Marseille (AFP) - Russia captain Vasili Berezutski inflicted Euro 2016 heartache on England after a day in which fan violence brought new shame on football. Gareth Bale's cannon free kick helped Wales to a 2-1 win over Slovakia in their first match at a European Championship finals. Switzerland overcame 10-man Albania 1-0.
But battles involving Russian and English fans on the streets of Marseille and inside the Stade Velodrome and brawls in Nice where Northern Ireland play Poland on Sunday tainted the sport.
England had been heading for a win in their opening Group B match after midfielder Eric Dier fired a 20-metre free kick past veteran goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev with 13 minutes to play. But two minutes into injury time, England goalkeeper Joe Hart remained stuck to the ground as Berezutski rose to send a looping header into the net. England centre-back Gary Cahill called the 1-1 result "kick in the teeth".
"We got so close to a victory that would have been a deserved victory. So to lose it in the final minutes, it's a tough pill to swallow," said England manager Roy Hodgson.
"It's very disappointing," said Dier. "We gave away a draw. We just didn't see it out the right way. We have to pick ourselves up and go again."
England's players walked disconsolately off while more scuffles in the Stade Velodrome erupted as fans left. That added to pitched battles which left 31 injured in the Marseille port district earlier. One Englishman was in a critical condition. French police fired tear gas for a third straight day to break up fans who hurled chairs, bottles and other missiles. Another seven people were injured in Nice where Northern Ireland play Poland on Sunday. Bottles were hurled between rival groups in cafes in 45 minutes of urban brawling.
Christian Estrosi, head of the regional government that takes in Nice and Marseille condemned what he called "barbarian hooligans". England's next game is against Wales in Lens on Thursday which could be both a sporting and police challenge.
