England and France earned a point each in the first match of Group D at Euro 2012 following a 1-1 draw in Donetsk.
The Three Lions should have taken the lead after 15 minutes when James Milner ran onto Ashley Young's superb pass, got around Hugo Lloris with his first touch but could only hit the side netting with his second.
Roy Hodgson's side then took the lead on the half-hour mark as captain Steven Gerrard curled in a free kick from the right which Joleon Lescott powered past Lloris from close range.
But France drew level six minutes before the break when Samir Nasri rattled a 20-yard shot inside Joe Hart's near post following an intricate passing move on the edge of the England area.
England were forced to battle hard and appeared to tire in the heat in the second half, but they managed to hold on for a point.
Lineups:
France: Hugo Lloris; Mathieu Debuchy, Philippe Mexès, Adil Rami, Patrice Evra; Alou Diarra; Samir Nasri, Florent Malouda (Marvin Martin, 85), Yohan Cabaye (Hatem Ben Afra, 84), Franck Ribéry; Karim Benzema
England: Joe Hart; Glen Johnson, John Terry, Joleon Lescott, Ashley Cole; James Milner, Steven Gerrard, Scott Parker (Jordan Henderson, 78), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Jermain Defoe, 77); Ashley Young; Danny Welbeck (Theo Walcott, 90)
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| England goalkeeper Joe Hart tries to tackle France midfielder Samir Nasri Photo: Getty Images |
The Three Lions should have taken the lead after 15 minutes when James Milner ran onto Ashley Young's superb pass, got around Hugo Lloris with his first touch but could only hit the side netting with his second.
Roy Hodgson's side then took the lead on the half-hour mark as captain Steven Gerrard curled in a free kick from the right which Joleon Lescott powered past Lloris from close range.
But France drew level six minutes before the break when Samir Nasri rattled a 20-yard shot inside Joe Hart's near post following an intricate passing move on the edge of the England area.
England were forced to battle hard and appeared to tire in the heat in the second half, but they managed to hold on for a point.
Lineups:
France: Hugo Lloris; Mathieu Debuchy, Philippe Mexès, Adil Rami, Patrice Evra; Alou Diarra; Samir Nasri, Florent Malouda (Marvin Martin, 85), Yohan Cabaye (Hatem Ben Afra, 84), Franck Ribéry; Karim Benzema
England: Joe Hart; Glen Johnson, John Terry, Joleon Lescott, Ashley Cole; James Milner, Steven Gerrard, Scott Parker (Jordan Henderson, 78), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Jermain Defoe, 77); Ashley Young; Danny Welbeck (Theo Walcott, 90)
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