DONETSK, Ukraine — On a day of blistering heat and searing chances from France, England desperately held on for a 1-1 tie in the opening match for both teams at the European Championships.
England managed only three shots to 19 for France, but it scored first and then turtled into a defensive shell to withstand the withering French attack.
Repeatedly, the English players threw their bodies in the way at the last moment to repel muscular, pummeling shots as France controlled 60 percent of the possession. If the result was not particularly attractive, it was effective and familiar.
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