A match that will be remembered for the extraordinary thunderstorm that led to the players leaving the pitch after little more than four minutes and play being suspended for the best part of an hour, ended with France cruising to a comfortable victory against a Ukraine side that never came close to reprising the performance they produced against Sweden.
Jérémy Ménez, who may later reflect that he was a little fortunate not to pick up a second yellow card for a foul on Yevhen Selin at the end of the first half, scored France's first to justify his inclusion ahead of Florent Malouda, and Yohan Cabaye added a second three minutes later to effectively kill the game with more than half an hour remaining. Karim Benzema created both goals as France registered their first win at a major tournament since they beat Portugal in the 2006 World Cup semi-finals.
There was no way back for Ukraine once Cayabe struck the second. France looked the much more accomplished side, enjoyed far more possession and were a constant threat going forward. The margin of victory could have been wider but for Ménez's earlier profligacy, some superb goalkeeping from Andriy Pyatov and the woodwork denying Cabaye a second. The Newcastle United midfielder rattled the post with a glorious half-volley in the 65th minute after a long spell of keep ball that drew whistles from the frustrated Ukrainian supporters. At least they were dry come the final whistle.
It was an ominous sign of things to come when the French national anthem was interrupted by a clap of thunder. There were regular flashes of lightning and the heavens opened. The rain was torrential and it soon became apparent that the surface water might be a problem. With about four minutes and 20 seconds gone, and with the storm showing no signs of abating, the Dutch referee, Bjorn Kuipers, blew his whistle to stop play and signalled to the players to leave the pitch.
An announcement was made that play would be suspended until further notice. The stadium began to empty as fans left their seats – those in the rows near the front were soaking wet because the roof at the Donbass Arena only extends so far – to seek refuge in the main concourses around the ground.
Pools of water could be seen on the pitch, in particular by the tunnel, and, as the downpour became more relentless, it was difficult to believe that play could resume.
Yet it did, some 56 minutes later, due in no small part to the remarkable efforts of the ground staff. Although the area in front of the dug-outs began to tear up, the pitch played remarkably well in the circumstances and it quickly became clear that France were going to be a much tougher proposition for a Ukraine side full of confidence after beating Sweden.
Indeed Ukraine were forced to play largely on the counterattack here, yet they still had their moments during the opening 45 minutes.
Andriy Yarmolenko dragged a left-footed shot wide in the 25th minute, although Ukraine's best chance fell to Andriy Shevchenko. A clever spin and run in behind allowed him to lose Adil Rami and gallop on to Selin's lofted pass from left-back. Shevchenko showed superb technique to control the ball with his head, nodding it deftly into his path in the inside left channel, where he unleashed a powerful shot from a narrow angle that Hugo Lloris parried.
It was the French, though, that looked most menacing. Ménez wastefully shot over in the 26th minute, after Franck Ribéry picked Serhiy Nazarenko's pocket, and the Paris St-Germain winger squandered an even better chance later in the half, when Ribéry pounced on Anatoliy Tymoshchuk's wayward pass. After escaping on the left, Ribéry delivered a low cross that ran behind everyone and fell invitingly for Ménez, only for the 25-year-old to shoot too close to Pyatov.
France came even closer to a breakthrough in the 39th minute, when Philippe Mexès met Samir Nasri's free-kick with a towering header that seemed destined for the top corner until Pyatov quite brilliantly stuck out his left hand to push the ball around the post. Ménez was denied against by Pyatov shortly after the interval and, while Shevchenho was unlucky at the other end with a vicious shot that flashed just the wrong side of the upright, it was no real surprise when the French finally scored.
Ribéry ran clear on the left and fed Benzema, who swiftly released Ménez on the right. Ménez cut inside Selin and beat Pyatov with a left-footed shot that fizzed inside the near post. France were in complete control and three minutes later their lead was doubled. Benzema was once again the creator, picking out Cabaye, who managed to wriggle clear of Oleh Gusev before drilling the ball through the full-backs legs and beyond Pyatov. Cabaye later hit the post as France looked increasingly comfortable. Read More
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