At London’s Wembley Stadium, a moving rendition of the French national anthem, “La Marseillaise”, reverberated around the ground as players and fans from both England and France paid tribute to Friday’s victims.
Advertisement
British Prime Minister David Cameron was also among the near-80,000 spectators at English football’s national stadium, where there was an increased police presence and enhanced security measures, including compulsory bag searches.
Hodgson joined Prince William and French manager Didier Deschamps in laying wreaths prior to the game.
England goalscorer and man of the match Dele Alli was beaming with pride after helping the Three Lions beat France on an emotional night at Wembley.
Alli played a part on the Rooney goal with a move on the play before Raheem Sterling crossed to Rooney and that gave England the 2-0 lead.
When Lassana Diarra, the France midfielder who lost his cousin in the attacks on the French capital, came on as a 57th minute substitute, Wembley rose to him.
The national motto of France, “Liberté, égalité, fraternité”, was emblazoned above the arch, while many England fans waved the French flag as well as the St George’s Cross in a display of solidarity.
Lloris said that the French nation is more important than the French team and that the players would be doing their best to represent their country and the victims.
The French team spent the next two days at their headquarters in Clairefontaine before travelling to London with a full squad on Monday morning.
“I thought they played very well”.
The wider carnage could only be absorbed once the final whistle had blown and they took the decision to stay with their German opponents inside the Stade de France.
“Now, more than ever, we must come together and stand united and carry on with the way of life that we know and that we love”, he told parliament.
On Monday, Belgian soccer officials postponed a friendly against Spain that was scheduled for Tuesday night in Brussels, owing to increased security concerns following the attacks in Paris.
The French flags on show bore slogans of hope and thanks, from “United We Stand” and “Play For Paris” to “Thanks To The World”.
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.
“I really can’t imagine how this game is going to go and what sort of football is going to be played, quite simply because I’ve never been in this situation before”, he said.
Advertisement
It certainly felt like a home fixture for both teams, even if the atmosphere was initially muted as the supporters themselves also seemed uncertain how to react.
