By the time the final whistle came down on France vs Romania, Dimitri Payet was on the minds of the every football fan, as the West Ham ace put in a stellar performance to help the host nation to a 2-1win on the opening day of UEFA Euro 2016.
The 28-year-old free-kick specialist grabbed an assist to help Olivier Giroud score the first goal of the tournament, but Les Bleues conceded and appeared destined for a disappointing draw. This was when Payet smashed in a stunning ball from almost 26 yards out to hand Deschamps’ boys a precious win.
Here are some interesting stats from Friday’s game.
Payet created a match-high of 8 chances
8 - Dimitri Payet created a match-high eight goalscoring chances for #FRA as well as scoring a goal & assisting another. Magician. #Euro2016
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 10, 2016
If the West Ham man appeared to be everywhere, doing everything, he probably was. France could have won by a huge margin on Friday if Les Bleues’ other stars capitalized on the chances made by Payet.
He created twice as many chances as Romania
Chances created
Payet: 8
The entire Romania squad: 4
All of his international goals have come outside the box
All 4 of Dimitri Payet's goals for #FRA have come from outside the area.
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) June 10, 2016
Stunning goal! pic.twitter.com/0mkRNgMXHe
It took 0.8 seconds for his shot to find the back of the net
Image courtesy of Daily Mail
Traveling at a speed of 65.7 MPH, Payet’s long-range effort entered the net from 25.7 yards out in the blink of an eye.
“Romania could have played all three goalkeepers and they wouldn’t have saved that,” said French legend Thierry Henry after seeing the goal.
“Payet bailed France out tonight.”
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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