UKRAINE 0 FRANCE 2..Match Report ~ iNewsGh

France secured their first group win at Euro 2012 at the expense of co-hosts Ukraine during a rain-interrupted spectacle in Donetsk.

The teams were forced off with just four minutes played because of the stormy conditions, returning almost an hour after the scheduled start.

Jeremy Menez opened the scoring in the second half when he drifted inside his marker and fired in from 12 yards.

Yohan Cabaye added a second with a low strike from the edge of the area.

It was the Newcastle midfielder's first international goal - moving into an advanced position to take advantage of a Ukraine defence that laboured in the heat and soggy footing inside the Donbass Arena.

The energy-sapping pitch was created by the earlier deluge.

There was no concern shown by Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers moments before kick-off, but by the fourth minute the rain had intensified and the storm had become electrical leaving the official with little option but to haul the players off the pitch.

Despite the storm subsiding 20 minutes later, there remained a doubt whether the rest of the match would be completed today because of the surface water. But following some emergency drainage work by the groundstaff, Kuipers gave the go-ahead for the match to restart.

It took a few minutes for the players to become accustomed to the new playing conditions, with the nimble French attack first to settle.

They provided the best goalmouth action in the first half, with Menez, Karim Benzema and Franck Ribery showing the most intent.

Paris St Germain winger Menez actually had the ball in the net but it was rightly ruled offside. Benzema also tested Andriy Pyatov with a rising stinging shot and a low drive.

It was centre-back Philippe Mexes who had the clearest chance of the first 45 when his powerful header from a corner had to be pushed away by Pyatov.

It was Bayern Munich's Ribery, impressive in the pre-tournament friendlies, who was the star of France side in Donetsk.

It was his wizardry that eventually found Menez on the right of the area. The winger picking up the pass before shifting inside Yevhen Selin and firing low inside the left-hand post.

The second goal came three minutes later. This time Benzema was the creator. The Real Madrid forward fed Cabaye on the edge of the 18-yard area, who escaped his marker Oleg Gusev and struck in low.

Moments later, Cabaye was fractions from adding a second, when his rasping drive, following sustained France pressure, rattled the left-hand post.

Ukraine's game relied on long balls into space for Andriy Shevchenko and Andriy Yarmolenko to chase.

Shevchenko, the hero of the opening match against Sweden, went closest with two efforts. The first was a fierce angled drive that Hugo Lloris palmed away and the second, after the break, was an arrowed shot that flew just a foot over the bar.

Apart from that there was little to enthuse the largely partisan crowd inside the Ukraine stadium. The loud roars of delight that must have heartened their team when they drove forward earlier in the game turned to whistles of disgust at the end of the match.

The co-hosts have a chance to make amends when they face England in Tuesday's Group D decider, with France up against Sweden in Kiev.

LINEUP, BOOKINGS (5) & SUBSTITUTIONS (6)

Ukraine

12 Pyatov
02 Selin Booked
03 Khacheridi
17 Mykhalyk
04 Tymoschuk Booked
09 Gusev
11 Yarmolenko (Aliev - 68' )
18 Nazarenko (Milevskiy - 60' )
19 Konoplienka
07 Shevchenko
10 Voronin (Devic - 46' )

Substitutes

01 Koval
23 Goryainov
05 Kucher
13 Shevchuk
20 Rakitskiy
21 Butko
06 Garmash
08 Aliev
14 Rotan
15 Milevskiy
16 Seleznyov
22 Devic

France

01 Lloris
02 Debuchy Booked
04 Rami
05 Mexes Booked
22 Clichy
06 Cabaye (M'Vila - 68' )
11 Nasri
18 Diarra
07 Ribery
10 Benzema (Giroud - 75' )
14 Menez Booked (Martin - 73' )

Substitutes

16 Mandanda
23 Carrasso
03 Evra
13 Reveillere
21 Koscielny
08 Valbuena
12 Matuidi
15 Malouda
17 M'Vila
19 Martin
09 Giroud
20 Ben Arfa

Ref: Kuipers

Att: 51,504

MATCH STATS

Shots

914

On target

210

Corners

Fouls

710

Live Text Commentary

90:00+3:06Full time

Full TimeThe referee signals the end of the game.

87:45

Yevgen Konoplianka has an effort at goal from just inside the box that misses to the right of the target.

86:56

Samir Nasri takes a short corner. Unfair challenge on Anatoliy Tymoschuk by Samir Nasri results in a free kick. Anatoliy Tymoschuk restarts play with the free kick.

86:04

Samir Nasri crosses the ball in from the free kick, save by Andrei Pyatov.

86:04Booking

BookingAnatoliy Tymoschuk goes into the referee's book.