It wasn’t France’s day. Struggling under the immense and unique pressure of trying lift a tense and nation at a home tournament, and struggling against a Romania side that came to play, Les Bleus looked destined to open Euro 2016 at the Stade de France with a disappointing 1-1 draw.

Enter Dimitri Payet, the little West Ham playmaker, who, at 29 years old, was featuring in a major tournament for France for the first time.

All night, against a stingy and committed Romanian defense, Payet had dazzled. He assisted France’s opening goal, and was their most dangerous player.

But his final contribution – manager Didier Deschamps made sure of that – would be a strike that will live long in the memories of all who saw it. A perfect shot from just outside the penalty area that swerved into the corner of the net.

It was a dream goal, struck to win the game in France’s national stadium – one that, no one needed reminding, had been a target of the terrorist attack in Paris seven months ago.

Payet, who admitted after the game that he never thought he’d play in the European Championships, was in tears as he came off the field.

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That’s how much it meant. Both to Payet – who admitted after the game that he never thought he’d feature at in the European Championships – and to France, a nation living dually in that exhausting mixture of fear and hope.

It was a good enough goal to be iconic in its own right. But for all that surrounded it, Payet’s strike was titanic.

France feels like a country that, at this particular moment, doesn’t just need a great time or a great team. It needs a great player.

Paul Pogba was supposed to be that man. But while an undeniably gifted – and stylish in his own way – the Juventus man doesn’t quite look ready to take a nation on his shoulders.

Pogba wasn’t even on the field for the winner, making way some ten minutes earlier for Anthony Martial – a move that won’t do anything to dispel the notion that Pogba and Deschamps don’t see eye-to-eye on the former’s role in the latter’s side.

France has a tantalizing collection of talent, especially in midfield and attack. But they looked for long stretches on Friday like a side in need of a man to rally around.

Hugo Lloris is a steady but quiet captain, while Patrice Evra, at 35, doesn’t hold the sway he once did.

Besides, neither man could have produced the magic that Payet did. France, after all, is looking for someone to fill the shoes of Zidane and Platini.

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To think that it might be a West Ham player to follow in the footsteps of those players to win a tournament on French soil is hard to believe. But Payet’s journey to Friday was a comeback story in itself, and a comeback is what France needs in the next month.

That Payet scored with his left foot almost suggested divine intervention. It was discovered after the game that the Frenchman only attempted four shots with his left foot all year in the Premier League.

It was oh-so-cruel on Romania, who deserved something from the game, but it was hard to feel too upset. On Friday night, on the first day of these finals, we got to see a player transcend football and football transcend itself.

Not bad for an evening. There’s plenty of drama to come, but Payet’s goal is going to be hard to top.

And as much as Romania deserved a point, Payet deserved a goal. His performance in the first 88 minutes of the game was vivacious and brilliant in its own right. Justice, from a footballing sense, was done as well.

With three points from their opening game, France can relax slightly. To some extent, the pressure is off for the moment. A win in the team’s next match against Albania would ensure progress, most likely at the top of Group A.

Defense is and will continue to be an issue for France, but the importance of notching this first victory can’t be overstated.

Deschamps’ team wasn’t the first to struggle in their opener – Brazil did so against Croatia at the last World Cup, as did Poland against Greece at the last European Championships. Brazil ended up winning that game and their group, Poland ended up drawing and not advancing.

There is still much more history to write in this tournament for France, but whatever happens from here, the team and the country will always have that goal.

Dimitri Payet has done what few footballers ever have the chance to do: Lift their country in front of the world. France has its new hero, and, perhaps in some small way, a new lease on life.