It was followed by that gloriously unified version of “La Marseillaise” and a perfectly-observed minute’s silence, during which one French fan, draped in the Tricolore, removed his glasses to wipe away tears with the colours of his country.
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The symbolism was evident before the kick-off as Prince William joined Roy Hodgson and Didier Deschamps in placing floral tributes by the touchline.
“That’s what they wanted and it’s pretty much what we wanted too”. “An act of defiance was better than the other alternative”, said Hodgson.
The match, billed as a symbol of reconciliation between the nations, was marred by fans who disrupted the moment of silence for the victims in the Paris attacks.
Reflecting on an emotional night, the French defender has vowed it was an occasion he will never forget, saying: “I am French and when something happens to the French people, it happens to me”.
Understandably, after a traumatic few days, France found the going tough on the Wembley turf. “Even if it wasn’t easy, we had to do our job on the pitch”.
Alli’s rise certainly shows no signs of abating and his performance on just his fourth England appearance certainly puts pressure on the experienced midfielders now sidelined.
France’s game with Germany at the Stade de France on Friday was targeted in the attacks and Tottenham goalkeeper Lloris said their players felt emotionally drained during the defeat by England. Both Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney had chances to open the scoring early on.
The big screens at the famous London stadium will display the words of “La Marseillaise”, which were also printed on the back of The Sun and Daily Mirror tabloids – normally bastions of footballing patriotism. His seventh minute shot flew just over Joe Hart’s crossbar.
France midfielder Lassana Diarra, whose cousin, Asta Diakite, was one of those killed in the Paris attacks, was given a standing ovation when he came on as a substitute in the 57th minute. But it is exciting and since I have been in the squad I don’t think there have been so many young players.
“It was a hard night for everyone, especially for the French players and staff”, Rooney said.
“That was as close as you can get to it. He was quite outstanding”.
There had been debate about whether the game should have been played, despite being given the go-ahead by the president of the French Football Association Noel Le Graet on Saturday. It’s a global game, not about race or religion.
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“Anyone can play the game of football and hopefully tonight shows whoever you are around the world, you can come together”.
