happy with the outcome, the French coach still thinks France have some way to go before they are back at their very best yet.

"I have talked to the players and I have had to point out some mistakes during the first half of the match," he said. "For about 10 minutes we lacked concentration."

"But I'm aware there are tiny details and you only can solve them thanks to a day-to-day work. The guys still have to learn knowing each other.

"We have brought in young players and they are still looking to find their places in the squad."

The most impressive newcomer was Chelsea defender William Gallas, who gave a faultless performance in his first international. Gallas partnered his Chelsea team mate Marcel Desailly, who won his 100th cap.

"William confirmed what I was thinking about him. He never lets anything go, he is strong physically and he has a great pace during the game," said Santini.

"But he is not the only one. They are many others who could play in this squad."

"You must maintain competition in the squad to keep everyone eager to play," said Santini. "Nobody can take anything for granted anymore."