80th minute and France haven't had a shot on target yet. (waits for the now inevitable French winner...)
https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/lille-confrontation-between-rival-football-fans-184823577.html Don't like the idea of any confrontation in such a volatile situation, but part of me does like English and Welsh fans sticking together against the Russians. Trouble has been described on TV as minor. Apparently a loud noise made the English flee towards the French police...who of course sprayed them with tear gas and hit them with batons. Oh, poor Albania
France can be got at though, I wouldn't fancy them keeping out one of the better teams in the competition, they look vunerable at the back.
England fans kicking off with police in Lille. Flares, fire crackers and bottles being thrown at police.
I'm sure the French police are just exacerbating the situation. Just read one report where a group of baton wielding police confronted a group of England fans and there was a stand off...some English police walked up and spoke to the fans and they moved off. I read an article about 10 years ago and the policeman who wrote it said half the problem is that foreign police regard rowdiness with fear, then attack British fans who (being unused to being treated like that) will push and shove back. Only a few fans will be real troublemakers...most are just drunk (the English disease). Hard as it is for fans wanting to have a nice time abroad...it may be best to stay in your hotel and keep off the streets.
I think France are looking pretty impressive so far; that's twice now they've found goals hard to come by but both times they didn't panic, stuck to their guns, and got the job done late. Shows character and belief imo. And they'll only get better.
