WARSAW, Poland — France's 21-match unbeaten run is on the line when Laurent Blanc's team takes on England in Donetsk, Ukraine in the high-profile opening Group D match at the European Championship.
Here is a running account of Monday’s action. All times are local to Poland.
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1846: HALF TIME: FRANCE 1, ENGLAND 1
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1842: Joe Hart makes a superb reflex save from Alou Diarra’s header but he is beaten moments later — and maybe could have done better. Franck Ribery plays the ball to Samir Nasri, who knocks the ball onto his right foot before letting fly with a shot identical to the one that was inches wide of goal earlier in the half, except this time it sneaks inside Hart’s near post. That’s two scorers from English champion Manchester City.
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1838: FRANCE 1, ENGLAND 1 (Nasri)
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1832: Steven Gerrard whips a free kick into the area and Joleon Lescott is first to reach the ball, directing his header into the back of the net from close range to give England the lead after 30 minutes.
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1829: FRANCE 0, ENGLAND 1 (Lescott)
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1823: Welbeck is down holding his ankle and looks in pain. He goes up for a header with Adil Rami, who accidentally lands on the England player’s left ankle. That looked painful. Welbeck had an injury to his ankle in the run-up to the tournament but will be OK to play on, it seems.
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1818: James Milner misses a great chance to give England the lead. Young plays him through one-on-one with Lloris and he rounds him with his first touch but takes the ball a fraction too far wide. He has an open goal to aim at, but hits the side-netting from an acute angle. He slams his fist on the ground in frustration. Best chance of the game so far.
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1814: France has started the stronger. Terry intervenes to keep Benzema at bay before Nasri shoots just wide minutes later. England goalkeeper Joe Hart also fails to hold a relatively routine catch from a corner. Early nerves?
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1810: jeromepugmire: Bizarre: Loudest chants at the stadium are for Russia. (via Twitter)
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1805: There are a few empty seats in the stadium. Oxlade-Chamberlain makes an early break but his pass into the area is blocked. The 18-year-old is making only his third appearance for England and his first start at international level.
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1800: After a 10-to-1 countdown by the stadium announcer, England kicks off…
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1758: Players out and singing the national anthems (apart from Ribery and Benzema for the French).
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1753: RobHarris: Hodgson on (at)Alex_OxChambo: "He gives a balance to our team which is very useful." but alternatives "if he tires or things don’t work out" (via Twitter)
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1748: Some stats for you. France has won 15 and drawn six of its last 21 games. England is beginning to forge a reputation as the king of the 1-0 win. Five of its last seven results have finished that way. Hodgson likes to keep it tight in defense.
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1741: Nineteen minutes until kickoff at the Donbass Arena. The players head back down the tunnel and into the dressing rooms as Roy Hodgson and Laurent Blanc prepare to give a few final words of wisdom to their players.
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1736: Remember, no Wayne Rooney for England. He’s suspended for two matches. Rooney’s sat in the dugout, chewing gum and looking on enviously as the teams warm up. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is a surprise starter for England in midfield. As for France, Alou Diarra starts in central midfield in place of Yann M’Vila, who is only on the bench after an ankle injury. It’s hot, hot, hot in Donetsk.
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1730: It’s Day 4 of Euro 2012. Here are the lineups for France vs. England.
France: Lloris, Debuchy, Rami, Mexes, Evra, Diarra, Cabaye, Ribery, Nasri, Malouda, Benzema.
England: Hart, Johnson, Terry, Lescott, Cole, Parker, Milner, Gerrard, Young, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Welbeck.
Subs:
France: Mandanda, Giroud, Matuidi, Reveillere, Menez, M’Vila, Martin, Ben Arfa, Valbuena, Clichy, Koscielny, Carrasso.
England: Green, Walcott, Henderson, Carroll, Baines, Jones, Jagielka, Downing, Defoe, Butland.
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy).
