PARIS: Russia captain Vasili Berezutsky inflicted Euro 2016 heartache on England on Saturday after a day in which fan violence brought new shame on football.
Fighting fans, tear gas and riot police returned to the streets of Marseille on Saturday, before and after England’s 1-1 draw with Russia.
Clashes between England and Russia supporters even broke out inside the Stade Velodrome at the final whistle, after Berezutsky headed the equaliser in stoppage time.
England had been heading for a win in their opening Group ‘B’ match after midfielder Eric Dier fired a superb 20-metre free kick past veteran goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev in the 73rd minute.
But two minutes into injury time, England goalkeeper Joe Hart remained stuck to the ground as Berezutsky rose to send a looping header into the net.
“We got so close to a victory that would have been a deserved victory. So to lose it in the final minutes, it’s a tough pill to swallow,” said England manager Roy Hodgson.
England’s players walked disconsolately off while more scuffles in the Stade Velodrome erupted as fans left.
The fighting came on a third straight day of hooliganism in the Mediterranean port city. The latest incidents prompted police to use water cannons on the troublemakers.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said one British citizen was “seriously injured” in the clashes.
“Once again, as over the last 30 years, an international football competition has been the scene of clashes between violent people claiming to be supporters of their national team,” Cazeneuve said in a statement.
Reports said a charge by Russian fans — whose country will host the 2018 World Cup — into an English section caused brief panic inside the stadium.
The violence overshadowed a second day of the tournament that saw Wales make a winning return to tournament football after 58 years with a 2-1 victory over Slovakia in the other Group ‘B’ match.
Two weeks after helping Real Madrid win the Champions League, Gareth Bale stamped his mark on Euro 2016 by scoring the opening goal for Wales with a swerving free kick in the 10th minute.
Ondrej Duda equalized for Slovakia just a minute after coming on as a substitute, but Hal Robson-Kanu’s scrappy goal secured victory in the country’s first major championship match since the 1958 World Cup.
Bale called the victory “just a memorable moment, a historic moment for our country”.
Bale said Welsh thoughts were already turning to their clash with Group ‘B’ rivals England on Thursday.
“We’re not thinking about this game any more, it’s on to England,” he said. “We’ve done the first part, now two more to go.”
Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2016
