The French players applauded their fans after the full-time whistle and the front page of Wednesday’s L’Equipe simply read, “Thank You”, following the moving scenes at Wembley.
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Many England fans were seen holding French flags and wearing T-shirts with messages of support, while the iconic Wembley arch was lit up in red, white and blue, with France’s national motto “Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite” displayed across the entrance. I’m sure this will get shown round the world and show the togetherness and unity in ourselves and France and in football.
“As Didier Deschamps said, it’s not about religion, it’s not about race, it’s about togetherness”. The French anthem was also played ahead of Italy’s game against Romania at Bologna’s Renato Dall’Ara stadium, where a minute’s silence was observed to honour the Paris victims as well as those who perished in a Bucharest nightclub fire that killed 56 people last month. During the minute’s silence which followed, the only sound came from the helicopters circling overhead.
“It was a fantastic goal but again he’s a young player, not many games for England and we can’t expect too much from him at this stage”.
Alli, who has only played 16 times for Spurs since joining the London side from Milton Keynes Dons, was among four of the Premier League club’s players on the pitch at the start.
French footballer, Christian Karembeu, felt the out pouring of love and said the evening was “powerful”.
“When the coaches and Prince William laid the flowers on the turf, it was…well frankly, I don’t have the words”. “That’s very important for us, for Europe, and for the world, for all the people who are fighting against dictatorships and terrorism”.
France’s players were caught up in the attacks that ripped through Paris in several locations on Friday.
The Marseille midfielder had lost his cousin Asta Diakité on Friday, though all France’s players – whose friendly against Germany at the Stade de France had been targeted by suicide bombers – were profoundly affected by the events of last week.
The vast stadium fell silent in the moments before kick-off as the teams waited in the tunnel. Diarra and Griezmann were among the 23-man squad that came to London, and both came on as second-half substitutes.
Former France defender Bixente Lizarazu, commentating on the game for French television, told the BBC: “This match is not easy for both teams, for anyone, not even the journalists”.
England boss Roy Hodgson has described Dele Alli’s Man of the Match performance against France as “faultless”, as reported by Sky Sports.
“I can’t argue with that as a proposal”, said Hodgson. A few England supporters were wearing berets.
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The friendly played out between England and France carried no competitive relevance – but on a scale of global significance it was impossible to overstate its meaning.
