ENGLAND and Russia shared the spoils in Marseille in a game Roy Hodgson’s men first dominated and then let slip away.

The fallout from events in Marseille’s Port Vieux, just a few miles away, were hanging over the magnificent Velodrome. Stadium security, primed for the threat of terrorism, now had something else to worry about, particularly as red and white shirts mingled more than one would have expected in different parts of the ground.

Yet other than a visceral booing of the Russian national anthem and the setting off of several flares in the Russian end late in the game, those present were clearly there for the football, not what went on down the road. At least until the final whistle.

It’s weird to think that – unless there’s something we’ve not been told – this Roy Hodgson is the same guy who managed England four years ago. Back then it was two banks of four and safety first. This version pulled out the offensive stops, shoe-horning the attacking talent into the XI and, above all, storming out of the gate at a pace they would keep up for the entire first half.

And so Wayne Rooney took his place alongside Dele Alli in a three man midfield anchored by Eric Dier. Ahead of them, a centre- forward in Harry Kane and two genuine wingers in Adam Lallana and Raheem Sterling.

Of course, it wouldn’t have meant much if they had been put on a leash: told to attack, but judiciously. But they weren’t. They pressed, pushed and harried the Russians, particularly in the opening 20 minutes.

To be fair, Leonid Slutsky’s side set up to be pressed, pushed and harried. Russia lost four bona fide starters, including the Golden Boy Alan Dzagoev, and that may well be what prompted Slutsky to retreat into what we might have previously been thought of as Hodgsonian stodginess. After all, when your two centre-backs – Sergei Ignashevich and Alexei Berezutski – will be a combined 70 in a month’s time, there’s only so much you can do.

So Russia played at their pace and England at theirs and the latter was like a tape stuck on fast-forward. Alli and Lallana both missed early chances and then a wide-open Alli mis-hit his header and Lallana failed to connect when it fell at his feet. All this in the first 15 minutes, with the Russians struggling to get past England’s first line of defence, the ubiquitous Lallana and the hyperactive Sterling.

Sometimes England were so quick, they fooled themselves: Danny Rose’s low whipped cross left Alli wrong-footed. The pace was intense, which meant some inprecision, but misplaced passes matter little when you win the ball back almost immediately.

That happened time and again as Russia’s build-up in the first half proved to be slow and predictable. When England weren’t moving the ball quickly they were themselves moving quickly, as in the 24th minute when a pacy run from Sterling was only halted by a last-ditch tackle from Igor Smolnikov. Shortly thereafter a Rooney volley was parried away with difficulty by Igor Akinfeev in the Russian goal and Kane, through on goal with a two-on-one, was halted by another crucial Smolnikov tackle.

As half time rolled around the question was two-fold. Could England keep up the pace? And would they be punished for not burying their chances?

The answer to the first question came in the first 15 minutes. Russia began defending a little higher and the England press lost its sting. Suddenly, Rooney was taking extra touches and the attack moved at a far more Russian-friendly pace. Slutsky’s troops advanced into the final third and laid siege with a succession of corners, one of which saw Dier’s awkward attempt at a headed clearance force Joe Hart to tip over his bar. Shortly thereafter, Smolov scampered through the gaps in the England midfield and fired just wide of the post.

When England did get some daylight, they ran into Akinfeev. Rose’s run found Rooney, but his shot found an alert Russian keeper who parried it to safety. But then, largely against the run of play in the second half, England got their break from the most unlikely of sources. A free-kick in a central position was taken by, of all people, Dier, whose strike rose above the wall and slipped just under Akinfeev’s crossbar. The mostly England-supporting crowd perked up, Hodgson puffed out his cheeks in a classic sign of relief.

Off came Rooney and on came Jack Wilshere. A bit more lungs, a bit more tidy passing. The England fans resumed their singing. Slutsky turned to Roman Shirokov, a more threatening option than the by this stage redundant Aleksandr Golovin. It would prove to be a wise decision. Slutsky’s veterans saved the day. Deep into injury time, Berezutski won a header to the far post and it looped over everyone and past Hart.

It was a punch to the gut. As ugly as the scenes that followed the final whistle, which saw more flares and Russian supporters tearing down England fans as hordes of orange-clad stewards intervened.

England: Hart, Walker, Cahill, Smalling, Rose, Alli, Dier, Rooney (77 Wilshere), Lallana, Kane, Sterling (87 Milner).

Subs not used: Forster, Heaton, Vardy, Clyne, Henderson, Sturridge, Stones, Barkley, Bertrand, Rashford.

Russia: Akinfeev, Smolnikov, Ignashevich, V. Berezutski, Schennikov, Neustadter, Golovin (77 Shirokov), Smolov, Shatov, Kokorin, Dzyuba

Subs not used: Lodygin, Guilherme, Shishkin, A. Berezutski, Yusupov, Glushakov, Mamev,, Ivanov, Samedov, Torbinski. Kombarov

Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy)

Scorers: Dier, 73, Berezutski 90