Football Soccer - England v Russia - EURO 2016 - Group B - Stade V'lodrome, Marseille, France - 11/6/16 England's Eric Dier REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach Livepic
MARSEILLE, France (Reuters) - For all the positives that England can take from their performance against Russia in their opening Euro 2016 game there remains the worrying issue that their sophisticated modern defenders remain vulnerable to the most basic of attacking ploys -- a long punt into the box.
England's creative play and assured possession is unrecognisable from that of many previous squads, who were routinely condemned for their lack of technical ability, and they well deserved the 1-0 lead earned by Eric Dier's 73rd-minute free kick on Saturday.
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