Another bloody draw

It seems inevitable that we draw the first game of any tournament and last night proved the same again. An injury time header that looped over Hart puts even more pressure on against the Welsh on Thursday.

In the first half we dominated the game with Rooney playing a key role in the middle of the park. However given all the possession we still weren’t able to put the ball in the net, concerning really when that is supposedly the strength of this squad.

Russia had more possesion in the second half but we still looked like we would score, Rooney’s shot being pushed onto the bar by the keeper.

When the breakthrough finally did come it was through an Eric Dier free kick struck well high into the net.

All that was required after this was to keep the lead for 17 minutes, a task that prompted Hodgson to bring on Wilshere for Rooney. It wasn’t to be, in the 3rd minute of injury time Milner let Schennikov pass him and put in a cross that the Russian captain headed in over Hart.

1-1 and a tougher challenge against a Wales side that are pumped up after winning against Slovakia.

The tone that has been set for the past two days in Marseille continued the minute the ref blew for full time with Russian fans storming into the English section of the stadium. When will it end ?

Fifty years of hurt, Never stopped me dreaming

So that’s it, the waiting’s over, the friendlies played, winning the last three albeit not so convincingly and now its time. On Friday at 8pm BST (British Summer Time) the hosts France take on Rumania and at 8pm on Saturday night it’s Russia first up for the 3 Lions tournament rollercoaster.

You never want to lose any game, and definitely not the first. Let’s face it, we should win this group with Russia, Wales and Slovakia as the opposition. However, it’s the rollercoaster that has come to be England’s tournament trademark.

After watching ‘When football came home’ with Shearer interviewing all the old boys from ’96, you have to believe it can still happen. Remember this goal? And the subsequent famed celebration.

Instead of Scotland, we’ve got Wales this time, or Gareth Bale plus 10, at least that’s what it was on Sunday when Sweden beat them 3-0. You can be sure they’ll put up more of a fight against us though.

We’ll see if Kane and Vardy can continue their goal-scoring form from the Premier League into the Euros, and if Rashford will turn heads and up his market value.

Back then, 20 years ago frighteningly, we started off in typical England fashion drawing to Switzerland. Then it hotted up, beating Scotland 2-0 at Wembley and then the 4-1 demolition of Holland. We even won a penalty shootout, against Spain.

Then, just as we were all starting to believe we could win, we come up against the Germans, and as Lineker said ‘Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win’, and they did, in a penalty shootout.

4 years ago, it was yet another penalty shootout that sent us home, with Italy being the more decisive from the spot. I hope Roy’s been training them hard at spot kicks and that we know who is and who isn’t going to be taking one.

When Saturday comes Hodgson must be finished with his deliberations about formation and put out a team to attack Russia, score goals and concede less. Is the picture of Ray Lewington’s team formation in today’s press a gaffe or a deliberate ploy…

Get ready for the rollercoaster…

‘Cause I remember,
Three Lions on a shirt,
Jules Rimet still gleaming,
50 years of hurt, 
Never stopped me dreaming’

England to open their account with a 2-1 victory against Russia