The Euros have started, and per custom, host country France played the opening match against Romania in the Stade de France.Things started off hunky-dory for Les Bleus, as Demitri Payet's laser-guided foot found the tiniest chunk of Olivier Giroud's noggin to slap back a tremendous back-headed goal. The Romanian keeper probably should have wrangled that opportunity from Giroud, but he was no match for Giroud's muscular pirouette (French word alert). It made for a glorious 1-0 lead for France.But Romania saw fortune favor them in the 64th minute, as the ref spotted a mid-thigh-level trip from France's Patrice Evra, giving Bodgan Stancu a PK, which he sent confidently past France's keeper, tying the game.
But the night wasn't over, and in the final minutes of the game Payet had an absolutely searing goal to put France up for good, 2-1. It should go down as one of the finest goals in France's history, not just for the beauty of the shot itself but for what it meant to France.
Not to play into high melodramatics, but with all of this taking place at the Stade de France, the site of terrorist attacks on November 13, it's enough to imbue the space—and the country—with something a bit brighter in the wake of tragedy.
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