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You are here: Home / Sports / England v France Open Thread

Reader Interactions

43Comments

  1. 1.

    Yutsano

    That was really the only French fromage you could think of?

    EDIT:I’m French. Down with the Brits!=

  3. 3.

    handsmile

    I fully expect that France will be waving their private parts at the English aunties after ninety minutes today (a sentiment apparently shared even by many of the partisans of the septic isle).

    My one caveat involves the relative weakness of the French central defense and the noggin of Andy Carroll.

    Allons enfants de la Patrie, le jour de gloire est arrive….

  6. 6.

    Keith

    @rlrr: I played soccer from the single digits up until college, and I can’t bring myself to watch a match on TV. World Cup just doesn’t interest me (I only clicked on the topic to read the cheese comments)

  10. 10.

    J.A.F. Rusty Shackleford

    I’m using our office wifi to watch the game on my Kindle Fire on ESPN3.

  12. 12.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    Ricky Gervais just tweeted this

    Come on England!

    To which some bright spark responded with this

    “@quickerwit: If you like England so much why don’t you move there?”

    I hope it was a joke, cause I would hate to think that there are people so stupid actually using computers and other electronic devices.

  17. 17.

    Hawes

    Lescott is the ugliest player on the pitch. And that’s saying something with Ribery playing.

  18. 18.

    Amir Khalid

    And England score from a set-piece Stevie G puts the ball on Joleon Lescott’s head, Lescott buries it in the net. One – nil.

  20. 20.

    SRW1

    What is it with the heinously colored boots all teams appear to be wearing?

    Jebus, Nasri!

  21. 21.

    Amir Khalid

    @Hawes:
    I wonder if French fans wonder about Franck Ribery. Especially since Mme Ribery has a habit of cheering for her native Algeria at international matches.

  22. 22.

    pseudonymous in nc

    And there’s the equaliser. I don’t think England can allow France to camp on the edge of the box and hope for counter-attacks. Pretty entertaining for the neutrals so far.

  25. 25.

    Amir Khalid

    @SRW1:
    Blame Nike and adidas. They’ve spent the past couple of decades making garish-looking football boots in fluorescent green, yellow and orange. Ugh. And those are the ones they pay all the big stars to endorse.

  26. 26.

    handsmile

    France’s performance in the first half was under-ripe (my contribution to the array of cheese puns).

    Until Nasri’s strike (launched from outside the box!), I could swear (and did often) I was watching an Arsenal match: shuddering defensive lapses (Milner should have buried that chance to put England ahead) and an over-elaborate offense (always one more pass).

    Ribery and DeBuchy are tormenting the English fullbacks, so with that advantage in pace and ball control, why is so much of the French offense clogging up/breaking down in the middle of the penalty area?

  28. 28.

    Ronnie Pudding

    Are these games re-broadcast on TV this evening? I assumed they would be but couldn’t find them in the previous games.

  29. 29.

    pseudonymous in nc

    @handsmile:

    why is so much of the French offense clogging up/breaking down in the middle of the penalty area?

    Traffic. England are collapsing their midfield sufficiently that it’s basically been an 8-1-1 when the French approach the box. I think it’s going to be cagy from now on: set-pieces, counter-attacks, no over-committing.

  32. 32.

    Yutsano

    @Amir Khalid: I would love some bangers and mash and toad in the hole. But for obvious reasons we really shouldn’t go down that path. It can only end in tears.

  33. 33.

    Amir Khalid

    This match looks like finishing up as a draw.
    ETA: And so it does. England will be, well, not unhappy with that.

  34. 34.

    Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)

    Hmmmm…England looked better than I thought they would- they made their mistakes, but they were solid.

    I suspect France was playing with typical group-stage-tentativeness, but there were signs of flair. They moved the ball nicely, got some good chances even though England was jamming space with ten players back for so much of the game. France look like they could make a nice run at the championship if they make the knockout phase.

  35. 35.

    handsmile

    @Yutsano:

    But not before we polish off some spotted dick.

    @pseudonymous in nc:

    Fully agree that it was the collapsing English midfield, thus surprised that France didn’t take better advantage of getting behind the fullbacks and stretching the defense or at least deploying a greater variety of attack.

    Eh bien. England will be encouraged by their point; France should be somewhat discouraged. While the better squad for most of the match, France didn’t have the creativity to unlock England’s pragmatism. Credit to both teams for a well-contested and positive second half.

  36. 36.

    Tony J

    Well that’s just about the most competant performance I’ve seen out of an England team in the opening game of a major competition since, well, since forever.

    Defensively solid, kept the free-scoring French confined to long shots from outside the box, and might have enjoyed more sucess from their counter-attacking strategy if the referee had brandished a few of those yellow cards in the direction of France’s midfield hatchetmen (Cabaye, I’m looking at you) for their persistent and cynical fouling.

    All in all, not a bad start against a team many are tipping as a dark horse in these Championships.

  38. 38.

    Paula

    @Ronnie Pudding:

    Some of them are, some of them aren’t. Any replays seem to fall on weekend or very late night, when ESPN have less new programming to get through. Between the NBA finals, Euros, Kings/Devils, Nadal/Djokovic, and Pacquiao/Bradley ESPN’s in full talking head mode, though.

    ESPN3.com will have them whenever you wish, though, so if you’ve got access to a reasonably up-to-date computer and wifi, you’re set.

  39. 39.

    handsmile

    @Paula:

    Just typing up a reply to Mr. Pudding when I saw your response….

    Only to add, for the weekday group-stage matches, ESPN Deportes (Spanish language) is rebroadcasting only one of the day’s matches (e.g., England-France tonight at 9:30pm EST) but at inconsistent times. ESPN3 is definitely the way to go, if that’s an option.

  40. 40.

    Sebastien

    It seems like TV (at least TF1) wants us to love again our team. For the whole weekend, we were told that Ribery (of Knysna infamy) was highly motivated (he can be, since he at least got his goal of being in the team while his one-time rival Gourcuff is not), that England was historically weak (with loving attention paid to the list of players unavailable) and so on.

    So what was the news anchor’s comment at the squeaker of a draw ? An excellent start with a great match against a great nation of soccer (I translate/paraphrase). Not Fox News worthy but hey, cut us socialists a little slack.

    Last time we started an international competition with a draw, a bus driver lost a full day’s work.

  41. 41.

    Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)

    @handsmile:

    I think that the Dutch, Germans and Spanish were all guilty of this (I do suspect that the Dutch might not be nearly as good as they were two years ago). The governors will be off by the last games of the group stage.

    France was playing head-and-shoulders above the 2010 team…And the next time I hear Patrice Evra being blamed for the players’ (much needed) revolt against Domenech, I might punch someone.

  42. 42.

    Tehanu

    @Amir Khalid:

    There is a very simple way to find good English food. Use the red Michelin guide (the restaurant and hotel one, not the green sightseeing one) and don’t eat at any place that isn’t listed. This way, you get the best of both England AND France.

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