Toulouse: Minnows Albania could feel the full force of Euro 2016 hosts France as confidence grows ahead of their Group A encounter in Marseille on Wednesday, warned striker Olivier Giroud.
Arsenal striker Giroud put any lingering doubts over his goalscoring form behind him after 57 minutes at the Stade de France on Friday to head the opening goal of the tournament.
Having begun their campaign nervously, the weight of expectation on Les Bleus was shed in the final minutes when Dimitri Payet’s stunning strike secured a precious 2-1 win over Romania.
Described as a “relief” by defender Adil Rami, Giroud believes fans can now look forward to seeing Didier Deschamps’ men play to their full potential. “As the tournament progresses, I’m sure we’re going to get better and better,” said Giroud, who has welcomed the pressure of leading the hosts’ attack in the absence of Karim Benzema, left out of the squad due to his role in an attempt to blackmail teammate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape. “I’m better when I’m under pressure. I don’t want to spend time answering my detractors, but I’m feeling good in this set-up,” he said.
For Albania, the tournament started in ominous fashion when captain Lorik Cana was shown a red card in a 0-1 defeat to Switzerland.
Swiss, Romania face-off
In Paris, Switzerland and new Arsenal signing Granit Xhaka go in hunt of a second victory in Euro 2016 on Wednesday against a Romania side fighting for survival.
Romania came close to frustrating France in the tournament-opening match before Dimitri Payet’s sublime winner gave the French a last-gasp 2-1 win.
