France 1 England 1 - Match analysis

At last. At long last, a performance by our national team at a major tournament that at least matched the sum of its parts.

If Roy Hodgson's England were a single player, it would be James Milner. And so it was with a display of indefatigable effort, intense concentration, relentless discipline, occasional moments of splendour, occasional lapses and, yes, just that little shortage of top-class quality,

England made a highly acceptable start to their Euro 2012 campaign.

A performance shaped by the golden rule of tournament football – never lose the first game – was strong enough to take a 1-1 draw off the group favourites France and leave all the doors open for a team which has been hastily cobbled together by a manager who was into only the 42nd day of duty when he pinned up the team sheet.

There was only one surprise in the cast-list but one which showed that the man recruited from Albion's most impressive era as a Premier League club is not afraid to take a chance if he feels it is merited.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has usurped Stewart Downing in one of the key midfield stations and did not betray Hodgson's faith. But this is likely to be an England campaign short of surprises.

They will cover up and resist with tenacity and strive to chisel out match-winning moments from the restricted phases of offence they are able to construct.

It isn't pretty and it will appeal only to English fans – at least English fans who have a grip on reality. But the days of fancy and folly that were the Noughties have been left behind. This England can no longer carry the indulgence of simply picking the 11 most famous players in the country, but must forge a team from the virtues of journeyman.

Full credit to Hodgson, then, for making such a swift and sure appraisal of his strengths and limitations and full marks to an often discredited group of players for applying such commitment to his strategy.

England might not be good enough to even think about winning the tournament but, by God, it would be nice to see the rest of Europe required to drag us kicking and screaming from contention instead of our all-too familiar limp retreat.

France won the game on paper. They dominated possession 65 per cent to 35 and, in threading together 634 passes to England's 307, registered 19 attempts at goal to England's three. But as the heartbroken Champions League camps of Barcelona and Bayern Munich will admit, and a Holland team stung by Denmark in this tournament confirm, the more impressive figures don't always add up to a triumph.

In the aftermath of this opening performance, it was possible to detect the faint whiff of the hype which followed around the 'golden generation'.

Complaints about a lack of creativity, worries about how this England will fare if they concede first. But those are the foolish whims of an obsolete age.

But Hodgson has been strong enough to accept his team's weaknesses and as a result, England ground a more gifted French team into the submission of a draw while offering some encouraging pointers.

After a nervous start which saw him fumble his first 'take', Joe Hart is 'into' the tournament, unable to pick club-mate Samir Nasri's equalising strike from distance as it flew through a body of players, but displaying sure handling to the efforts from range to which the French were largely restricted.

And his most difficult moment from closer to goal, to deal with Alou Diarra's header direct from a 35th-minute corner, proved his reflexes are worthy of his reputation as one of the best young keepers in Europe.

At the other end of the pitch, Danny Welbeck suggested he has much to offer – especially when his celebrated but suspended Manchester United colleague enters the fray. Welbeck gave glimpses of the swift feet and acceleration which will trouble any defenders.

Unfortunately, Ashley Young left question marks about his ability to influence a game of this standing. Young began brilliantly, collecting Scott Parker's spearing 30-yard pass to unravel France's defence with a cutting through ball.

It should have brought England a 15th-minute goal but Milner, having made enormous strides to collect the pass, was not able to control his left-foot finish from a narrowing angle after he had rounded Hugo Lloris.

Young faded after that and it will be up to Hodgson to assess how much of that was because of, and not in spite of, his suitability for that position.

But in a team of such obvious limitations, Wayne Rooney's extra pedigree cannot return soon enough.

Elsewhere though, England were at capacity. John Terry was magnificent and alongside him Joleon Lescott equally effective. Glenn Johnson improved, Ashley Cole operated at his accustomed high level and while we may worry as to whether Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker can keep up with the demands of their many tasks, they were all they could be – as, indeed, were England. How many times would we have loved to be able to say that about better-equipped teams which have gone before?

It was Gerrard's free-kick which gave Lescott his first international goal on the half-hour as he caught France napping. And it had been an opening half-hour which had seen England come strong into the game.

But the quality of Nasri's equaliser, driven like a tracer-bullet into the tiny space Hart could not cover to his right, cannot be questioned.

That is the kind of quality the strongest teams in this tournament possess in greater abundance than England and so it was a tribute to the effectiveness of Hodgson's organisation that despite dominating the second half, France were neutered, their best efforts taken from range as Terry and Lescott refused to be dragged from position.

We will doubtless hear some carping from voices beyond and within our borders about the sterility of this operation, but I hope they are ignored.

It is pragmatic football, borne of necessity and good enough for German and Italian teams of past vintages.

That should surely make it be good enough for an England simply trying at last to fulfil itself.