DONETSK: England held on for a 1-1 draw with France on Monday at the European Championship, giving the Group D favourites one point each.
Joleon Lescott put England in the lead with a header in the 30th minute, and Samir Nasri levelled for France shortly before halftime with a strike into the bottom corner of the net.
France still have not won a match at a major tournament since the 2006 World Cup. The national team, however, has been unbeaten in its last 22 matches.
England took the lead when captain Steven Gerrard curled in a free kick from the right after Patrice Evra fouled James Milner. Lescott sneaked behind a defender and was able to nod the ball past France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
France’s equalizer was all about one-touch football. Florent Malouda, Evra and Franck Ribery flicked the ball around the left side of England’s penalty area to free up space for Nasri, who put in a low shot before England goalkeeper Joe Hart could react.
After running away in celebration, television replays showed Nasri shouting ”Shut your mouth,” in French as he looked in the direction of the England bench. He then brought his finger to his lips as if to tell someone to hush.
In the final seconds of the match, Hart pushed away Karim Benzema’s goal-bound shot. Moments before, the Real Madrid forward’s curling effort was heading for the top corner until it was headed clear. Yohan Cabaye’s controlled shot in the 80th minute also beat Hart but was deflected away just before it reached the bottom corner.
In a strange atmosphere at the Donbass Arena, French fans struggled to make themselves heard and England’s supporters were sometimes drowned out by a large amount of fans chanting ”Russia, Russia.”
France were clearly the more aggressive of the two sides, dominating the ball’s possession. The French made all the plays in the second half with England defending deep in their own half. Ukraine play Sweden in other game later. (AP)