A difficult night for France but all’s well that ends well. Albania defended brilliantly for much of this match and even went close to nicking a goal on the break. They deserved more. But France kept plugging away and though they weren’t at their best, they were rewarded for their persistence thanks to late, late goals from Antoine Griezmann and Dimitri Payet. They’ll need to improve as the tournament progresses but for now they’re top of Group A with six points from two matches and that’s them through to the last 16. A point against Switzerland in their final group match will confirm them as group winners. Thanks for reading and emailing. Bye.
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Full-time: France 2-0 Albania
Well, that was an eventful finish.
GOAL! France 2-0 Albania (Payet, 90min+5)
Paul Pogba sets Gignac away with a raking diagonal pass that turns defence into attack in an instant. Gignac slips on the left but the ball runs to Payet. He cuts inside past Xhaka, dropping the shoulder elegantly, and whips a right footer into the far corner. What a player.
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90 min+5: Play finally resumes.
90 min+3: Koscielny is down after a clash of heads.
90 min+2: As engrossing as this game has been, Griezmann’s goal was the first shot on target.
90 min+1: There will be five minutes of stoppage time.
GOAL!!! France 1-0 Albania (Griezmann, 90 min)
Antoine Griezmann doesn’t look so tired now! France have done it again. Albania thought that they had done enough after repelling another French attack. But the ball was only cleared to Rami on the right and the centre-back channelled his inner Payet by lifting an inviting cross into the area. Griezmann was unmarked and he nods it into the bottom right corner from six yards!
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89 min: Albania mount their first attack for what seems like an eternity. Rosi dribbles past Payet, who slips, and his cross comes to the edge of the area. An Albanian shot is blocked. France break. Payet slips a pass through to Matuidi and Gignac attacks his cross. Corner. It comes to nothing. But...
88 min: Kante lifts a fine ball into the area. Pogba takes it on his chest. And slips. Albania counter down the left and the attack is illegally halted by Kante, who’s booked.
85 min: Before the corner can be taken, the concussed Arlind Ajeti is replaced by Frederic Veseli. That substitution out of the way, Payet lifts the ball into the area. It drops to a France player but Albania defend stoutly, shovelling the ball clear.
84 min: Matuidi shoots. Blocked. Kante shoots. Deflected. Wide. Just. Here comes a Payet corner.
83 min: Sagna fizzes a cross into the six-yard box and Ajeti does just enough to put Griezmann off. Otherwise it was a goal.
81 min: The Marseille pitch is rather poor. It’s cut up badly. One of the semi-finals is meant to be held here. They’ll be a debate about later in the tournament. Meanwhile Amir Abrashi has been booked. Payet curls the resulting free-kick into the area. Koscielny peels away from his marker and completely misses his header. Oh dear.
79 min: Xhaka’s first contribution is to slip and gift the ball straight to Pogba. This time he passes to Gignac, whose first touch on an admittedly bobbly pitch is poor. If he’d got it under control, he’d have been able to slip Griezmann in. Instead he has to hang a cross to the far post. Eventually it comes to Payet, who twists and turns, attempting but failing to find an angle for a shot. He settles for a cross. It’s headed away as far as Sagna, who wallops a volley high and wide.
77 min: Andre-Pierre Gignac replaces Olivier Giroud. Gignac’s arrival/Giroud’s departure is greeted by a huge roar.
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76 min: Memushaj’s free-kick is easily cleared. The France fans are still chanting for Gignac, who’s a popular man in Marseille.
75 min: Rosi is fouled by Evra on the right. Albania have a free-kick.
74 min: The injured Burim Kukeli is replaced by Taulant Khaka, whose younger brother happens to be very proficient with house keys.
71 min: Albania make their first change, Odise Roshi replacing Andi Lila.
70 min: Pogba bursts through the middle and has options right and left. Yet he hangs on to the ball too long and the chance to set someone up disappears. Eventually Kante has a pop but it’s blocked. Was Pogba too eager to impress there?
69 min: Giroud hits the base of the post! Evra drives down the left and crosses for Giroud, who rises above the Albania defence majestically. It’s a beautiful header and he’s unlucky to see it hit the right post and bounce to safety. The French fans are chanting for Gignac.
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68 min: Antoine Griezmann replaces Kingsley Coman.
67 min: Kante atones for dawdling on the ball by winning it back straight away. It’s shifted out to Coman on the left and his cross is headed wide by Giroud at the near post. A poor miss. Is he clinical enough?
65 min: France win another corner. They haven’t been able to come up with the final ball.
63 min: Payet’s corner is a waste, but France work it back to him. This time his delivery is better but Koscielny heads it over at the near post. It needed a glance.
62 min: France probe carefully. Sagna’s cross is deflected behind for another corner on the right.
61 min: Pogba hits own man with a shot from miles out. This is a test of France’s mentality. Will they be patient enough?
59 min: Payet shifts the ball on to his right foot but he can’t keep his shot down from 20 yards.
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56 min: Coman snatches at a shot and sends it well wide from 25 yards. Griezmann is warming up.
55 min: Kukeli is booked for fouling a counterattacking Coman. It’s his second booking of the tournament, so he’ll miss the Romania game. “Unless one side (presumably France) puts its foot on the gas, this game will be a record breaker: in the first 14 matches of this European Championship, neither side has scored three goals,” says Joe Meredith. “The previous record is also 14 games, in 1996, ended by Germany’s 3-0 defeat of Russia. Just a “fun” stat for you there.”
54 min: Pogba misses an excellent chance. Payet swings a cross to the far post from the left and Pogba arrives unnoticed, only to crash the ball just over on the half-volley.
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53 min: France look to respond after that scare but Payet’s shot is deflected wide. The corner comes to nothing.
52 min: Albania hit the post! Hysaj - I think - flings a wonderful cross into the area from the right. Sadiku can’t rise high enough to head it in but there are players behind him. Lenjani tumbles as he tries to bundle it in and the ball hits the unwitting Sagna before trundling against the post. Lloris looked beaten. He’s helpless as it bounces out but it comes off the prone Lenjani and goes behind.
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49 min: Payet lofts the ball into the area for Matuidi to chase and Albania almost get themselves into an awful muddle at the back. Berisha’s punch hits his own man and with the goal unguarded, he’s fortunate that the ball doesn’t bounce to an opponent.
47 min: France have started this half with ominous intent, winning a free-kick on the left. Payet curls it in again, into the corridor of uncertainty. It’s one of those that needs only a touch, with Berisha rooted to his line, but it evades everyone and bounces wide of the far post.
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46 min: France get the second half underway. Paul Pogba has replaced the disappointing Anthony Martial, which means that Payet has moved to the left. France are back to 4-3-3 and they’re on the attack straight away. Giroud crosses from the left, Matuidi flicks it on and Coman flings himself at the ball at the far post. Under pressure, his header dribbles just wide.
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Half-time: France 0-0 Albania
Peep! There are loud whistles from the home fans. Albania will be delighted; France less so. How long until we see Pogba and Griezmann?
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45 min+1: There will be one added minute. Albania have a corner. They’re finishing the half strongly. France get the corner away in unconvincing fashion. “Forget Martial, am I the only one to have been very impressed by Memushaj in this first half?” says Richard Mellor. “Very good feet, balance, tekkers and always trying to play forward. I’m feeling all Harry Redknapp - can my club (Leicester) please sign him?”
44 min: With teams momentarily down to 10 men, Memushaj’s curls the ball just over the bar. Lloris had it covered.
43 min: Both players are receiving treatment. Evra actually looks like he hurt his back on landing. Lila is suffering from a more prosaic blow to the head.
42 min: Albania are awarded a free-kick after Evra catches Lila with a high foot on the edge of the area. That was so high. Both players are down. Evra looks like he’s pulled his groin! “Not that France were a smoothly running machine in their first game, but the experiment of trying to improve a team by sidelining its two most accomplished players really doesn’t seem to be working,” says Kari Tulinius.
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40 min: Albania carve France open on the right, Martial going to sleep, but Hysaj’s cross from the byline is just too high for those waiting in the middle.
39 min: Albania produce a training ground trick from the corner, Lila sliding a low ball into the middle, the unmarked Lenjani speeding on to it. He’s got a clear sight of goal but he scuffs his effort, when he might have done better, and the ball deflects wide off a France leg. The second corner comes to nothing. That’s the best chance either side’s created.
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38 min: Koscielny is forced into a spot of expert defending, heading a driven Albania free-kick over his own bar.
36 min: Another free-kick from Payet; another header over the bar from Giroud. It looked like it came off his shoulder.
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35 min: Coman beats Kukeli with a sublime piece of skill on the right touchline, bouncing past him as if he wasn’t there, but the youngster’s low cross is too close to Berisha.
34 min: Payet whips a free-kick into the Albania area from the right. It’s a simple catch for Berisha.
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31 min: Martial is starting to drift into more central position in the last few minutes. Maybe that will work.
30 min: A summary of the major events thus far:
29 min: “That was a poor decision by Martial to take an extra touch on that sweet pass from Payet,” says JR in Illinois. “It’s almost like somebody told Martial to always take a touch no matter what when he’s in the box, but surely nobody would be crazy enough to have told him that, right?”
#BREAKING Three Russian football fans to be expelled from France: authorities
— AFP news agency (@AFP) June 15, 2016
27 min: Martial bumps Ajeti off the ball and turns, only to spray his pass through to Evra out of play. It’s been that kind of French performance so far.
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24 min: Hysaj controls a high ball well on the right and whacks a volleyed cross into the area, via a deflection off Martial. That touch proves vital because it means that the ball just eludes the sliding Sadiku at the near post, allowing Lloris to gather. A warning for France, one they’d do well to heed.
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23 min: France haven’t played with a great deal of fluency yet. There have been a few too many loose passes for Deschamps’ liking, Coman the latest culprit.
21 min: Payet dinks a lovely ball through to Martial, who turns and prepares to shoot, only to be denied by a crucial tackle from Ajeti.
19 min: “Ok, so last season was a bit odd, but on the whole, across Europe, one of the biggest problems is the gap between the very best teams, and the chasing pack,” says Matt Dony. “I kind of feel like Giroud embodies that gap. He’d be the best player in any team outside the top few in most European leagues, but is perennially lambasted for not being quite good enough for Arsenal. The Peter Principle made manifest in football.”
17 min: Payet teases a dipping ball into the area from the right. He’s looking for Giroud but it’s slightly underhit. Yet Ajeti is grateful to see his wild miskick spin behind for a corner. That could have been disastrous for the Albania defender. As it is, they deal with the resulting corner easily enough.
16 min: A free-kick to France on the left, Payet over it. It’s aimed towards the far post but Kukeli heads it away. France haven’t threatened too much yet.
15 min: Martial surges into the Albania area from the left, opens up his body and tries to sidefoot the ball into the far corner. Ajeti gets in the way.
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14 min: A neat move from Albania ends with Lenjani drilling one over from 25 yards.
12 min: Olivier Giroud chases a long punt down the right channel and slips as he attempts to control it. They’re not afraid to hit the big man.
10 min: Albania haven’t been overawed so far. Lenjani has just had a foray up the left after a stray pass from Rami and though he didn’t get too far, that might give Albania a bit of confidence.
9 min: Albania have a No7 at left-back, a No4 at right-back, Steve Sidwell a No9 in central midfield and No2s and 3s on the wings. Can a #tacticalexpert explain this interesting and intriguing move?
7 min: Payet and Martial link up for the first time. Martial tries to run past Hysaj, but to no avail. See, Louis van Gaal was right about all that sideways passing.
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6 min: “The TV commentators are trying gamely to find things to praise about Albania without descending outright into being outright patronising,” says Charles Antaki. “It’s not working.”
Look at them, though! Look at their little faces!
4 min: Giroud heads Payet’s fierce delivery over the bar from six yards out. It wasn’t an easy chance. An early sighter.
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3 min: Kingsley Coman gets on the ball for the first time on the right. He tries to wriggle through a gap, in between two Albanian defenders, but he’s wrestled to the floor. Here comes a Payet free-kick.
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2 min: Payet’s not had a touch yet. Give it to Payet. Give it to Payet now.
And we’re off! Albania, all in white, get the game underway. They’re kicking from right to left. They give the ball away inside 10 seconds.
Before kick-off, a minute’s applause in memory of Jean-Baptiste Salvaing and Jessica Schneider, the two French police officials who were murdered in front of their house on Monday night.
France beat South Africa in Marseille in their opening game of the 1998 World Cup.
Here come the teams. It’s time for the anthems. The atmosphere in Marseille is immense.
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For all that France are favourites, though, it’s almost a year to the day since they were beaten 1-0 by Albania in a friendly. It was Albania’s first win over France. And they did have their chances against Switzerland. But surely there won’t be a repeat tonight. “Willie Cullum - the most phallic referee name since Helmut Pohl,” says Mac Millings.
“That seems like very smart management by Deschamps to give the in-form Payet centre stage and let Pogba and Griezmann sit out a game that France should win comfortably enough, while Martial and Coman grow into their attacking roles,” says Justin Kavanagh. “Maybe sometimes the water carrier is the best judge of which young plants to water: Eric Cantona is still going to grumble, mind.”
“France are absolutely capable of beating Albania without Griezmann and Pogba, but can they win the Euros without them?” says Nicholas Roscow. “Experimenting in the group stage is fine, but why not include your two best players in that experiment?”
There are quite a few who say that Pogba has flattered to deceive for France, though. This change allows Payet to move into a central position, which suits him more in my opinion, and lets Deschamps see whether Martial and Coman can step up. There’s also an argument that they don’t need three central midfielders given that Kante can do the work of 1,000 men on his own.
The teams!
France: Lloris; Sagna, Rami, Koscielny, Evra; Kante, Matuidi; Coman, Payet, Martial; Giroud.
Albania: Berisha; Hysaj, Ajeti, Mavraj, Agolli; Kukeli, Xhaka, Abrashi; Roshi, Sadiku, Lenjani.
Referee: Willie Collum (Scotland).
Some breaking team news - France have left out Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann. Well, Didier Deschamps isn’t messing around.
Preamble
Hello. They’ve got Payet, Dimitri Payet, and I think they definitely understand now. It has taken a while for France to fully embrace his charm but, just when it seemed that the hosts were going to begin their campaign with a whimper and draw with Romania, the most dazzling rotund talent since Gary Taylor-Fletcher could be seen chugging up and down the right flank for Ian Holloway’s Blackpool blasted away the growing tension in the Stade de France with one zesty swipe of his left foot from the edge of the area, the ball flying past Ciprian Tătăruşanu (check out those accents) before he had a chance to move.
I confess that I missed the second half – rumours that your trusty MBMer was watching a Rachel McAdams film will be met with the usual stock response: I don’t comment on idle speculation – but knew what to expect after seeing that Payet had scored a last-minute winner for France. It was always going to be a stunner. How could it be anything else when Payet was involved? But let’s not get carried away. Payet’s moment of magic aside, France still finished with more questions than answers after a patchy performance that highlighted all the reasons some people say they won’t go all the way.
Is Paul Pogba capable of taking a game by the scruff of his neck for his country? Is Antoine Griezmann suffering from fatigue? Despite heading in the opener from Payet’s cross, should Olivier Giroud really be starting up front instead of Anthony Martial? And if it hadn’t been Patrice Evra who blundered, which member of France’s back four would have given away the penalty? Because that defence is always going to give you a chance.
It will be a major surprise if Albania expose too many French flaws tonight, though. The minnows of Group A were spirited and far from incompetent in their 1-0 defeat to Switzerland on Saturday but it seems unlikely that they will be capable of overly troubling France, who might just have eradicated some of those stifling opening-night nerves thanks to Payet’s goal. At the most prosaic level, the aim for France is to qualify from the group - and a draw here almost certainly guarantees their progress – and it is mostly preferable to grow into a tournament rather than peak too soon. All the same, however, this feels like the kind of game that France could do with winning handsomely. A Giroud hat-trick. A Pogba thunderbolt. An Adil Rami bicycle kick, that sort of night.
Kick-off: 8pm BST, 9pm in Marseille.
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