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| Danny Welbeck hit a clever winner as England came from behind to beat Sweden |
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Glen Johnson of England tries to break away from Rasmus Elm of
Sweden at the European Championship clash in Kiev, Ukraine
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Pounding rain and lightning around the Donbass Arena in Donetsk threatened to wash away Ukraine's match against France, forcing the referee to suspend proceedings in the fifth minute. Read More...Exclusives
When play resumed after a rain delay of nearly an hour, France doused home fans' hopes with a comfortable 2-0 victory which ended a six-year drought for a win at a major tournament.
The storm's effects were felt 700 kilometres west in Kiev, where the kickoff between England and Sweden was pushed back 15 minutes to ease broadcasters' schedules.
England, sparked by substitute Theo Walcott, then beat Sweden 3-2 in a thrilling seesaw match in the Olympic Stadium which eliminated the Swedes from the tournament.
Racism remained an issue at Euro 2012 as UEFA received reports that Croatia fans threw a banana toward the field and racially abused Italy striker Mario Balotelli on Thursday.
France made no mistake at the second attempt in Donetsk in what proved an easy victory to follow its 1-1 draw with England on Monday.
Jeremy Menez had an eventful first half by missing a clear chance, having a goal ruled out for offside and being shown a yellow card. But the winger took his chance in the 53rd minute with a powerful shot from 14 metres. Three minutes later, midfielder Yohan Cabaye scored with an accurate shot from the edge of the penalty area.
"I hope the next win won't take another six years because I will be long fired by then," France coach Laurent Blanc said. "We dominated the game right from the start in terms of shots on target and possession."
Zinedine Zidane's head-butt and red card in the 2006 World Cup final brought the curtain down on France's golden generation - and the French then failed to win a match at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.
Blanc hopes Friday's win is a sign France can finally be a contender again.
"We scored twice and could have had more," Blanc said. "We have a lot of potential."
Ukraine captain Andriy Shevchenko looked a shadow of his inspirational self four days earlier when he scored twice in a 2-1 win over Sweden.
The fate of both teams will be decided on Tuesday, when France plays Sweden and Ukraine faces England.
"France is probably one of the favourites," Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin said through a translator. "Some players thought we were already in the quarter-finals. We will have a serious conversation with them."
England led when Andy Carroll rose to score with a powerful header from a 23rd-minute cross delivered by captain Steve Gerrard.
Sweden seized the lead when twice taking advantage of slack England defending at set pieces.
England defender Glen Johnson sent the ball into his own net as he tried to intercept Olof Mellberg's close-range shot in the 49th minute. Ten minutes later, the veteran Sweden defender got a goal of his own when he headed in unmarked from a free kick.
England coach Roy Hodgson sent Walcott on to chase the game, and he scored with a swerving shot from 20 metres in the 64th minute.
Walcott's burst of speed created space for his cross which Danny Welbeck, with his back to goal, steered in with a deft flick in the 78th.
"I was sharp warming up, you need to be sharp on the pitch because at this level it's all really, really tough," Walcott said.
On Saturday, the final round of group games begins with the top two teams from each pool advancing to the quarter-finals. Both matches in each group will kick-off simultaneously to guard against manipulating results.
Co-host Poland needs to beat the Czech Republic in Wroclaw, and Group A leader Russia plays Greece in Warsaw.
AP
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