England's opening Euro 2012 game ended in a respectable stalemate as they played out a sometimes fascinating, occasionally frustrating draw with France in Donetsk. Joleon Lescott gave England the lead with a header from captain Steven Gerrard's free-kick - but France were level before the interval with a fine twenty-yard finish from his Sheikh Yer Man City team-mate Samir Nasri. 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 twenty two 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 - that's when we started playing.' It was a game that, at times, threatened to live up to the early sparkle of this tournament, even though it was played out in searing temperatures inside the Donbass Arena by two teams who will probably enjoy a degree of satisfaction in taking a point from their first game. James Milner wasted an early chance for England, while manager Roy Hodgson was grateful to goalkeeper Joe Hart for a fine block from Alou Diarra's flying header. Hodgson made the bold choice of The Arse teenager Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ahead of Stewart Downing. Opportunities for Oxlade-Chamberlain to shine were rare but the youngster can be pleased with his efforts in strength-sapping conditions. Karim Benzema carried France's greatest threat after the break and a late save from Hart ensured England go into their second game against Sweden in Kiev on Friday unbeaten. Once again England were tactically disciplined and highly-organised - an early trademark under Hodgson since he succeeded Fabio Capello. And, the manager knows this was a game safely negotiated without damage as he waits for the return of striker Wayne Rooney after he completes his suspension against Sweden. England's preparation for Euro 2012 was disrupted by injuries - and not even Hodgson's backroom staff were safe as veteran coach Ray Clemence injured himself in the warm-up and had to be carried off. The failure to cut the supply line to Nasri did not cost England when he pulled an early shot wide. This punishment was to come later with his equaliser. 
England created the best opportunity of what was some early sparring. Ashley Young played in Milner behind the ponderous France central defensive pair of Adil Rami and Philippe Mexes. He evaded goalkeeper Hugo Lloris but found the angle too acute and failed to hit the target. Oxlade-Chamberlain was not seeing a great deal of possession - and he was to pick up a needless yellow card for a foul on the outstanding French right-back Mathieu Debuchy - but one impressive change of feet and a pass that found Young just offside hinted at his rich potential. England took the lead on the half-hour when captain Gerrard's inviting free-kick was headed by past Lloris by Lescott, who had escaped his marker Diarra. It was an advantage they held for just nine minutes, paying the price for carelessness in possession that invited the trouble it eventually got in the shape of Nasri's equaliser. Diarra almost made amends for his part in Lescott's goal with a point-blank header that was blocked by Hart before Nasri was able to take control and was not put off by Gerrard's attempted challenge to score low to Hart's right from twenty yards. France visibly grew in confidence as the interval approached and both Hart and Ashley Cole combined to block Benzema as he closed in on the angle. Benzema once again demonstrated his danger with a powerful drive that was saved by Hart - but this came in the middle of cagey, attritional exchanges. Glen Johnson was also forced into a timely penalty area interception as Benzema threatened once more. Hodgson made a double change with thirteen minutes left when he sent on Jermain Defoe for Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jordan Henderson for the visibly tiring Scott Parker. England were grateful for a crucial Danny Welbeck deflection that took Yohan Cabaye's shot wide as France continued to play with the greater momentum. Hodgson's side continued to show resilience to get the reward for a dogged display - and they can look forward to taking the next step in Euro 2012 against Sweden. England are not pretty to watch. They do not produce sumptuous patterns and treasure the ball like Spain. They do not possess the the vibrancy of Germany or the individual brilliance Russia demonstrated in their first match. Everyone knows that. But considering the manager has been in the job just forty days, has lost four key players to injury, has been distracted with the row surrounding Rio Ferdinand and has Wayne Rooney suspended for the opening two games he has made a pretty good fist of producing an England side with desire and discipline. So a point against France is gratefully accepted. Bigger challenges lie ahead. The England boss refused to criticise the display of referee Nicola Rizzoli, who gave some baffling decisions. 'The referee did okay,' Hodgson said. 'It's foolish to start commenting on the referee's performance. Sometimes you'll get a bit of luck, sometimes not. I know that Steven [Gerrard] was aggrieved not to get a free-kick, but the referee was fair to both sides. It wasn't one-sided.'
Meanwhile, during the match the following was seen on Twitter.
Nice one Gaz. I think there's about sixty million people who'd like to buy you a pint tonight, mate.
In the day's second game what started as a deathly dull encounter exploded into life in the second half. Andriy Shevchenko was the hero for hosts Ukraine as they came from behind to beat Sweden and go top of Group D. The thirty five-year-old scored two headers in the space of six minutes to turn the game in his side's favour after Zlatan Ibrahimovic had given Sweden a second-half lead. The Swedes applied a lot of late pressure in search of an equaliser. But the home nation and their talismanic striker were not to be denied an important opening win.
UEFA has charged the Germany football association for the behaviour of their supporters who threw missiles onto the pitch during Saturday's Euro 2012 match against Portugal.
Fans were repeatedly warned about their actions through speaker announcements during the Group B fixture in Lviv which Germany won 1-0. The Portuguese face proceedings for a delayed kick-off to the second half. UEFA will deal with the issues on Thursday 14 June. The objects thrown onto the pitch by Germany fans appeared to be rolled up balls of paper. Authorities announced in the stadium that the match could be abandoned if it continued.
A third of British workers will reportedly stay behind at work at least one night this week to watch or listen to Euro 2012 matches, with three quarters of workplaces getting TVs on site to prevent the mass exodus. England got their campaign at the tournament under way on Monday evening for the opening group match against France. But as the game kicked off at 5pm, many people faced a dilemma over how they could catch the live coverage on ITV and Radio 5Live. According to a survey by ASDA, three in ten workers opted to remain at their workplace to watch the game rather than leaving early in the afternoon. Four out of ten of those polled said that they would head to the pub to watch the match, and the remainder expected to head home, or miss the match entirely and catch up on highlights later on.
The supermarket chain has also seen a surge in sales of cheap TVs, which it believes is down to employers seeking to avoid the mass exodus by offering people options to watch the game. Its current bestselling electronic goods are said to be the nineteen-inch Luxor LCD TV/DVD combi for ninety eight smackers and the thirty two-inch Luxor HDTV for one hundred and seventy seven quid. Rush hour travellers without any interest in football are likely to have a much happier homebound commute due to the trend. But later trains are expected to see a surge in passengers due to the 'slomuters' after the match finishes. 'The rush hour chase for a seat is likely to be in the office,' said Michael Arnott, ASDA's TV expert. 'We've seen brisk trade in affordable TVs this week and anecdotally we're hearing that many of these TVs are headed for offices.' Arnott added: 'It's a great opportunity to bond with workmates around the TV. With prices this low, you can pick up a TV for the office for not much more than a few rounds of drinks.'
And so to today's two games: For Greece versus Czech Republic (kick-off 5.00pm), ITV have the B-Team out. Matt Smith (no, the other one) presents coverage of this afternoon's Group A clash at the Municipal Stadium in Wroclaw, where the teams play their second match of the tournament. This is the second time that these nations have faced each other at a European Championships, having met in the semi-finals at Euro 2004 in Portugal.
An extra-time goal from Traianos Dellas ensured the Greeks won that encounter and progressed to the final against the host nation, which they would also win by a solitary goal having bored the arse off most of Europe in the process. Their record at major tournaments since then has been less than stellar, in fact, they've been rubbish - their combined displays at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup consisting of five losses from six matches. The Czechs did not qualify for the last World Cup in South Africa, and at Euro 2008 failed to reach the knockout stage after winning one and losing two in the round-robin stage.
Having been given the afternoon off - remember a time when he flounced out of the BBC in high dudgeon when they wanted him to take a day off? - odious, risible greed bucket and breakfast TV flop Chiles returns for Poland versus Russia (kick-off 7.45pm). The second round of fixtures in Group A continues with this encounter at the National Stadium in Warsaw, as the sides continue their quests to qualify from the group.
The Poles have not met the Ruskies since August 2007, when an international friendly finished in a 2-2 draw, but this will be the first competitive meeting between the nations, and only the fourth overall. While Poland are playing in just their second European Championship, Russia have a rich tradition in this competition, particularly when competing as the USSR prior to the split of the former Soviet Union. The Soviets won the first staging of the tournament in 1960 and finished as runners-up on two other occasions prior to its expansion in 1980, when the number of participants was increased from four to eight. Having competed as Russia since 1992 they have qualified for this event on five of the six possible occasions, with their best performance seeing them reach the semi-finals four years ago. Commentary by Peter Drury and Jim Beglin.
And finally ... You've got to love Jonathan Pearce, haven't you? Well, no you don't but he does say the funniest things. Commentating on Monday evening's Ukraine versus Sweden match for the BBC he noted that Liverpool were once rumoured to be interested in signing the Ukraine striker Artem Milevskiy a couple of years ago but, 'they're not going to pay thirteen million pounds for a forward that doesn't score many goals.' No, indeed. Thirty five million pounds, possibly but not thirteen.
England created the best opportunity of what was some early sparring. Ashley Young played in Milner behind the ponderous France central defensive pair of Adil Rami and Philippe Mexes. He evaded goalkeeper Hugo Lloris but found the angle too acute and failed to hit the target. Oxlade-Chamberlain was not seeing a great deal of possession - and he was to pick up a needless yellow card for a foul on the outstanding French right-back Mathieu Debuchy - but one impressive change of feet and a pass that found Young just offside hinted at his rich potential. England took the lead on the half-hour when captain Gerrard's inviting free-kick was headed by past Lloris by Lescott, who had escaped his marker Diarra. It was an advantage they held for just nine minutes, paying the price for carelessness in possession that invited the trouble it eventually got in the shape of Nasri's equaliser. Diarra almost made amends for his part in Lescott's goal with a point-blank header that was blocked by Hart before Nasri was able to take control and was not put off by Gerrard's attempted challenge to score low to Hart's right from twenty yards. France visibly grew in confidence as the interval approached and both Hart and Ashley Cole combined to block Benzema as he closed in on the angle. Benzema once again demonstrated his danger with a powerful drive that was saved by Hart - but this came in the middle of cagey, attritional exchanges. Glen Johnson was also forced into a timely penalty area interception as Benzema threatened once more. Hodgson made a double change with thirteen minutes left when he sent on Jermain Defoe for Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jordan Henderson for the visibly tiring Scott Parker. England were grateful for a crucial Danny Welbeck deflection that took Yohan Cabaye's shot wide as France continued to play with the greater momentum. Hodgson's side continued to show resilience to get the reward for a dogged display - and they can look forward to taking the next step in Euro 2012 against Sweden. England are not pretty to watch. They do not produce sumptuous patterns and treasure the ball like Spain. They do not possess the the vibrancy of Germany or the individual brilliance Russia demonstrated in their first match. Everyone knows that. But considering the manager has been in the job just forty days, has lost four key players to injury, has been distracted with the row surrounding Rio Ferdinand and has Wayne Rooney suspended for the opening two games he has made a pretty good fist of producing an England side with desire and discipline. So a point against France is gratefully accepted. Bigger challenges lie ahead. The England boss refused to criticise the display of referee Nicola Rizzoli, who gave some baffling decisions. 'The referee did okay,' Hodgson said. 'It's foolish to start commenting on the referee's performance. Sometimes you'll get a bit of luck, sometimes not. I know that Steven [Gerrard] was aggrieved not to get a free-kick, but the referee was fair to both sides. It wasn't one-sided.' 
In the day's second game what started as a deathly dull encounter exploded into life in the second half. Andriy Shevchenko was the hero for hosts Ukraine as they came from behind to beat Sweden and go top of Group D. The thirty five-year-old scored two headers in the space of six minutes to turn the game in his side's favour after Zlatan Ibrahimovic had given Sweden a second-half lead. The Swedes applied a lot of late pressure in search of an equaliser. But the home nation and their talismanic striker were not to be denied an important opening win.
UEFA has charged the Germany football association for the behaviour of their supporters who threw missiles onto the pitch during Saturday's Euro 2012 match against Portugal.
Fans were repeatedly warned about their actions through speaker announcements during the Group B fixture in Lviv which Germany won 1-0. The Portuguese face proceedings for a delayed kick-off to the second half. UEFA will deal with the issues on Thursday 14 June. The objects thrown onto the pitch by Germany fans appeared to be rolled up balls of paper. Authorities announced in the stadium that the match could be abandoned if it continued.A third of British workers will reportedly stay behind at work at least one night this week to watch or listen to Euro 2012 matches, with three quarters of workplaces getting TVs on site to prevent the mass exodus. England got their campaign at the tournament under way on Monday evening for the opening group match against France. But as the game kicked off at 5pm, many people faced a dilemma over how they could catch the live coverage on ITV and Radio 5Live. According to a survey by ASDA, three in ten workers opted to remain at their workplace to watch the game rather than leaving early in the afternoon. Four out of ten of those polled said that they would head to the pub to watch the match, and the remainder expected to head home, or miss the match entirely and catch up on highlights later on.
The supermarket chain has also seen a surge in sales of cheap TVs, which it believes is down to employers seeking to avoid the mass exodus by offering people options to watch the game. Its current bestselling electronic goods are said to be the nineteen-inch Luxor LCD TV/DVD combi for ninety eight smackers and the thirty two-inch Luxor HDTV for one hundred and seventy seven quid. Rush hour travellers without any interest in football are likely to have a much happier homebound commute due to the trend. But later trains are expected to see a surge in passengers due to the 'slomuters' after the match finishes. 'The rush hour chase for a seat is likely to be in the office,' said Michael Arnott, ASDA's TV expert. 'We've seen brisk trade in affordable TVs this week and anecdotally we're hearing that many of these TVs are headed for offices.' Arnott added: 'It's a great opportunity to bond with workmates around the TV. With prices this low, you can pick up a TV for the office for not much more than a few rounds of drinks.'And so to today's two games: For Greece versus Czech Republic (kick-off 5.00pm), ITV have the B-Team out. Matt Smith (no, the other one) presents coverage of this afternoon's Group A clash at the Municipal Stadium in Wroclaw, where the teams play their second match of the tournament. This is the second time that these nations have faced each other at a European Championships, having met in the semi-finals at Euro 2004 in Portugal.
An extra-time goal from Traianos Dellas ensured the Greeks won that encounter and progressed to the final against the host nation, which they would also win by a solitary goal having bored the arse off most of Europe in the process. Their record at major tournaments since then has been less than stellar, in fact, they've been rubbish - their combined displays at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup consisting of five losses from six matches. The Czechs did not qualify for the last World Cup in South Africa, and at Euro 2008 failed to reach the knockout stage after winning one and losing two in the round-robin stage. Having been given the afternoon off - remember a time when he flounced out of the BBC in high dudgeon when they wanted him to take a day off? - odious, risible greed bucket and breakfast TV flop Chiles returns for Poland versus Russia (kick-off 7.45pm). The second round of fixtures in Group A continues with this encounter at the National Stadium in Warsaw, as the sides continue their quests to qualify from the group.
The Poles have not met the Ruskies since August 2007, when an international friendly finished in a 2-2 draw, but this will be the first competitive meeting between the nations, and only the fourth overall. While Poland are playing in just their second European Championship, Russia have a rich tradition in this competition, particularly when competing as the USSR prior to the split of the former Soviet Union. The Soviets won the first staging of the tournament in 1960 and finished as runners-up on two other occasions prior to its expansion in 1980, when the number of participants was increased from four to eight. Having competed as Russia since 1992 they have qualified for this event on five of the six possible occasions, with their best performance seeing them reach the semi-finals four years ago. Commentary by Peter Drury and Jim Beglin.And finally ... You've got to love Jonathan Pearce, haven't you? Well, no you don't but he does say the funniest things. Commentating on Monday evening's Ukraine versus Sweden match for the BBC he noted that Liverpool were once rumoured to be interested in signing the Ukraine striker Artem Milevskiy a couple of years ago but, 'they're not going to pay thirteen million pounds for a forward that doesn't score many goals.' No, indeed. Thirty five million pounds, possibly but not thirteen.
