Macron holds a solid lead in polls ahead of the April 24 run-off, but his political allies had warned against complacency ahead of the prime-time duel with Le Pen – their only direct debate of the campaign.

Le Pen had cleared her schedule this week to concentrate on preparing for the face-off, hoping to avoid a repeat of the 2017 debate fiasco that ended her hopes of pulling off an upset win five years ago.

In a reversal of roles, it was Macron who took the gloves off this time, tearing into his opponent over her ties to Russia and for wanting to strip Muslim women of their right to wear headscarves in public.

Macron argued that his rival was unfit to lead the nuclear-armed European power and deal with Moscow. He said her plans to ban Muslim women from wearing headscarves in public would trigger “civil war” in the country that has the largest Muslim population in western Europe. 

Le Pen, in turn, sought to appeal to voters struggling with surging prices amid the fallout of Russia's war in Ukraine, portraying herself as the candidate for voters unable to make ends meet. 

She said Macron's presidency had left the country deeply divided, referencing the Yellow Vest protest movement and claiming that France “needs to be stitched back together”.