ENGLAND 2, FRANCE 0
Never had a football match been so unimportant yet also important as England played at Wembley four days after the deadly terrorist attack in Paris.
After initial doubts whether this international friendly would go ahead, it was a night after defiance and solidarity and the freedom to watch a game of football as 71,223 showed their unity.
And as legendary manager Carlo Ancelotti observed long before the atrocity in the French capital “football is the most important or the unimportant.”
It was a hugely emotional night and more about symbolism than the football with Prince William and Prime Minister David Cameron attending to show their solidarity amid a massive security operation with police officers carrying machine guns patrolling Wembley Way and the other approaches to the national stadium.
It was a tragedy that has united the football as well as the wider world as everybody shared in the grief of the French nation.
This solidarity was seen in the build up to kick off with the striking Wembley Arch lit in the French national colours of red, white and blue.
There was spontaneous applause from the whole ground when the French Tricolour was paraded around the pitch by the 1st Battalion of the Royal Anglican Regiment and the Royal Air Force.
Floral tributes were then laid in the technical areas before the National Anthems on both nations were played.
The words of La Marseillaise were displayed on the scoreboard and the entire ground sang out in support – what a contrast to the traditional jeering of opposing anthems.
The teams then mixed around the centre circle for one minute’s silence and then for a mixed team photo, a further sign of the unity between the two footballing nations.
The French team largely comprised players with Premier League experience including Manchester United pair Anthony Martial and Morgan Schneiderlin.
And former Reds Patrice Evra and Paul Pogba were on the bench along with Manchester City’s Eliaquim Mangala.
England continued to give youth their chance as Roy Hodgson had young Tottenham midfield pair Eric Dier and Dele Alli in their starting line up.
Indeed, Wayne Rooney and Gary Cahill were the only players beyond their mid twenties.
As expected, due to the events in Paris, the football was flat and by the midway point of the opening half fans were doing a Mexican wave out of boredom.
There was only the occasional flash of excitement on the pitch, notably when Martial made one of his trademark runs before forcing a diving save from Joe Hart.
England ought to have taken the lead just after the half hour when Rooney broke and from the edge of the box saw his shot flash just wide of the upright.
Then out of nothing came a goal from Alli that gave England the lead as he ran on to a pass, advanced several yards and whacked an angled shot high into the far top corner of the net – what a way to get off the mark with your first international goal.
The spectacular strike lifted England and moments later Harry Kane also let fly from distance, this time Hugo Lloris making a decent block low down.
Raheem Sterling then made a break down the left, cut inside and fire just wide of the far upright.
And it got better for England as they doubled their lead within two minutes of the restart when Alli released Sterling on the left and his far-post cross was volleyed home by Rooney for his 51st international goal.
Kane tried another drive from outside the box as the ball flashed just past the post.
France would have halved the deficit midway through the second half but for a great block by Jack Butland, who replaced Hart at half time, as he denied Martial.