Russia stunned England by scoring an injury-time equaliser to force a 1-1 draw in their Euro 2016 Group B match after Roy Hodgson’s men had dominated yesterday.
Denis Glushakov was credited with the goal after the defence were caught napping as Russia launched a long ball into the area.
Earlier, Eric Dier curled in a free kick from the edge of the box to put England ahead.
England created a glut of chances against lacklustre opponents and Dier’s 73rd-minute goal came shortly after keeper Igor Akinfeev did superbly to tip a Wayne Rooney shot on to the bar.
Dier had also come closest to scoring for Russia when he headed back towards his own goal following a corner, forcing England keeper Joe Hart to tip the ball over.
England could have been out of sight by halftime but failed to take their chances, Adam Lallana shooting wide from 12 metres and Igor Smolnikov making a desperate saving tackle to deny Raheem Sterling.
Earlier yesterday, violent clashes between English and Russian soccer fans broke out in Marseille ahead of the match, leaving at least one person critically ill in hospital.
Riot police fired volleys of teargas and deployed water cannon trucks to break up several skirmishes in the narrow streets of the city’s Vieux Port (Old Port) and outside the Velodrome stadium.
There were also scuffles between visiting fans and locals, with some wielding cafe tables as weapons.
European soccer’s governing body, UEFA, condemned the violence. “People engaging in such violent acts have no place in football,” it said in a statement.
Marseille’s emergency services said 15 people were injured during the fracas, including one middle-aged man who was knocked unconscious, and one England supporter who suffered a heart attack.
By yesterday evening, tens of thousands of fans had descended on Marseille ahead of the match. Broken glass and debris littered some roads and alleys near the waterfront, the focal point of clashes between English, Russian and French fans.
Russia play Slovakia in their next Group B match on Wednesday, while England meet Wales the following day.
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