And so to the most important match day!! England were up against France. We started well, and things looked promising, and whilst it wasn't a spectacle, I would definitely have settled for a point before the game. To be honest, once France got a strangle hold of the game, they out passed and out shot us, and we hung onto the point.
England took the lead through Lescott, who scored a great header from close range, from a superb Gerrard free kick. The lead lasted all of 9 mins as Nasri equalised. Many people will question Joe Hart, but as a keeper, I thought it was a terrific finish. Hart was definitely unsighted as the ball was hit, and it was hit with power.
At times in the 2nd half, it did almost seem like it was only going to be a matter of time before France scored, as the stats prove, with France having 15 shots on target to England's 1!! The only other noticeable acts of the 2nd half, were the poor refereeing decisions! How on earth France didn't get a yellow card is beyond me!! Anyway, for anyone interested, I have done my player ratings -
Joe Hart - 7 - Started nervously a fluffed a corner, was NOT at fault for the goal, and also made some good stretching saves, including a point blank save from Diarra.
Glen Johnson - 7 - Was worried when I saw he was facing Ribery, but to be fair to him, he coped well enough.
John Terry - 7 - Nothing special, just typically John Terry, solid!
Joleon Lescott - 8 - Solid partnership with Terry, deserves an 8, if not just for the header!
Ashley Cole - 6 - I thought France would attack down Glen Johnson's wing, but they didn't, they chose to attack Cole, especially the french right back, and have to say, they got past him a bit too much for my liking.
James Milner - 5 - Sorry, I just don't see what he offers the team, yes he is a workhorse, but there is no flair, no touch of quality. Would probably be my own change for the Sweden game.
Steven Gerrard - 6 - Great ball for the free kick, but gave the ball away far too much for someone og Gerrard's quality.
Scott Parker - 7 - Goes about his game quietly. Solid as ever, and threw himself into a great block towards the end.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - 7 - Did nothing spectacular, but didn't let us down either. Definitely deserves a chance vs Sweden.
Ashley Young - 6 - Disappointing, never really got into the game.
Danny Welbeck - 7 - Again, nothing special, tried to put himself about. Not given enough support.
Subs - Jermain Defoe, Jordan Henderson and Theo Walcott - none of them had any time to make an impact, it was just more worrying seeing Henderson make an appearance.
Well, Friday will be a fun game now with Sweden needing to win! It's always difficult watching a game straight after watching your own team get a half decent result. The first half of Sweden Ukraine was hard work to watch. Thank god, the 2nd half livened up! Step forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic with a tap in! Fair enough, he has scored, but can someone tell me why people rave about him, and how he has commanded such big transfer fees?! His only other contribution was to put a great thru ball in for former Bolton forward Johan Elmander in the final mintue! It should have been 2-2, it wasn't.
The Ukraine will be sleeping happy tonight, as will veteran Andrej Shevchenko!! 2 goals, both good headers, though the defender went walkabout on the line for the 2nd.
It's the start of the 2nd round of group games tomorrow, and just 5 days into the tournament, it could end for the Czech Republic!
See you tomorrow
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