France's national football stadium, the Stade de France, hosted an opening ceremony party ahead of the start of the European Championship before Didier Deschamps' side beat Romania in dramatic fashion.

The setting for the showpiece was a French garden with a carousel, and costumed dancers performed a high-energy can-can dance popular in French cabaret to this day.

An up-tempo version of Edith Piaf's 'La Vie en rose' then played out before 48-year-old French DJ David Guetta took centre stage playing a collection of songs including The Black Eyed Peas' 'I Gotta Feeling,' and his own singles 'Play Hard,' featuring American artists Ne-Yo and Akon, and 'Titanium' featuring Australian singer, Sia.

But on Friday, France's capital city showed its intent to put the atrocities behind them as the colourful ceremony captured the mood of festival ahead of the four weeks of tournament ahead.

West Ham midfielder Dimitri Payet was the hero of the day, ensuring those fans who had travelled to the Stade de France would return home with the same smiles on their faces that the opening ceremony attempted to inspire. With only a minute remaining in the game, Payet scored a sensational goal from outside the area to secure three points for France.

AZERTAC