Jamie Vardy was an unused substitute as England were held to a 1-1 draw with Russian Federation in their opening game of Euro 2016.
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England players walked off disconsolate while there was more violence in the Stade Velodrome as fans left, adding to the 31 injured in street battles in the Marseille port district earlier.
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Eric Dier netted a 73rd-minute free kick to deservedly send the Three Lions one goal ahead in the Group B clash, but experienced defender Vasili Berezutski scored a header two minutes into second-half stoppage time to secure a point for Russian Federation.
England’s defence wilted in stoppage time as they allowed Russian captain Vasili Berzutski a free header inside the penalty area — and he sent it looping into the net over a distraught Joe Hart.
“We’ve got to pick ourselves up and go again”.
In another Group B encounter of the day, European rookies Wales cruised to a 2-1 win against Slovakia. “We just didn’t see it out in the right way and it’s disappointing but we didn’t lose”, the Tottenham man said.
“It was a bitter blow and a bitter pill to swallow, that equalising goal, but if we can swallow that pill and take encouragement from numerous good things we did out there then I shall be very, very hopeful going forward that the misfortune of tonight won’t happen to us again”. The lad’s got springs in his heels and he’s looped one into the corner.
“It is not tough to take positives, because we played well. We need to put this behind us – it’s gone”.
The build-up to the game in Marseille has been overshadowed by violent clashes between rival fans and police over the past few days.
Dier’s stunning strike was no more than Roy Hodgson’s team deserved for their high-tempo, all-action display, although the Three Lions would have been well ahead by that point of the game if not for a combination of poor finishing and Russian resolve.
“There are a lot of good things in our performance tonight”.
“I would have been happy with 1-0 but we conceded in the last minute”. BBC News correspondent Nick Eardley, who is in Marseille, described the situation earlier as “pretty terrifying” as fans fought with Russian Federation supporters.
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“We just thought, with the control we have in the game and Jack Wilshere on the bench, that we could have the luxury of taking Wayne off the field and that Jack would do a similar job, and I think that’s exactly what happened”, Hodgson said.
