Euro 2016 kicks off Friday when hosts France take on Romania in the opening game of the tournament at Paris’ Stade de France stadium, one of the venues of the terrorist attacks that rocked the French capital in November last year. With more than 90,000 security personnel deployed to make sure that the tournament takes place without a hitch, a successful Euros is not only a priority for the well-being of the sport in France, but it is important for the future of a continent struggling with an influx of Middle-Eastern refugees.
You can watch France vs. Romania live online through streaming links provided right here.
France
One of the favorites to lift the trophy at the end of Euros 2016, France will hope to kick-start their campaign with a win against Romania on Friday. Having won major competitions at home twice in the past, including Euros in 1984, France will be desperate to make the most of their home advantage and become only the third team to win the European championships on more than two occasions.
Speaking before the game, France goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris accepted as much, saying that the support at home could be a big reason for his team’s success in the tournament , according to Sky Sports .
“Every country has a different culture. It maybe didn’t help Brazil in [World Cup] 2014 but for us the public are going to be a great support. We just have to take advantage of it and to be proud.”
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has been left out of the squad following his acrimonious involvement in a plot to blackmail former international teammate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape, reports the International Business Times , while other senior players, including Lassana Diarra, Mathieu Debuchy, Mamadou Sakho, Raphael Varane, and Jeremy Mathieu, have all been sidelined because of injuries.
Still, manager Didier Deschamps, who was the captain of the French team that won the Euros in 2000, is confident he has the required group of players to go all the way in the championship. Admitting that his front-three of Dmitri Payet, Olivier Giroud, and Antoine Griezmann, set to play in front of Blaise Matuidi and prime orchestrator Paul Pogba, will be vital to France’s chances in the competition, Deschamps said his team will attempt to play fast , attacking football.
“It comes back to the scenario and the tempo,” he said. “I’d rather play balls that cut through: forward passes. I don’t have a team that will keep the ball and wear down the opposition. Our strength lies with putting our foot down on the accelerator rather than working for a long period of time.”
You can watch France vs. Romania live online through the streaming links provided at the end of this article.
Romania
Although Romania will start as the underdogs in the opening game against France, their qualifying campaign, which saw manager Anghel Iordanescu’s men concede only two goals and lose none of their 10 games, will give them a reason to believe that they can cause an upset.
This will be Romania’s third encounter against France in the Euros, with their previous two meetings in the competition — in 1996 and 2008 — producing just one goal.
Iordanescu conceded that his team will face an uphill battle in Paris but appeared confident that Romania has what it takes to progress from the group.
“France are clearly superior to us. Didier Deschamps has class players available, who play in the Champions League and Europa League.
“Mine play in Turkey, Bulgaria, Israel and Qatar. But that does not mean that we have surrendered. We all have the same goal — to move groups.”
Left-back Steliano Filip is the only doubt for Romania with an ankle problem, reports Sky Sports .
Streaming Links
Soccer fans in the United States can catch all the action live on ESPN (ESPN2, ESPN3 USA, ESPN Deportes TV), while fans hoping to catch the game live online can watch it by clicking on Watch ESPN .
If you live in the United Kingdom, you can catch the France vs. Romania game live on ITV 1 and online on ITV Hub .
Fans in South East Asia, including India, can tune into Sony SIX to watch the game live on television, while the live streaming link for the France vs. Romania game can be found on Sonyliv . Fans in France can watch their team take on Romania on TF1 and Bein Sports 1, with the live streaming option being available on Bein Sports Connect .
For a full list of the channels telecasting Euros 2016 around the world and their complementing live streaming links, click here .
Alternate links to watch the match can be found by going to FirstRowSports .
[Photo by Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images]