West Ham star Dimitri Payet admitted he was still in shock at scoring a late winner for France in the hosts' Euro 2016 opener against Romania on Friday night.
France looked to be heading for a frustrating draw against Romania on home soil after Bogdan Stancu had equalised from the penalty spot following Olivier Giroud's opener at Stade de France.
With time running out, Payet let fly with a stunning 25-yard effort in the last minute to earn a vital 2-1 win for Didier Deschamps' side and spark wild celebrations in Paris.
Friday night's game capped Payet's meteoric rise this season, with the 29-year-old earning a recall to the international fold just before the European Championships after becoming a fan favourite at West Ham following a fine debut season in the Premier League.
Speaking after the game, Payet told Uefa.com: "If someone had told me a year ago it would be happening this way, I wouldn’t have believed them."
The attacking midfielder left the pitch in tears after receiving a standing ovation having been substituted by Deschamps.
Payet said the situation was overwhelming with the spotlight on the French national team to impress as hosts, adding: "It's a lot of stress and pressure.
"With that goal, everything just came out.
"The fact we only won at the end fits what we said: no easy games. We will have to fight."
0 comments:
Post a Comment