England 2 France 0: We need to stand tall and stand together, says Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney said that France and England had delivered a global statement of unity last night after playing at an emotionally charged Wembley Stadium just four days after the terror attacks in Paris.
The matches between Germany and Holland as well as Belgium and Spain were postponed last night amid security fears but the Football Association was able to deliver their tributes to the victims of Friday’s tragedy in Paris and also stage their fixture against France.“This will be shown around the world and will show unity,” said Rooney, the England captain. “Football is a global game. It is not about religion or race. We need to stand tall and stand together in these tough times.
"It was always going to be a difficult night. For ourselves to be involved in this occasion was tough. The young players were excited but it was a difficult game for them. I thought both teams handled it extremely well. The fans were brilliant.”
Roy Hodgson, the England manager, felt that the additional security measures and concern over traffic may have deterred some ticket holders although a crowd of more than 71,000 was still at Wembley last night to deliver a public show of solidarity with the French.
“It was a very poignant game: everything I expected it to be,” said Hodgson. “All the things we wanted to achieve were achieved. 71,000 is a great crowd. They played their part.“I've seen a few text messages from people I know and have worked with from France. They have been quick to point out that they thought the occasion was a very good one for their country. We can be rightly proud we were able to put this event on.
"The French football Federation were the ones who decided the game should go ahead. As far as we're concerned an act of defiance is more important than the other alternative. Then people had to put that aside and play a game of football between two good teams.”
In terms of the football, Hodgson was especially enthused by the performance of 19-year-old Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli.“The first half was as good as I've seen us play here for a long time,” he said. “It was close to a faultless performance. ​I didn't think at any moment that he [Alli] was anything other than top class.
​“It is amazing at t​his age and with so little experience except for a 10-minute substitute appearance to go in and do what he did was outstanding. I wasn't terribly surprised. If I didn't believe he had the capacity to play like he did I wouldn't have chosen him. I have seen him do it for Tottenham. It's a bold choice, a bold decision to bring a guy who has hardly played for the under-21s and put him in the first team.“But I've done it in the past – I've done it with Barkley, Sterling, Stones, Shaw. We've got some history that when we give these players we believe in a chance, we think they can remain important figures. But he's still 19, played a handful of international games, he's still learning the game. It would be nice if he gets the chance to learn without publicity or glare.”
Hodgson said that the FA had been aware of the problems in Germany but were always confident in what was an enhanced security information around Wembley.