France beat Albania, securing the first ticket to the round of 16.

The match was deadlocked for most of the game, but in the final few minutes, France scored two goals in quick succession. This 2-0 victory secured their qualification to the next round of Group A at Euro 2016 with one match to spare.

Separated by five days and played on two different stadiums – the Stade de France in Paris and the Velodrome in Marseille – the French team delivered the same range of emotions to their fans in their first two matches at Euro 2016. Similar to their opening game against Romania, a nearly identical scenario unfolded against Albania yesterday, with "Les Bleus" keeping viewers on edge, experiencing moments of anxiety, tension, and suspense, before finally erupting in the joy of victory.

When the clock on the Veledrome stadium's scoreboard struck 90 minutes, the score remained 0-0, much to the delight of Albania, who were aiming for their first ever point in the European Championship. And from the start of the match until that moment, France had yet to register a single shot on target.

But amidst what seemed like a hopeless deadlock, a turning point came for the French team. Center-back Adil Rami joined the attack, delivering a perfect cross in front of the goal for Antoine Griezmann to head the ball into the far bottom corner, scoring against Romania and opening the door to victory for France.

In the remaining five minutes of added time, Albania, with nothing left to lose, pushed forward in search of an equalizer. But not only did they fail to do so, they also conceded a second goal due to the vast gaps left behind them.

Just like in the victory against Romania, Payet once again shone in the role of the player who extinguished all of the opponent's hopes. It was still a curling shot, but unlike the spectacular left-footed strike five days ago, yesterday, the West Ham striker executed it with a sweet right foot.

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

This 2-0 victory, coupled with Switzerland's 1-1 draw against Romania a few hours earlier, guarantees France a place in the next round in Group A. With six points from the first two matches, Deschamps' team has five points more than third-placed Romania before the final matchday. The match against Switzerland, who currently have four points, in Lille on June 20th will only determine first and second place, and France only needs a draw to maintain their top position.

Having secured qualification and achieved the first goal in their quest to win the Euro 2016 title, it's difficult to say that France is playing impressively.

After a heavily criticized opening match for their attacking performance, Deschamps revamped "Les Bleus" by benching Pogba and Griezmann, who had disappointed against Romania. He also abandoned the 4-3-3 formation, replacing it with a 4-2-3-1, a system focused on attacking down the flanks with two young, talented wingers – Kingsley Coman and Anthony Martial. Payet, the savior in the opening match, was moved into the center to play as an attacking midfielder supporting Giroud.

Martial disappointed in his first start at the Euros. Photo: Reuters.

However, Deschamps' calculations with those changes completely backfired. France attacked down the flanks, but played like headless chickens throughout the first half, as the Martial-Coman wing partnership failed to deliver the necessary effectiveness. Albania, in a 4-5-1 formation with two layers of defense, tightly sealed both flanks and the center, where Payet seemed to disappear amidst the dense crowd of white-shirted players. France still managed to get balls from the flanks towards Giroud's goal, but most were harmless situations, not favorable enough for their striker to convert into goals.

Things only started to improve at the beginning of the second half, when Deschamps realized his mistake and corrected it by substituting Martial, bringing in Pogba to strengthen the midfield, pushing Payet to the wing, and reverting to the 4-3-3 system. France's adjustments made the game much more lively and engaging, with a series of scoring opportunities created, including one hit on the post by Memushaj for Albania and Giroud for the home team.

As the match drew to a close, Albania's defensive tactics became increasingly apparent in their quest for their first points at the Euros, leaving France increasingly frustrated, despite Deschamps bringing on Griezmann to replace Coman and refreshing the center forward position by replacing Giroud with Gignac. However, just when everyone thought a draw was inevitable, France's game-changing substitutions came as a breakthrough.

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

Griezmann scored the equalizer. Pogba and Gignac, meanwhile, played a major role in sealing the 2-0 victory. Pogba provided the long pass that initiated the counter-attack. Gignac chased after it, and despite slipping, managed to push the ball to Payet, who finished the game off.

According to VNE