Victorious France faces pilot strike as Euro 2016 gets underway

“It was unbelievable but I think you have to say thanks to West Ham because he went to the Premier League, where it is a different game”, he said.

Deschamps, too, deserves credit for moving Payet into the central position from which he changed the match late on.

Germany, Spain, Italy, England and other rivals for the European title can not have failed to notice France’s frailties in defence and Payet’s inspirational performance.

A positive sign of things to come?

But on the ball, while Payet did exploit spaces down the left, he was also the attacking tip of a diamond shape that was clear when France had the ball. On the biggest global stage of his career to date, he had come through with arguably the most important goal of his career.

With some of the pressure lifted following an opening match that felt racked by even more tension than usual given the security considerations around it, Didier Deschamps will hope his side are able to play more freely when they meet Albania in Marseille.

“Air France regrets this situation and is making every effort to minimise the inconvenience this strike action may cause to its customers.” the airline said in a statement on Friday, adding that it expected to operate 80 percent of its flights schedule.

Global tournaments sometimes succumb to certain overarching moods.

While they seemed to be playing in first gear during the first half, the hosts also showed glimpses of what they are capable of. “He can make the difference”.

“I didn’t realise I did it but after watching the replay, I guess that could have been a foul”, he said.

The brilliance of Dimitri Payet, who scored a trademark stunner in the 89th minute, won them the game, and Kante said it was good for his side to face such a challenge from an unlikely opponent early on. The former Marseille man broke down in tears as he was replaced by Moussa Sissoko, clearly overwhelmed by emotion as the realisation of what he had just done began to sink in.

Bogdan Stancu pulled Romania level from the penalty spot in the 65th minute, but the West Ham attacking midfielder made it 2-1 to France with a stunning strike in the final minutes of the encounter. With four of the six groups sending through three teams, the win over Romania could be vital for their chances.

“Police intervened in a clash between English, Russian and French supporters in the Vieux-Port district”, said local police chief Laurent Nunez.