A late goal, and a beautiful shot it was, from Dimitri Payet saved France from what would of been a Euro 2016 opening match tie versus Romania, winning 2-1.

Before the match, most fans had France winning this game over Romania, and rightfully so. But Romania showed that they were no pushovers. Despite having few international recognizable players on their roster, Romania came into this tournament only conceding two goals during qualifiers, so it was clear Romania would have to maintain a strong defensive effort if they want to have any chances to advance to the knockout phase.

Despite losing, Romania did have their chances to score. A 4th minute corner where France’s Hugo Lloris had to make a point blank save, and early in the 2nd half, Bogdan Stancu effort whizzed inches from the post.

But the hero of the match was no doubt Dimitri Payet, not just for his late game winning goal, but he was just all over the field. He created more scoring chances than the whole Romanian side, and almost twice as many as his team mates. Right after his goal, he was subbed off for a defensive switch, and was treated to a massive standing ovation from the home French supporters, in appreciation of his efforts during the match and for his eventual game winner.