Dimitri Payet's Romania Stunner Boosts France's Confidence in Opening Euro Win

France got their 2016 UEFA European Championship campaign off to a winning start with a 2-1 victory over Romania at Stade de France on Friday.

Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud opened the scoring for Didier Deschamps’ men after 57 minutes, but that lead only lasted eight minutes as Bogdan Stancu was allowed to score a penalty after Juventus’ Patrice Evra had inexplicably tripped Nicolae Stanciu.

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Just when it looked as if Les Bleus would be frustrated in their first competitive outing since the 2014 FIFA World Cup, West Ham United’s Dimitri Payet produced a magnificent left-footed strike from distance to win it for the French.

Speaking with journalists after the final whistle in Paris, as reported by Ligue1.com, Deschamps admitted his relief at the result.

Also, per ESPN FC, the 47-year-old refused to criticise the disappointing performance of Juventus’ Paul Pogba:

"

It's good to have won. Romania aren't easy to play against—and we knew that. We had a bit of trouble letting our hair down but we got our reward in the end. I made sure we played to win, with four attacking players on the pitch at the end.

Given the context, an opening match is never easy. It was a tricky game, made complicated by Romania, and it was a wonderful goal from Dimitri Payet.

Payet made the difference today. He's an attacking player but he's also someone who helps out the team. It's quite easy in football when you can bang it in the top corner - it solves quite a lot of problems!

I'm not going to be too hard on him (Pogba), but clearly his potential is such that he can contribute more than he showed tonight.

"

Despite the win, there is still plenty of room for improvement as far as France are concerned.

An early defensive lapse saw Stancu gifted with a fantastic chance, which only a save from Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris could deny.

Giroud missed a host of chances before he finally found the back of the net, while Pogba and Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann—the two French players expect to star at this tournament—both failed to perform under immense pressure at Stade de France.

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The tournament hosts looked timid. Romania’s early chance, which required captain Lloris’ superb save, appeared to rattle them more than the weight of expectation from the expectant home supporters.

Lucky then for Les Bleus that Payet was outstanding. Although his set-piece delivery could have been better early on, his crossing was perfect all evening and he switched wings effectively.

The Romanians could not handle his tricky feet, accurate passes and pinpoint deliveries. Then, just when Anghel Iordanescu’s players thought they had done enough, the 29-year-old popped up with a moment of magic—as he often does for club side West Ham.

Speaking with journalists after the final whistle, as reported by ESPN FC, Payet was struggling to process the immense emotion of the occasion—as emphasised by the tears he shed as he made way for Moussa Sissoko at the death:

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If someone had told me that it was going to be like that tonight I don't think I would have believed it. Yes, we were a bit timid and afraid of making mistakes in the opening quarter. We came up against a side who were very good at defending.

The crowd helped—we know how important the points were. Now we're able to rest up and prepare for the second game. Had we won by two or three goals that might have misled us slightly. The fact we won like that shows there won't be any easy matches and we have to go out and win matches.

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Now that France have their awkward opening win out of the way and have a taste for competitive action once again, they need to move forward with confidence.

Regardless of the result between Switzerland and Albania, Deschamps’ men must show more self-belief against Gianni De Biasi’s side when the pair meet at Stade Velodrome in Marseille next Wednesday.

The 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000-winning captain acknowledged the need for greater confidence from his team when speaking with journalists after the match at Stade de France, as reported by Ligue1.com:

"

The match was very emotional. Perhaps we were made to pay for that slightly—the opening ceremony, the first game of the tournament. I didn't say it but we had everything to lose and the Romanians didn't have anything to lose.

There's so much passion and fervour behind the French national side and the players are aware of that. But the players have certain duties. It's not mentally easy to manage but we were rewarded. That's going to give us even greater confidence and calmness.

"

Assuming that France’s nerves are now out of the way, Deschamps should witness a much-improved performance from the group.

If Les Bleus can dispose of Albania, then the pressure will be off for arguably the biggest Group A clash—Switzerland at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille.

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Should the French struggle to shake off their apprehension shown against Romania, though, Albania could make the tournament hosts pay dearly.

The Albanians have played Les Tricolores twice in recent memory, and Deschamps’ men failed to beat them either time. This could weigh on the minds of Les Bleus’ players and create another awkward performance.

However, considering their familiarity with De Biasi and his underrated side, France should be better prepared for this one, and the players will need no reminding that a win will guarantee their safe passage into the latter stages with a match to spare.

If Deschamps’ men can display the confidence that they were lacking against Romania, then they should win comfortably. However, Iordanescu’s men proved that it is possible to unnerve the hosts, and that will give Albania great confidence coming into the encounter.