Players and managers stand tall on poignant night as Wembley pays tribute to Paris victims



Fans created a huge Tricolore on a night that was less about football than anything else



ENGLAND and France defied the terrorists on an emotional night at Wembley as football and sport triumphed over horror.

 

Just four days after the terrorist atrocities in Paris that left 129 people dead, football paid tribute in proper and impressive fashion.

England coach Roy Hodgson, Prince William and France coach Didier Deschamps laid floral tributes before kick off, and La Marseillaise was sung movingly and with gusto by the crowd, as fans held up cards at one end of Wembley to form the French tricolour.

The players from both teams then all stood together, arms round each other’s shoulders in a joint statement of intent. Then there was a minutes’ silence immaculately observed by the 71,223 crowd.

But in stark contrast, Germany’s match against Holland in Hannover was cancelled after German police discovered “concrete plans to cause an explosion” at the HDI Arena.

The game between Belgium and Spain in Brussels had already been called off.

 

After the match at Wembley, France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris said: “We want to thank all the England people in the stadium for their respect. The performance was not there for us and we had a lack of aggressiveness and concentration. It was more about solidarity. Life is still going on - so we need to carry on.”

Amid the emotion, Tottenham’s 19 year old starlet Dele Alli scored his first goal for England in his first international start and Wayne Rooney added a second.

But the evening was about so much more.

“It was always going to be a difficult night for everyone, especially the French players and staff,” said Rooney.

“For ourselves to be involved in this occasion was tough. Both teams handled it extremely well. The fans were brilliant. This will be shown round the world and will show unity.

 

Red, white, and blue adorned Wembley on a night when football came second

Football is a global game and, as Didier Deschamps said, it is not about relegation or race. "We need to stand tall and stand together in these tough times.”

Hodgson added: “It was a very poignant occasion. The way the FA and French FA set up the remembrance service before the match was very good and the way the players came together for the minute’s silence was everything we wanted to achieve. I was very proud of the players and the fans.”

At the end of the game the French players saluted their fans to warm applause, and there were embraces from Rooney and other England players for their opponents.