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The battles of Group D of the European Championship started evenly - the national teams of France and England parted ways peacefully with a 1-1 draw.
After the match, French coach Laurent Blanc admitted feeling ambivalent: "We are disappointed that we didn't win. On the other hand, it's important that we didn't lose. I think the opponents will have similar thoughts. The English started the match very successfully, and we took the initiative right at the moment when we conceded a goal. We equalized the score deservedly, and in the second half, we could have pushed forward, although there weren't many opportunities."
He continued: "I think a draw is a fair result. It should be noted that the hot weather was not favorable for the attacking team, and we were the ones attacking."
Meanwhile, Roy Hodgson, coaching the England national team, hoped to see a better performance from the team in the future: "Of course, I am satisfied. The conditions were difficult for both teams, so a lot of effort had to be put in."
"As we all know, the French like to control the midfield and then try to break down the opponents' defenders. It is very important that our defenders withstood this pressure."
He added: "Forgive me for being cautious, but this is only the third match. It is impossible to build a good team in three matches and ten training sessions. I hope that we will improve in the future, especially when some injured players recover and Wayne Rooney returns to the field."
