France played in its first soccer friendly since the terrorist attacks on Nov. 13, and England went out of its way to make its opponents feel at home.
Before the game, the Wembley Stadium crowd joined together in singing France’s national anthem, “La Marseillaise.” The players from both teams stood arm-in-arm at midfield between the French and English flags.
England and France unite to sing a defiant rendition of the French national anthem #EngvFra https://t.co/6nWqRkz2BQ https://t.co/Vgfett2prB
— Sky News (@SkyNews) November 17, 2015
Wembley sings 'La Marseillaise' (until my phone ran out of storage space) @AFP pic.twitter.com/qtJBWlV4LC
— Tom Williams (@tomwfootball) November 17, 2015
The @england and @equipedefrance players stand together prior to kick-off at Wembley. pic.twitter.com/YHWiFunH4U
— Wembley Stadium (@wembleystadium) November 17, 2015
The two sides also observed a moment of silence on the field, and England’s fans made a human French flag in the stands.
Haunting, immaculately-observed minute's silence #ENGvFRA pic.twitter.com/sSOBXQx0Yu
— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) November 17, 2015
Wembley … pic.twitter.com/lI3f4NU4ps
— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) November 17, 2015
In another poignant moment, France midfielder Lassana Diarra took the field just fours days after his cousin, Asta Diakite, who Diarra said was “like a big sister” to him, was killed in the attacks. Diarra had been making a comeback after five years off France’s team, and France’s head coach Didier Deschamps said he was “determined to stay” on the team, per The Independent.
Lassana Diarra, who lost his cousin in the Paris attacks, comes on for France. pic.twitter.com/Ha6Hwq9kn1
— BuzzFeed Sports (@BuzzFeedSports) November 17, 2015
England won 2-0, but head coach Roy Hodgson embraced Deschamps after the game. Because at the end of the day, it’s hard not to admire Les Bleus for their strength to come out and play after they nearly were a target of the attack.
