The RTÉ Soccer panel of Liam Brady, Eamon Dunphy and Didi Hamann hailed Romania's resolve and Dimitri Payet's 89th-minute match-winning brilliance after the opening game of Euro 2016 ended 2-1 to France.
"It was a terrific match," said Dunphy. "Romania did themselves proud and it took a great goal to win it.
"Their attitude, their work-rate. They got back into the game.
"Payet, having had a poor first half by his high standards, especially the final ball, was very good throughout the second half and the goal that won the match was absolutely superb.
"Patrice Evra is finished, he was very poor."
"It surprised me," said Brady. "I expected Romania to sit back and soak up pressure but they didn't, they made a real game of it.
"They were excellent in the first ten minutes of the second half. They put it up to the French and the French had to find their matchwinner, which they did in Payet.
"He's very inventive. We've seen some great goals for West Ham but that was some goal.
"He was crying when he came off, it was such an emotional thing to think he had just scored the winning goal for France when he wasn't playing a year ago."
"France were very resilient," added Hamann. "They kept pressing, kept pushing. Credit to Romania, they probably deserved a point in the end, it was a gallant.
"We may have seen the goal of the tournament."
