Considering France is hosting EURO 2016, it is no surprise why the stadium was roaring in Marseille all of today. Even more when they played the national anthem.
There were a few changes going into the game that were a bit questionable, like Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann being left on the bench in favor of Anthony Martial and Kingsley Coman. Whether Didier Deschamps didn’t think enough of Albania to go full throttle with the squad or if he was just trying something different with the lineup, the fact is, France didn’t play their best today.
For much of the game, Albania was stopping a lot of the French chances, with Olivier Giroud playing like his regular self and missing multiple headers from perfect crosses by Dimitri Payet.
The second half was much of the same, except France substituted Pogba and Griezmann to try to muster some more offense for the squad. Things looked bleak and things were headed to a 0-0 disappointment until extra time was added and France turned into what we all expected all game.
Griezmann managed to find the back of the net with a beautiful header.
Griezmann heads home in the last minute.
#FRAALB #EURO2016 pic.twitter.com/AwCaeXa7cQ
— M Barak Cherguia (@CherguiaMbark) June 15, 2016
Griezmann Gives France the Lead
Then Payet put the icing on the cake with a magnificent strike with five and a half minutes into extra time. The whole stadium exploded and the Frenchmen redeemed themselves for 90+ minutes of subpar football. No knock to Payet, he was setting up his teammates for much of the game, they just couldn’t convert with the opportunities.
Payet's Goal 🔥 #FRApic.twitter.com/eESDfVzz1I
— Euros 2016 France (@EurosRelated) June 15, 2016
PAYET ENDS THINGS
France now leads Group A with six points, after Switzerland and Romania drew 1-1 earlier.
FINAL: FRA 2 | ALB 0
OS REWIND: Dimitri Payet Scores Stunning Game Winning Goal in EUROS 2016 Opener