France showed their fans what they were capable of with a dominating display but still left a few questions asked with some worrying performances from their top talent in a 2-1 win.
Antoine Griezmann hit the post early on which was a sign of things to come for the hosts. France dominated the early proceedings but were denied by poor play from their strikers. Griezmann and Olivier Giroud held them back from scoring an early goal which could be a worrying sign for future matches. Despite being outgunned, Romania put on a nice defensive display as they frustrated France’s attackers.
Both teams picked up the pace in the second half as Romania tried to shock France with some early attacks but were set back as Giroud finally put one in the back of the net. France’s joy was short lived, however, as Romania converted a penalty less than ten minutes but Dimitri Payet was to be the late hero.
Profligacy from the pressure
As the hosts, France would be feeling the pressure in this competition and it could be a reasonable explanation for a number of striking errors made by their front men. Giroud and Griezmann have been in good form for their clubs and are usually reliable strikers but showed a bit of nerves.
Despite his goal, Giroud sent a number of headers flying over the bar and Griezmann mistimed a few shots to put on a less than inspiring display and was substituted early in the second half. A lot of the disappointing display could be pinned down to the pressure of opening night, but it must be said that Romania were quite good defensively.
If France can be contained that easily by a Romanian defence then it could spell trouble against stronger opponents. It’s not all doom and gloom for France as they have the remaining group stage matches to refine their goal scoring ability, but if they can’t create attacking fluidity soon then they could have some serious trouble in the knockout rounds.
REVIEW | #EURO2016 – Player Ratings | #France 2 #Romania 1 | https://t.co/KjbheCkDQj | #FRAROU
— Outside90 (@Outside90) June 10, 2016
Strength from the middle and Payet the unlikely star
It is clear to see from this opening match that France’s strength comes from their quality in the middle of the park. Breakout stars Dimitri Payet and N’Golo Kante were particularly impressive.
Payet showed his skill on the ball from the wing as he terrorized the left flank and whipped in brilliant corners while also assisting the opening goal and securing the win with a brilliant strike. The West Ham United player was France’s best on the night, a feat made more impressive considering his squad contains some of the best in Europe.
Kante also quietly starred as he usually does for Leicester City with a well-rounded display. Pogba struggled at times but there were a few moments where he showed the class that French fans are used to.
How Twitter reacted to Dimitri Payet's stunner | https://t.co/BTkyrhPFVe | #FRA #ROU #FRAROU #EURO2016
— Outside90 (@Outside90) June 10, 2016
Brilliant mentality from Romania
Many expected France to blow Romania away but the resilient side was defensively strong and managed to hold their own in attack. The away side almost scored the opening goal but were denied by Hugo Lloris and proceeded to shut up shop for the remainder of the first half.
As the underdogs, Romania were not feeling the pressure the hosts were, which perhaps led them to play with relative ease. In the second half, Romania put on a more attacking display as they came close to scoring again and even after Giroud’s opener they continued to push and were rewarded with an equaliser. It was not enough for the win but it was enough to provide confidence for the future.
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