France captain Hugo Lloris has embraced the friendly against England at Wembley as the chance to honour the victims of the terrorist atrocities that hit Paris on Friday night.
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English soccer fans saluted France by roaring out the Marseillaise national anthem at a friendly match which became a show of solidarity joined by British politicians and royalty just days after Islamic State militants struck Paris.
Lassana Diarra and Antoine Griezmann, two of the players who were on hand during the tragic Friday match, were on the bench at the opening whistle, but the public broke out in applause and a warm welcome when they entered the match as substitutes in the second half.
England’s 2-0 win over the Euro 2016 hosts was overshadowed by the occasion, as both teams used the fixture to pay tribute to those involved in the tragedy.
The stadium was lit in blue, white and red, and French flags were widely in evidence in the stands. We feel very grateful because not just the people at Wembley, but the whole nation has supported us.
WEMBLEY, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 17: Silhouettes of people standing in front of the French Tricolour before the global friendly between England and France at Wembley Stadium on November 17, 2015 in London, England.
“After the indications we received, we knew we could not stage this game”.
It is entirely fitting that football, which found itself at the unwitting centre of the shocking narrative emerging from Paris last Friday night, should present such a poignant and high-profile display of unity. We need to stand tall and stand together in these tough times’. As any sort of guide as to their progress ahead of a home European Championships next summer, this match was an irrelevance.
Both teams and sets of fans were united in a stirring rendition of La Marseillaise before kick-off, after the Duke of Cambridge and UK Prime Minister joined coaches Roy Hodgson and Didier Deschamps on the field.
Moreover, while the English Football Association said it would refund tickets to the match given spectators’ safety concerns, The Mirror reports that only 100 people took the FA up on its offer, with sales reportedly spiking as of late – a spike that can be seen as a further testament to tonight’s emphasis on unity.
The 90,000-capacity ground showed signs of the heightened security alert across Europe with armed police patrolling Wembley.
An incisive pass or a hatful of goals can not alter the fact that life will not – for the time being at least – go on entirely as normal, and away from the shine and emotion there were plenty of reminders.
That match had been due to take place in Brussels, where police have carried out raids in the wake of the Paris attacks.
Players from both teams wore black armbands.
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“We have been welcomed here like it’s our own home”, Sebastien Correia, a train driver from the northern French city of Calais who was attending the game with nine friends, told The Associated Press.
