Substitutes Loic Remy and Yoann Gourcuff struck late goals to give France a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Romania Saturday to boost Laurent Blanc's side hopes of qualifying for Euro 2012, dpa reported.
The win puts France top of Group D on six points, one ahead of Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Romania slip to second last in the group on two points.
Remy, a 68th-minute substitute for Matthieu Valbuena, raced clear from a long ball, leaving Romania captain Cristian Chivu in his wake before driving the ball past Costel Postelimon in goal to break the deadlock seven minutes from time.
Gourcuff, on in the 74th minute for Sami Nasri, wrapped it up in stoppage time to ensure a first win by Les Bleus in the Stade de France for almost a year.
Blanc made two changes from the side that beat Bosnia and Herzegovina last month, with Nasri and Anthony Reveillere replacing Abou Diaby and Bacary Sagna.
The coach will have been pleased especially with the busy Nasri who was at the heart of most French endeavours.
France were always the more likelier side to score, and there were close efforts before the interval from Chelsea striker Florent Malouda whose shot hit the side-netting, and Karim Benzema who curled the ball against the outside of the post.
Romania were occasionally dangerous, and George Florescu tested Hugo Lloris in goal with a fierce shot after the break.
At the other end, Romanian keeper Postilimon was a stand-out figure with three fine saves in as many minutes around the hour mark.
First the diving Postilimon got his hand to a Valbuena shot which he deflected onto the bar, then he saved from Benzema from a narrow angle and almost a minute later blocked two efforts from Nasri who had broken clear on the left.
After surviving those scares, Romania themselves began to look dangerous on the break and after a mistake by Gael Clichy a move down the right ended with Cristian Sapunaru turning a low cross onto the post with Lloris in goal well beaten.
For all France's efforts it looked like being a frustrating night, but Blanc got his substitutions right when first Remy then Gourcuff finally ended the Romanian resistance.