The coach of the French national team, Didier Deschamps, has praised the effort of his team in qualifying for the round of 16 of the UEFA Euro 2016 with victory over Albania on Wednesday.

The French coach was happy with the performance of France Midfielder, Dimitri Payet, praising his consistency on the ball and will to fight.

“Payet has become more consistent. He’s always had ability and a lot of confidence. Now, in one-on-one situations and challenges, he’s always up for the fight.

“Clearly we didn’t do everything well. If you’ve seen a team that has, please tell me. We were a bit laborious in the first 45 minutes because Albania were physically fresh,” he told Uefa.com.

Deschamp also commended the style of the Albanians, acknowledging their effort in defence and on the counter attack.

“Albania played with a lot of heart and spirit. They defended well and have the ability to counterattack. We might have scored earlier, we had a lot of chances. While it was goalless it was a good result for Albania. It’s always difficult against teams that keep it tight. Once we finally got going we let loose a bit, albeit slightly late in the day.

“Pogba (being on the bench) was more of a tactical decision. With that system I thought we needed two scrappers in the middle of the park. As for Griezmann, I’m managing him. Neither he nor Pogba is happy. Often players who come off the bench can make the difference. That was the case in the opening match and again tonight,” he said.

Meanwhile, Man of the Match, Dimitri Payet, recognizing his efforts, said the late goals have shown how patient the team is in winning games.

“Once again I made the difference and I’ve known for a while that my island (reunion) is right behind me and there is fervent support for Les Bleus. They’re very proud that France have made it through to the last 16.

“What’s great is that the late goals are nothing new. Since March, when we played the Netherlands, we’ve shown that we can go out and win games late on. We had to be patient”, the midfielder said.

Late goals from substitute, Antonio Griezmann and Man of the Match, Dimitri Payet, against Albania secured France qualification into the second round of the Euro 2016.