England make a point

The draw means France has still not won a match at a major tournament since the 2006 World Cup. The national team,however,is unbeaten in its last 22 matches.

I think we have to be happy with that, France coach Laurent Blanc said. We were too timid at the start,there was a bit of pressure that got to us,and then we got better actually after we conceded the goal thats when we started playing.

England took the lead when captain Steven Gerrard curled in a free kick from the right after Patrice Evra had fouled James Milner,and Lescott was able to nod the ball past France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

Frances equaliser was all about one-touch football as Florent Malouda,Evra and Franck Ribery flicked the ball around the left side of Englands penalty area to free up space for Nasri,who put in a low shot before England goalkeeper Joe Hart could react.

Shut your mouth

After running away in celebration,television replays showed Nasri had shouted Ferme ta geule, or Shut your mouth, as he looked in the direction of the England bench. He then brought his finger to his lips as if to tell someone to hush.

In the final seconds of the match,Hart pushed away Karim Benzemas goal-bound strike. Moments before,the Real Madrid forwards curling effort was heading for the top corner until it was headed clear,and Yohan Cabayes controlled shot in the 80th minute beat Hart but was deflected away just before it reached the bottom corner.

Well look at our performance and analyse what weve done right and what weve done wrong, Gerrard said. I think all in all were satisfied with a point.

In a strange atmosphere at the Donbass Arena,French fans struggled to make themselves heard and Englands supporters were sometimes drowned out by a large amount of fans chanting Russia,Russia.

The French finished the match with 19 shots,15 of them on target. England managed only three,and only one on target.

In the second half,I think we could have scored a second goal, Blanc said. But overall,I think its a fair draw for both sides.

Hodgson handed 18-year-old midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain a surprise start just his third appearance for England.

Wayne Rooney showed all those years ago that if youre good enough,youre old enough, Gerrard said,referring to Rooneys impressive performances as an 18-year-old player at Euro 2004.

Good enough

Oxlade-Chamberlain showed tonight he is good enough for this level. Hes still got a lot of learning to do,but playing with experienced players hell pick that up.

England should have taken the lead in the 15th when James Milner ran on to Ashley Youngs perfectly weighted pass behind the defense,got around Lloris,but only to hit the side netting.

France will next face co-host Ukraine on Friday while England plays Sweden.