France 2 - 1 RomaniaDimitri Payet’s stunner rescues France’s welcome party against Romania
Home team scorersOlivier Giroud 58
Dimitri Payet 89
Away team scorersBogdan Stancu 65 Pen
The script had called for France to run up the curtain on their European Championship with a performance of derring-do, to offer encouragement to a nation that surely needed it. It had been a testing build-up, with the national state of emergency lending an understandable edginess. Elsewhere, there have been the strikes and the floods; the race-rows and the scandals. The football was supposed to bring succour.
It did so, in the end, but only after a performance that was undercut by anxiety and one which did little to embellish France’s status as the tournament favourites. Yet, when the decisive moment came, it was one to quicken the pulses and provide this championship with its touchstone.
Dimitri Payet has enjoyed plenty of memorable moments during his debut season at West Ham but this was something else. Taking the ball outside the area, on the right-hand side, and with the 90 minutes almost up, he jinked inside and unloaded a shot that flew unerringly into the far, top corner. The home crowd dissolved into delirium. When he was substituted shortly afterwards, Payet was overcome by emotion. The tears welled in his eyes.
France had led through Olivier Giroud, the Arsenal striker, who had previously missed a trio of chances but a game Romania team equalised through Bogdan Stancu’s penalty, which was awarded following a reckless Patrice Evra challenge. Didier Deschamps, the pragmatic France manager, had merely wanted a victory, rather than a swashbuckling performance. Payet helped him to get it.
France had waited for what had seemed like an eternity for this. The trade-off for hosting a major finals is two years of friendly matches and no matter how much they might have talked up their importance, there can be no substitute for competitive action. France’s challenge – or a part of it – was to acclimatise immediately.
They had to handle the nerves which crackled around the stadium. The opening ceremony featured can-can dancers, a levitating Eiffel Tower and David Guetta – among many other things – and, following the comical attempts to clear the pitch, the kick-off was delayed by a couple of minutes. What was another couple of minutes to Didier Deschamps’ team?
They were eager to tear into Romania, to showcase the cutting football which they have played of late but it was clear from the early running that they would not have it all their own way – and not only because they looked jittery on occasions.
Romania set out to press France high up the field and, although it was not always possible, it was noticeable that the No10, Nicolae Stanciu, operated like a strike partner to Florin Andone at times. Romania conceded only two goals in their 10 qualifying ties but, as Deschamps said beforehand, they were more than a purely defensive team. They were not merely the stooges, the spoilers.
France craved an early goal to release the pressure and they almost got it. They created two glorious chances but both were passed up. Dimitri Payet got a poorly taken corner back from Antoine Griezmann and at the second time of asking his cross was made to measure.
Giroud had dropped away from his markers and, when he rose, the home crowd prayed that the near corner of the net would ripple. Giroud’s header flashed wastefully wide.
Shortly afterwards Bacary Sagna escaped up the right and he crossed for Griezmann, who looked certain to score only to miss his kick. The ball broke back to him off Vlad Chiriches but Griezmann’s header came back off the post.
Romania, however, ought to have been in front with the first meaningful chance, and what a chance it was. When Hugo Lloris saved from Bogdan Stancu at point-black range it felt as though it had the potential to be a defining moment. Stanciu’s corner was flicked on and there was Stancu at the far post, three yards out and seemingly poised to apply the decisive touch. But his shot was too close to Lloris, who blocked. From the resulting corner Andone looped a header on to the roof of the net.
It was strangely subdued for much of the first half. France roused themselves towards the end, with Griezmann going close and Giroud, having outmuscled Chiriches on a corner, heading high. Romanian complaints centred on the boot from Laurent Koscielny that Andone received as he leapt for a high ball forward on the edge of the France penalty area.
Romania’s largely unheralded players produced a performance of discipline and no little thrust and they could lament Stancu’s second gilt-edged miss straight after half-time. Stanciu’s cross was perfect and so was the timing of Stancu’s run and first touch on his chest. The side-on volley had been set up but he shinned it wide.
France sought to turn the screw. Giroud worked Ciprian Tatarusanu when he might have done better and the largely disappointing Paul Pogba extended the Romania goalkeeper more fully with a vicious volley from Payet’s cross.
The breakthrough came in faintly comic fashion when Payet crossed and Tatarusanu flapped. Perhaps, he had been unnerved by the manner in which Giroud had jumped; he appeared to lead with his elbow. But there was no serious contact and Giroud was able to guide a header into the empty net.
Game over? Not at all. Only Evra knew what he was thinking about when he hung out a leg at Stanciu and when Romania’s star player tumbled to the ground, the referee, Viktor Kassai, made the brave and correct decision to point to the spot. Stancu sensed redemption and he rolled his kick coolly past Lloris. Payet would have the last word.
Guardian
