“France vs England ends in a rather dull draw”

France 1:1 England

(30’ Lescott); (39’ Nasri)

Longtime rivals France and England faced off today in Donetsk, Ukraine for the Group D opener in the Euro Cup. A much anticipated match left more than a few fans disappointed. Most of the game was played in the midfield as both teams tried to pull together a strategy for attack. France certainly had more shots on goal, and despite solid efforts from Nasri and Ribéry, they couldn’t score a second goal.

The half began with a lot of poking around in the midfield. France had a few attempts thanks to Nasri, and England had a chance on a quick breakaway. England was suffering with both Lampard and Rooney injured. However, a beautiful free kick helped England secure a lead in the 3oth minute.  England won a free kick and captain Steven Gerrard stepped up to take the kick from the far wide right. Gerrard sent a great ball towards the net where Joleon Lescott led the charge into the box. Lescott won the race and got his head on the ball, sending it right through the French keeper’s hands for a goal.

 

Though England scored first, France didn’t let them keep their lead for long. Already having played a strong match, Nasri didn’t hesitate to equalize nine minutes later. After playing around in the midfield for a while, France had the ball in the box, quickly passing it from player to player. When the ball reached Nasri, he took a touch that looked like it was going to be a pass, buying him just enough time to send a line drive shot to the back left corner of the net.  France used their momentum from their goal and dominated the rest of the half. However, it didn’t amount to much as the half ended, both teams with one goal each.

The second half proved uneventful.  England started the second half right about where they ended the first. It looked as though Les Bleus had the possibility of taking home a win. However, England picked up the pace in the middle of the second half, though France ended the match the stronger team. Though no goals were scored, both Benezma and Ribéry came very close to scoring. Both teams currently sit in the middle of Group D, with Ukraine leading with three points after their win against Sweden today.  

written by Donais Deetz