France beat Albania, won the first ticket to the round of 16

The match was deadlocked for most of the match, but in the last few minutes, France scored two goals. This 2-0 victory helped them secure a ticket to the next round of Group A, Euro 2016.

Five days apart, on two different stadiums - Stade de France, Paris and Velodrome, Marseille, but the range of emotions that the French team brought to their fans in the first two matches at Euro 2016 were identical. Similar to the opening match against Romania, a similar scenario took place against Albania yesterday, when "Les Bleus" made the audience experience moments of anxiety, tension, suspense, before exploding in the joy of victory.

When the clock on the Veledrome's electronic scoreboard struck 90 minutes, the score was still 0-0 amid the excitement of Albania, who were aiming for their first ever point in the Euros. And from the start of the match until that moment, France had not had a single shot on target.

But when it seemed like they were stuck in a hopeless stalemate, a breakthrough came for the blue team. Center back Adil Rami joined the attack, making a cross that Antoine Griezmann headed into the far bottom corner, into the Romanian net, opening the door to victory for France.

In the remaining five minutes of injury time, Albania, with nothing to lose, pushed their formation high in search of an equalizer. But not only did they fail to do so, they also conceded a second goal, due to the vast spaces exposed behind them.

Like the win against Romania, Payet shined again in the role of the one who ended all the opponent's hopes. It was still a curling shot, but unlike the great left-footed shot five days ago, yesterday, the West Ham striker performed it with a very sweet right foot.

Payet sealed a 2-0 victory for France in a match where they faced many difficulties against Albania. Photo: Reuters.

This 2-0 victory, combined with Switzerland's 1-1 draw with Romania in the previous match, helped France secure a ticket to the next round in Group A. With six points after the first two matches, Deschamps' team has five points more than third-placed Romania before the final match. The match against Switzerland, who have four points, in Lille on June 20, is only about deciding the first and second places, while France only needs a draw to maintain their top position.

Winning the ticket to continue, completing the first goal in the mission to conquer the Euro 2016 throne, but it is difficult to say that France is playing impressively.

After a much-criticised opening game for their attacking output, Deschamps refreshed Les Bleus by dropping Pogba and Griezmann, who disappointed against Romania, to the bench. He also abandoned the 4-3-3 formation, replacing it with a 4-2-3-1, a system that focused on attacking wide with two young, talented wingers - Kingsley Coman and Anthony Martial. Payet, the saviour in the opening game, was moved into the middle to play as a playmaker for Giroud.

Martial disappointed in his first start at Euro. Photo: Reuters.

However, Deschamps' calculations with those changes were completely bankrupt. France attacked the flanks, but played like chickens with hair caught in the first half, when the Martial - Coman wingers did not bring the necessary efficiency. Albania, in the 4-5-1 formation, with two defensive layers, tightly blocked both the flanks, as well as the center, where Payet seemed to be missing among the dense white shirts. France still poured the ball from both flanks into the goal for Giroud, but most of the situations were harmless, not favorable enough for their center forward to convert into a goal.

Things only picked up from the start of the second half, when Deschamps realised his mistake and corrected it by withdrawing Martial, bringing in Pogba to strengthen the midfield, pushing Payet out wide and returning to a 4-3-3 system. France's adjustment helped the game become more exciting and attractive, with a series of scoring opportunities created, in which each team had a situation where the ball hit the post, from Memushaj for Albania and Giroud for the home team.

As the match progressed, Albania showed more and more their intention to play defensively in search of their first point at the Euro, and made France play more and more deadlocked, despite Deschamps sending Griezmann in to replace Coman, then changing the striker position, bringing Gignac in to replace Giroud. However, when everyone thought of a draw, a breakthrough came to France from those substitutions.

The timely brilliance of reserve players like Griezmann and Gignac helped France overcome difficulties and win their second consecutive victory. Photo: UEFA.

Griezmann equalised, while Pogba and Gignac were instrumental in making it 2-0. Pogba was the one who sent a long pass over the line that opened up the counter-attack. Gignac followed, and despite slipping, managed to pass the ball to Payet, who sealed the game.

According to VNE