At West Ham they have been singing his name all season and Dimitri Payet's France team-mates have now joined the chorus of praise after he spectacularly got them out of jail in their Euro 2016 opener, predicting the confidence gained from his first season in the Premier League would translate to the biggest international stage.

The front page of L'Equipe read simply "Payet Saves the Party" after the West Ham striker sent his shot arrowing into the top corner with one minute to play to ensure the host nation began the tournament with a 2-1 victory against Romania.

Patrice Evra had more reason than most to be grateful to Payet after clumsily bringing down Nicolae Stanciu to give away the penalty that brought Romania level nine minutes after Olivier Giroud had given France a second-half lead. The Juventus left-back said that Payet's move to West Ham had helped to imbue him with the confidence to take on the best in the world. "It was amazing but I think you have to say thanks to West Ham because he went to the Premier League, where it is a different game," he said.

"You can see now that he takes responsibility. When he has to shoot, he shoots and he has scored some great goals. I'm very happy for him."

Payet was at the heart of everything good about an uneven France performance, creating a string of chances for Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba and Olivier Giroud, one of which led to the opening goal, before scoring himself.

Dimitri Payet's move from periphery to centre of France's success

Evra said Payet's move to West Ham had taken his game to another level, recalling the impact of his own move to Manchester United. "It's a challenge to go to the Premier League. The game is so fast and so tough. At the end I thought: 'This is a new job for me,' and I'm not ashamed to say that, it's the truth. That's why, when you come back to the national team, you feel like an important player."

Bacary Sagna said that he was not surprised that Payet stepped up to the plate given his recent performances for West Ham and for the national side. But he said the flood of relief that prompted tears as Payet was substituted just before the final whistle was felt by the entire team. "The emotion he showed at the end was the same for all of us, we all felt like that. We were playing in front of family, in front of our fans in our own country," he said. "With that comes pressure so we needed to win today, we did and we take the three points into the next game."

Kingsley Coman, the teenage Bayern Munich winger who came on in the second half as France chased victory in an increasingly restive Stade de France, spoke of the team's gratitude to the "extraordinary" Payet.

"We thanked him, he was welcomed. It was a bit more applause than for the others but it's the whole team that won this victory. We believed until the end."

With some of the pressure lifted following an opening match that felt racked by even more tension than usual given the security considerations around it, Didier Deschamps will hope his side are able to play more freely when they meet Albania in Marseille. The France coach called Payet his "difference maker" against Romania and will be hoping he can repeat the trick as the tournament slowly moves through the gears. Evra has no doubt: "I think he will get even better. I hope so – I will pray for it."