England vs France, International Friendly

· International Friendly

England

86': Peter Crouch

FT
1 - 2

France

16': Karim Benzema
55': Mathieu Valbuena

About

England are hosting France at Wembley, , , starting on . The match is a part of the International Friendly.

Match Timeline

0': Hello everyone. <a href="http://www.twitter.com/mjdasilva" target="_blank">Michael Da Silva</a> here. Welcome to England vs France on ESPN Soccernet. Stay here for all the action from what, on paper, looks like an interesting clash.
0': Fabio Capello has handed starts to Jordan Henderson, Kieran Gibbs and Andy Carroll in what is a new-look England team. I will be bringing you the starting line-ups in a few moments...
0': ENGLAND: Foster; Jagielka, Ferdinand (c), Lescott, Gibbs; Henderson, Barry; Walcott, Gerrard, Milner; Carroll
0': FRANCE: Lloris; Sagna, Rami, Mexes, Abidal; Gourcuff, M'Vila, Nasri; Valbuena, Benzema, Malouda.
0': <img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/images/JonMC/January2010/fra-275.jpg"> French fans at Wembley.
0': Fabio Capello on England new-boy Andy Carroll: "This is a big chance. To play with the senior side and to change his lifestyle. I hope he will understand what really happens when you play with the seniors. I have spoken to him about what he has to do during the game. I haven't spoken to him about his private life but I will. Everyone makes mistakes when they're young. He's 21. A lot of people drink, no? We have to help him but he has to understand he is in the senior team.
0': England's subs tonight are: Green, Richards, Warnock, Smalling, Cahill, C. Cole, A. Young, A. Johnson, Bothroyd, Crouch, Loach
0': France's bench looks like this: Carrasso, Mandanda, Sakho, Cabaye, Remy, Hoarau, Reveillere, Payet, Diarra, Kaboul, Gameiro, Clichy
0': The players are walking onto the pitch at a cold and very wet Wembley.
0': The national anthems are playing out. Andy Carroll isn't singing.
1': England get us underway at Wembley.
1': Carroll was pushed in the back by Mexes and wins an early free kick for England some 30 yards out.
1': Gerrard strikes it hard and low and through the wall but Lloris gets down to gather the ball.
2': Mexes concedes another free kick on the right wing, chopping down Gerrard. Henderson and Walcott linked well to put Gerrard in space.
4': ESPN Stats & Info: The last time there was a Newcastle & a Sunderland player in England's starting XI was in 2000 vs Malta (Shearer & Phillips).
5': Ferdinand sends a long ball towards Carroll, who tried to flick the ball on for Milner but the ball skims off the surface an away from the Manchester City man.
6': France passing the ball around with more urgency than England in the early stages and Gourcuff wins a corner on the right.
7': Malouda's corner is headed out to Milner who tries to launch a counter attack but Sagna does very well to halt Milner.
8': Good run by Nasri, tries to find Benzema but Lescott is in the way.
9': Malouda tests Foster for the first time with a good low shot. Foster gets down well but Malouda was given afr too much space to turn there.
10': France starting to open England up. Valbuena tries to catch Foster off his line but his lob goes well clear of the bar.
11': Malouda gets past Ferdinand very easily but Malouda's right footed effort his sliced horribly wide.
12': France really settling down now. England at sea. Gourcuff wins another corner after his fierce shot from 20 yards is parried away.
13': England clear their lines and can relax a little now.
14': Caroll flicks on for Milner, who finds Walcott but Walcott's attempted return pass to Milner on the edge of the box is cut out.
15': <img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/goal.gif"> GOAL! 1-0 France
15': Benzema gives France a deserved lead after a neat one-two with Malouda. France have been cutting England open for fun during the first 15 minutes so that goal is no surprise. But Benzema's left-footed error sneaked in at Foster's near post. He won't be happy with that.
16': England chasing shadows at the moment. Walcott, Milner, Henderson and even Gerrard are anonymous so far.
17': England continually playing themselves into trouble at the back. The England defence are having a nightmare.
18': Gerrard looks long for Jagielka who was galloping forward, but Gerrard's pass is poor and France in possession again.
19': France keeping the ball with more intelligence at the moment. M'Vila, Nasri and Gourcuff running the show.
21': Abidal receives the ball in so much space that he has time to put his feet up and read the paper. It's pipe and slippers stuff here.
22': Benzema and Nasri combine brilliantly again and France have another corner.
24': The boos are already ringing out at Wembley! England have been THAT bad.
25': England showing greater technical ability and a supreme confidence in possession. Laurent Blanc will be very, very happy.
26': I wonder what Ribery, Evra, Toulalan, Anelka et al are thinking...
27': Anothing piercing move by France ends in a woefully sliced shot by Benzema. But it was another great counter attack, orchestrated by Nasri.
28': Long ball is nodded down by Carroll to Gerrard who hits the ball just over on the half volley. England's best chance, a half chance.
30': Carroll strikes a shot from the edge of the box, but Lloris claims comfortably. Carroll has been England's best player, but only the 12th best player on the pitch.
32': Gibbs gives the ball away on the edge of his own box and Valbuena claims possession. But his cross is wayward. Gibbs out of jail there.
34': Ferdinand gives the ball away in his typically casual manner.
35': France launch an attack from that Ferdinand lapse through Malouda, who squeezes a cross in. But Valbuena wasn't in a good enough position, as Foster comes out to claim the ball.
36': Mexes gets away with a blatant handball to deny Walcott, who was away on the right wing. Walcott can't believe it! Neither can I.
38': Carroll does well again to step away from Mexes, who was caught out by Carroll's stepover. Caroll couldn't quite release Walcott in time but further proof that Carroll is England's only good player in what has been a truly terrible first half for England.
40': Milner gets a cross in from the right byline but there is no one there to challenge for it.
42': Capello has got some work to do if he is to motivate his troops here. They have been woeful.
43': Benzema finds Abidal motoring forward down the left but Lescott does well to cut out Abidal's cross. France were toying with England there.
44': Malouda nutmegs Barry. That was brilliant.
45': Thankfully for England, that's half time. France has outclassed their hosts in every area. It's men against boys.
45': Join <a href="http://www.twitter.com/mjdasilva" target="_blank">me</a> in 15 minutes for the second half.
45': Three half time substitutions for England...
45': <img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/subs.gif"> Adam Johnson, Ashley Young and Micah Richards on...
45': <img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/subs.gif"> Rio Ferdinand, Gareth Barry and Theo Walcott off
45': <img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/subs.gif"> And for France, just the one. Sakho on, Rami off
46': And we are underway again at Wembley
47': Richards straight into the action with a powerful run down the right. He gets behind Abidal but the ball runs away from him.
47': I think I'm right in saying that's the first time England have got behind the French defence - and it's Richards who provides it.
48': <img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/yellow_card.jpg" height="15"> Nasri is caught by Henderson who picks up a yellow card for that late challenge. It was a foul but a yellow is somewhat harsh there.
49': Valbuena wins a corner on the right for France.
50': Rami flicks on the corner and the ball escapes everyone. Goal kick.
52': Great ball by Milner into the path of Gerrard, but Sagna stood his ground and the chance is gone.
53': Nasri plays the ball down the right wing to Sagna but Ashley Young puts his foot on the gas to get back and times his tackle perfectly.
54': A little bit better by England in the second half.
55': Twinkle toes Nasri bursts through the England defence and appeared to be pulled down. No penalty given.
56': <img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/goal.gif"> GOAL England 0-2 France
57': Fantastic move by France leaves England staring down the barrel. Sagna motors down the right wing in so much space it's unbelievable. His cross finds Valbuena who steers his shot inside the far post.
58': That move started in France's own half. It was outstanding football. Not for the first time tonight.
60': <img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/images/2010/1117/karimbenzemacelebveng20101117_275x155.jpg"> Benzema beat Foster at his near post
61': France have looked so clever in central midfield tonight and, as woeful as England have been, credit must be given to Laurent Blanc's team. It has been wonderful to watch.
62': Milner finds Johnson, who is fouled on the right wing. A chance from the set-piece for the hosts...
63': Chance for England! Johnson's ball bounces in the box and evades everyone except for Gerrard who meets the ball at a tight angle near the far post. He stoops to head the ball back across goal but the ball clips the top of the bar and goes just over.
64': Capello is still frowning.
65': Young finds Gibbs on the left wing, whose low cross is cleared. But this is more promising for England, despite the poor cross by Gibbs.
66': France are preparing Loic Remy on the touchline.
66': Here he is. <img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/subs.gif"> Remy on, Benzema off
67': <img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/subs.gif"> Diarra on, Valbuena off
68': That's the end of Valbuena's night, and a superb night it has been for him.
69': England get forward again on the left wing with Gibbs's cross nowhere near Carroll and the chance is gone. Gibbs needs to practice his crossing.
70': <img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/subs.gif"> Bothroyd on, Carroll off
71': <img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/subs.gif"> Warnock on, Gibbs off
72': That's the end of Carroll's night, England's best player by miles. The anonymous Henderson remains on the pitch though.
73': England keeping France in their own half but not doing a great deal with the ball. But Adam Johnson has won a free kick on the right and he will whip it in...
74': He does and the ball takes a deflection out for a corner on the opposite side. France lucky there (for the first time tonight) they were unaware where that ball was.
75': Ashley Young's corner is played very deep for Gerrard who knocks it back into the danger area but the ball is cleared. Straight off the training ground, back to the drawing board.
76': <img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/subs.gif"> Payet on, Malouda off
77': You can question England's ability but not their endeavour in this second half. They have made life more difficult for the French in the second half. But that's the only glimmer of light for England.
80': Chance for England! Johnson beats Abidal on the right wing and puts a low ball across the area that Lloris palms away into the path of Gerrard, but the Liverpool captain hits the rebound wide.
81': Nine minutes of torture left for England. And this will be Fabio Capello's first defeat at Wembley.
82': Wembley is emptying as Nasri hits the post for France! Warnock was not close enough to Nasri who sidestepped him and shot against Ben Foster's near post. 3-0 wouldn't be undeserved.
83': Peter Crouch is warming up, with Gerrard holding his hamstring.
84': Bothroyd has won a corner for England.
85': <img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/subs.gif"> Crouch on, Gerrard off
86': <img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/goal.gif"> GOAL Crouch pulls one back for England.
87': Young's corner is volleyed in by Crouch with his first touch! Can England save this?
87': It would be utterly undeserved if they did.
88': <img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/subs.gif">Hoarau on, Gourcuff off
88': <img src="http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/gp10/i/subs.gif">Reveillere on, Sagna off
90': Adam Johnson is in loads of space on the right wing but tries to beat Abidal rather than cross early. When he eventually does cross, it is blocked. Selfish.
91': Johnson gets another crack at the whip with a deep cross for Crouch, whose header is saved. Late flourish by England.
93': Milner puts the ball into the box again but it's just over Crouch's head.
94': Rami is down with cramp. England fans are booing.
95': That's the final whistle. France have beaten England 2-1 at Wembley, thoroughly outclassing England from the start. The boos ring out.
95': It was a makeshift England team, but the French were thouroughly superior tonight in every respect.
95': That's all from <a href="http://www.twitter.com/mjdasilva" target="_blank">me</a> tonight, thanks for following the action on ESPNsoccernet. We will be back with live coverage of the Premier League this weekend, starting with the north London derby at the Emirates Stadium. Should be a corker.
95': Until then, why not check out our <a href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=843399&sec=global&cc=5739" target="_blank">international friendly wrap</a> covering all of tonight's friendly action from around the globe.
95': But until next time, goodbye!

Statistics

FRA		ENG
13	Fouls	4
0	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0
2	Offsides	0
5	Corner Kicks	3
5	Saves	3
58.1	Possession	41.9
16	SHOTS	12
5	ON GOAL	6
0.3	On Target %	0.5
0	Penalty Goals	0
0	Penalty Kicks Taken	0
537	Accurate Passes	349
635	Passes	446
0.8	Pass Completion %	0.8
3	Accurate Crosses	7
14	Crosses	22
0.2	Cross %	0.3
60	Long Balls	61
35	Accurate Long Balls	39
0.6	Long Balls %	0.6
4	Blocked Shots	2
16	Effective Tackles	18
20	Tackles	20
0.8	Tackle %	0.9
0	Interceptions	0
14	Effective Clearances	5
24	Clearances	13

Game Information

Competition: International Friendly

Venue: Wembley
Location: ,
Attendance: 85,495

Line-Ups

England (4-5-1)

No.	Name
1	Ben Foster (GK)
6	Joleon Lescott
5	Rio Ferdinand
3	Kieran Gibbs
2	Phil Jagielka
10	Gareth Barry
8	Jordan Henderson
4	Steven Gerrard
11	James Milner
7	Theo Walcott
9	Andy Carroll

England Substitutes:

Micah Richards, Chris Smalling, Stephen Warnock, Jay Bothroyd, Adam Johnson, Robert Green, Carlton Cole, Peter Crouch, Gary Cahill, Scott Loach, Ashley Young.

France (4-3-3)

No.	Name
1	Hugo Lloris (GK)
5	Philippe Mexes
4	Adil Rami
12	Eric Abidal
2	Bacary Sagna
17	Yann M'vila
8	Yoann Gourcuff
11	Samir Nasri
15	Florent Malouda
10	Karim Benzema
20	Mathieu Valbuena

France Substitutes:

Mamadou Sakho, Guillaume Hoarau, Gaël Clichy, Loïc Rémy, Steve Mandanda, Cédric Carrasso, Kevin Gameiro, Alou Diarra, Dimitri Payet, Yohan Cabaye, Anthony Reveillere, Younes Kaboul.

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