Set pieces alone not enough for Switzerland to upset France

But they hold the cards for Romania’s qualification from Group A and could potentially cause an upset if they feel like it. But on Sunday night in Lille, against Switzerland, they could not.

Even if winning is not a must, Switzerland is eager to get the most out of the match.

With six points France are guaranteed to finish in the top two of Group A, with Switzerland, on four points after drawing with Romania earlier, favourites to join them in the knockout phase.

The result leaves them within touching distance of the Swiss, who will be playing group leaders France while this game goes on.

Switzerland, on the other hand managed a win and a draw in their first two matches and are already guaranteed third position.

Bernard Cazeneuve says custody has been followed by “very firm prison sentences for a certain number” of them.

It means that Albania and Romania, teams built on a strong defense, will have to consider a more attacking approach than in their first two matches, when grit and effort abounded, but goals were sorely lacking.

Deschamps handed starts to Moussa Sissoko and Yohan Cabaye in midfield and he was impressed with the performances of the England-based duo alongside Pogba. This was the third game and it feels as if Deschamps would have solved this problem by now if he were able to. Paul Pogba, their best player, hit the woodwork twice. For this team, their only goals have been from the penalty spot as Bogdan Stancu converted both penalties.

Deschamps, who was giving little away about whether he would rotate his players on Sunday, said of West Ham’s Payet: “He has always had technical ability, but he has also gained in confidence”.

Paris – French midfielder Paul Pogba has fended off suggestions that he had made an offensive gesture celebrating his country’s latest last-gasp win over Albania. But from then on it was all about one man.

Petkovic must fight the sense that Switzerland is a team that has gone backward since the 2014 World Cup, when it entered the tournament as one of the top two seeds under veteran coach Ottmar Hitzfeld. Two minutes later he flicked the ball over two opponents and set up Kingsley Coman, who skewed his shot. Only one game has featured more than three goals.

Andre-Pierre Gignac was preferred to Olivier Giroud up front. “What we have to do is start matches the way we started the second half”.

French fans chanted for Payet.

Despite a 100 percent record, Didier Deschamps’s men have so far failed to deliver on their status of pre-tournament favourites, needing late winners to see off the challenge of Romania and Albania.

On paper, France should’ve brushed aside Albania easily despite the omission of Pogba and Griezmann, but they will have learnt there are no also-rans in the Euros – every team at the tournament is there on merit, and have the capability to rise to the occasion. “There were four (ripped) tonight”.

That is why Deschamps had to turn to Payet, and it almost worked.