Good afternoon and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of the Group D opener between France and England.
The Three Lions head into this tournament with unusually low expectations considering that Roy Hodgson has been at the helm for just 42 days.
In France, England are facing a side that are currently enjoying a run of 21 matches without defeat.
Can Hodgson's men be the ones to halt their opponents from across the English Channel?
18.52And that's all folks. A decent point for England, who looked tired towards the end. All in all neither side can complain about a result which leaves both with a good chance of qualifying for the next round. Thanks for joining us this evening. Stick around this evening for live commentary of Ukraine's match against Sweden.
18.51FULL TIME: France 1-1 England
90+3 minBenzema tries a pot shot from distance which Hart grasps at the second attempt.
90+2 minIt's all France, but England at the moment are holding firm. 30 seconds to go.
90+1 minStoppage time being played, of which there are three minutes. Will there be a late winner?
90 minEngland make their final substitution as Welbeck, who has made a fine contribution, comes off to be replaced by Theo Walcott.
89 min...which cleared acrobatically by Ben Arfa.
88 minAlmost for England! Defoe feeds Milner who in turn drills in a cross which Mexes just turns wide of the post. Corner for England...
87 minGerrard, who has led by example here, eases some of the pressure by robbing Nasri of possession before going down under a challenge from the Man City player. Clever work from the skipper.
86 minThe corner comes to nothing but England are looking a little desperate. Four minutes to hold on here.
85 minGerrard concedes another corner in heading clear a goalbound shot from Benzema. France are dominating again.
84 minCabaye and Malouda make way for the pair as Nasri prepares to take the kick...
83 minHatem Ben Arfa and Marvin Martin are being readied for France, who have another corner...
81 minMore from Lineker on Twitter: "Got to keep the ball! Especially when you are tired."
80 min...which almost goes in following a shot from Cabaye! However, Welbeck deflects his volleyed effort wide of goal.
79 minNasri floated over the kick, which was deflected wide for a corner...
79 minRibery wins a free-kick wide on the left wing following a foul by Johnson. The French winger claims an elbow was used which the referee is having none of.
77 minAlso coming off is a tired looking Parker. Liverpool's Henderson takes his place.
77 minMeanwhile, Defoe comes of for Oxlade-Chamberlain, who was impressive on his second start for the Three Lions.
76 minEngland are getting more and more frustrated with the referee. The latest decision to antagonise them was the official's failure to award a free-kick for a body-check on Welbeck.
74 minNeat break from England between Welbeck and Oxlade-Chamberlain ends with the Arsenal man over-running the ball. Neat play up until that point.
73 minEngland are ready to introduce Jermain Defoe and Jordan Henderson into the action. For Parker and Welbeck maybe?
71 minFrance are getting on top again as England drop deeper and deeper towards their own goal. This is how France's equaliser came about.
70 minAshley Young goes into the book for a foul on Benzema. Not too sure what a French player has to do for a booking!
68 minSlight tactical switch from Hodgson has seen Oxlade-Chamberlain and Milner switch wings. The young Ox will certainly give French defender Evra something different to think about.
67 min...and Hart claims. Positive stuff from the England number one.
66 minCorner for France in this end-to-end encounter...
65 minFull-back Johnson blazes over the bar for England after he cuts inside onto his less favourable left foot. A chance nonetheless.
64 minLovely interchange between Benzema and Nasri results in the former drilling straight at Hart from distance. Good stuff from the French.
63 minParker seems to be struggling out there. Don't be surprised if he is the first England player to be replaced.
61 minGerrard to take...which is cleared for another corner...but the chance is gone as Terry is penalised for a foul.
61 minCorner to England as Ribery rolls around on the turf injured.
60 minRio Ferdinand on Twitter: "This ref needs some assistance!"
58 minMeanwhile, the fans voice their displeasure at the referee with a, shall we say, less than positive chant!
57 minI may be in danger of sounding biased here, but this referee is giving England nothing at the moment! Ribery clearly brings down Johnson on the right wing, but a goal kick is given. A head scratcher to say the least.
55 minMexican wave time! Although in defence of this match, it isn't that bad!
54 minFrance go close. Patrice Evra raids down the left only for his cross to be cleared by Gerrard for a corner, which comes to nothing.
53 minDuring that spell of possession Gerrard falls to the ground on the edge of the area but the referee waves away the England protests. Looked a foul on first viewing.
52 minThis is better from England, who are knocking the ball around with more authority at the moment.
50 minBut the skipper disappointingly floats one into Lloris's hands. A pity as it was chance to test a keeper that hardly covered himself in glory for the England goal.
49 minCorner for England thanks to a rare venture forward. Gerrard to take...
48 minThe half may only be three minutes old, but England are already struggling to keep possession. Things need to change if this it to end positively for Hodgson's side.
47 minReplay shows that it was mere brush down the face and Parker is back on his feet.
46 minThe first incident of note sees Scott Parker got down clutching his face following a clash with Ribery.
45 minFrance get us back underway.
18.01Players are filing back out. Second half moments away.
17.54However, on a more positive note - my tips! Okay Terry didn't score, but his centre-back partner Lescott did. I did say set-pieces would be England's best chance to score. You'll give me that, won't you?!
17.53What is worrying from an England point of view is the last ten minutes. They have begun to simply lump the ball forward without any real target in mind. If that continues in the second half there will only be one winner.
17.48A strange half that one. It was all going so well for England until Nasri struck. France have been the better side in possession, but England look dangerous on the break - particularly through the Ox and Welbeck. Second half to come. Stay tuned.
17.47HALF-TIME: France 1-1 England
45 minAnd yet another corner for the French! England need to hang on here...and they do. The ball is in Hart's hands. One minute of stoppage time to be played.
44 minAnother corner for France...which Hart punches clear. Better from the England goalkeeper.
43 minRio Ferdinand on Twitter: "Sake....keep doing what we doing and we will nick another...the French back 4 are disjointed, not in touch with their midfield, get at them."
42 minCorner for France as Terry clears Ribery's cross. Les Blues are piling on the pressure. Parker clears to safety.
40 minFrance are now in firm control as England begin to waste possession. They need to settle with just five minutes remaining before the break.
38 minHaving said that it doesn't suit England that much! Nasri's strike from the edge of the area beats his teammate Hart at the near post and we are all level again. The goalkeeper may feel he could have done better there. Game on.
38 minGOAL! France 1-1 England (Nasri)
37 minFrance are having more of the ball at the moment, but that seems to suit England who are back behind the ball.
35 minWhat a save from Hart! Nasri swings the ball over for Diarra, whose bullet header is parried out by Hart. The rebound falls back to Diarra but he fires wide.
34 minThe first booking goes to Oxlade-Chamberlain for a late sliding challenge on Debuchy. Free-kick to France on the right wing.
33 minAnd in all that, the most relieved man in the stadium will be James Milner, who fluffed a golden chance earlier in the match.
31 min"1-0 to the England" is the chant from the supporters. It's becoming a common song these days!
30 minThere it is! Gerrard swings over a free-kick for Lescott, who rises above Diarra to power past Lloris. No chance for the France goalkeeper as the Man City defender nets his first international goal.
29 minGOAL! France 0-1 England (Lescott)
29 minFree-kick to England wide on the right...
28 minAll in all it has been quiet opening to this match. England should be one goal to the good though of course.
27 minWelbeck shows he is fine with a burst of pace that takes him beyond Mexes. His next touch is poor though and the French defender gets back to win possession.
25 minFrance have had all the ball since Welbeck has returned but he appears to be moving fine. That's a plus for England as it didn't look too clever when he went down.
23 minGary Lineker giving Milner some advice on Twitter: "Rule 17b, when you go past the goalkeeper always aim beyond the far post."
22 minWelbeck is up but he is limping. Big next five minutes for him here.
21 minWelbeck is down with an ankle injury following a collision with Rami. Doesn't look good for the striker, who landed awkwardly.
19 minYoung has started well for England here. He is consistently pulling away from Mexes and Rami, who are not sure whether to go with him or stay in their position.
17 minLovely from the Ox. Quick feet allows him to skip free of two challenges before he puts in Young. However, he is offside and France have a free-kick.
15 minMeanwhile up the other end Benzema forces Hart into an awkward looking save. Still struggling to get over that Milner miss in all honesty!
14 minHow has James Milner missed that?! Should be 1-0 to England, no doubt about that. Young threads the ball for the Man City man, who rounds Hugo Lloris but can only find the side netting. Awful finish. Just awful.
13 minNice footwork from Ribery takes him past Scott Parker but England snuff out the opportunity on the edge of the box. England need to step up a level or two.
11 minFirst effort at goal goes the way of the French as Nasri drills an effort into the side netting from 20 yards out. France beginning to control proceedings.
10 minWhich Hart spills! Fortunately for him Glen Johnson was on hand to swipe clear. A sign of nerves from the Manchester City goalkeeper on his major tournament debut.
9 minAt the moment England look relatively comfortable in possession. However, the French look dangerous on the break as they win another corner...
8 minFormer Manchester City midfielder Patrick Vieria on Twitter: "I hope Joe Hart, James Milner and Joleon Lescott do well today, but I'm sure you understand that I'm supporting France."
7 minFree-kick out on the right for France following a foul by Ashley Cole on Nasri. Chance for the French...which Terry thwarts with a towering header.
6 minGuardian journalist Daniel Taylor on Twitter: "Lots of empty seats at the Donbass Arena. Not even close to being a full house."
5 minFirst attack for France involving Benzema and Nasri ends with Terry and Lescott forcing a corner...which is headed clear by Welbeck.
4 minOn a slightly less positive note, England have not won an opening game in the European Championships. Can the Three Lions put things right this evening?
3 minPositive stuff from Oxlade-Chamberlain, who robs Rami out wide before seeing his cross cleared by Mexes. Positive signs from the youngster.
2 minMeanwhile, on the pitch Man United teammates Young and Welbeck link, but the latter is flagged offside.
2 minHave to say early indications suggest that there are a lot more than 3,500 England fans in the ground. Big noise!
1 minEngland will get us underway. Huge 90 minutes ahead for both nations.
16.58That's that done, now for the football! Moments away. Don't go anywhere!
16.57Over to you France...
16.57Every single England player sings the anthem (including a rather reluctant looking Danny Welbeck!)
16.56England to go first
16.55Here they come, the players are on the pitch and the anthems are about to get underway.
16.54Have to say the French squad are looking at ease as they wait to enter the pitch. Ominous signs perhaps?
16.53Players in the tunnel, almost game time.
16.52The stadium in Donetsk is looking far from full at the moment. Early estimates claim that just 3,500 English fans will be in attendance.
16.51A bit more from Waddle on BBC Radio Five Live, this time talking about Scott Parker: "At club level I think Scott Parker is a good player. At international level he has too many touches which he doesn't need. You can get away with it in the Premier League by winning the ball back with a crunching tackle and getting the crowd behind you. But in international football it's a bit more simple. He takes too many touches without creating."
16.48Just over ten minutes to kick-off. How are the fingernails, nerves etc?!
16.47And on his team's chances: "They've just got to believe and trust each other. The weight we carry, the England shirt is a heavy one to wear and we have just got to believe in ourselves."
16.46England manager Roy Hodgson on Oxlade-Chamberlian: "He has been so impressive. He was impressive against the Belgians and in training and gives us useful balance. We've got good alternatives if he tires and it doesn't work out but he deserves to start on what he's shown us."
16.42The heat will not be to blame for England defeat though according to skipper Gerrard. Find out what the Liverpool man had to say here.
16.41One thing I haven't mentioned yet is the heat in Ukraine. According to the official UEFA website, the temperature currently stands at 31c! Plenty of fluids required!
16.39Have to say, cannot help but think how much more confident England fans would be with Wayne Rooney available. Still, he only has himself to blame.
16.38The injured Kyle Walker on Twitter: "Sat with my dad watching the game wishing I was there COME ON ENGLAND all the best boys."
16.37Those of you with any comments to make, feel free to Tweet myself at @liamapicella or @sports_mole - please be kind with us though!
16.34If your looking for a scoreline prediction, SM's very own Jack Prescott has gone for a 2-2 draw. You can read JP's preview of the match here.
16.33Just seen video footage of captain Steven Gerrard in deep conversation with James Milner. Wonder what they were discussing? "For crying out loud don't let Benzema run at Terry and Lescott" perhaps?
16.31Rio Ferdinand on Twitter: "#ComeOnEngland good luck lads, let's start this tournament with a nice win then we will get to semi's. Yeah I said semi's!!" Bold, if somewhat misguided prediction from Rio there!
16.29And it seems that the French are expecting a sterner test with France-based football writer Matt Spiro telling BBC Radio 5 live: "You've got to take France's 21-match unbeaten run with a pinch of salt. A lot of the squad haven't played in a major tournament finals before. They haven't always been brilliant in this run and have played teams who were missing key players. This is the big test today."
16.27Of course England and France did meet in 2010, but that was in a friendly. On that occasion the Blues left Wembley with a 2-1 victory - the most one-sided 2-1 victory you have ever seen. Let's hope England will prove to be a different proposition this time around.
16.24ENGLAND INJURY NEWS! Don't worry, not a player but goalkeeping coach Ray Clemence has been carried off the pitch after injuring himself in the warm-up! Not quite sure how that's possible, but Ray has managed it.
16.22The last time these two sides met competitively was back at Euro 2004. Frank Lampard put England ahead before David Beckham missed a penalty to double his side's advantage. It was then over Zinedine Zidane and the rest they say, is history
16.20A fact for you courtesy of Infostrada Sports on Twitter: "Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (18y 301d) to become second youngest England player at a European Championship finals. Only Rooney younger (18y 233d) at Euro debut in 2004 also v France."
16.19You can thank me later for those!
16.18For those who have faith in the French, odds of 9/1 on Les Blues to win both halves should be tempting enough.
16.17How about John Terry to notch the first goal at 25/1? You get the impression that set pieces may be England's best chance of finding the net and the are few better in the air than the Chelsea skipper.
16.16As my tips over the past couple of days have been superb (not!) here are a couple more for you to ponder then no doubt ignore!
16.14In a three-pronged attack of Samir Nasri, Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema - they have the players to cause any nation problems.
16.13Of course this is not all about England! France are currently unbeaten in 21 games under the guidance of Laurent Blanc.
16.12Gazza and Rooney you say Chris? No pressure on the lad then!
16.11Former England winger Chris Waddle discussing the OX on BBC Radio Five Live: "It's not a gamble to pick Oxlade-Chamberlain. He's a very confident lad, very positive and knows the game. Get him one-on-one and he gets past people, and he can create. Every now and again you get a young kid, like Rooney and Gazza, who can't be ignored. He's there for his talent."
16.09Danny Welbeck is also preferred to Andy Carroll. It seems that the Manchester United man's goal against Belgium won favour with the manager. Thoughts?
16.06So the Ox has been given the nod. Good or bad move from Roy? The Arsenal winger certainly will provide more flair and creativity than Stewart Downing.
16.05Let's get straight to the team news. Roy Hodgson has sprung a surprise by naming 18-year-old Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in his starting lineup. There are also starts for Danny Welbeck and Joleon Lescott. Full lineups can be found here.
16.03Hello, Bonjour to everybody. So, the waiting is almost over for English supporters. We are just a little under an hour away from their tournament bow against France. How are the nerves?
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