Opinions

England could have met world and European champions Spain but that eventuality was avoided by Sweden’s 2-0 win against France, and Rooney’s first goal in a major tournament since scoring twice in the 4-2 victory over Croatia in Lisbon at Euro 2004.

Annoying how Rooney doesn’t play as well for England as he does for his club, but I guess it makes sense not to play as well with people you’re not used to playing with… and a good thing Messi never plays as well for Argentina as he does for Barcelona. Gotta laugh at France losing to Sweden and now having to play the favorites.

Ukraine, however, will complain long and hard about a contentious second-half incident when Marko Devic’s shot clearly crossed the line before it was scrambled away by John Terry, only for the officials to remain unmoved.

The incident immediately revived the debate about goal-line technology, with a final decision on whether it is introduced expected to be taken in Zurich on 5 July.

England will regard it as a measure of justice for Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal against Germany in Bloemfontein at the 2010 World Cup - but it was also an illustration of how they rode their luck for long periods in front of a predictably partisan home crowd.

They really need to bring football into the 21st century, but for now, why look a gift horse in the mouth?

Striker Wayne Rooney added: “It’s good to get that history of what happened. It puts football into perspective.”

Rooney was joined at Auschwitz - where an estimated 1.1 to 1.5 million people died during World War II - by England team-mates Joe Hart, Phil Jagielka, Theo Walcott, Jack Butland, Andy Carroll and Leighton Baines.

After walking through the gas chambers and crematoria of Auschwitz, Rooney described his feelings of near disbelief.

“It’s hard to understand,” Rooney said. “I am a parent and it was tough to see what happened there.

“You’ve seen the amount of children who died. You see the children’s clothes and shoes, it’s really sad.

“You have to see it first hand. You don’t realise how those who lived there to work managed without food, without water. It’s a form of torture and then they died. The others got murdered.”

England coach Hodgson added: “I have no great knowledge of the war, but obviously know about certain aspects of it.”

“You cannot understand how it can be so systematic, dehuman. It was a job. It is difficult to get your head around.

“There are so many lessons to be learnt and understood from the Holocaust and we believe football can play its part in encouraging society to speak out against intolerance in all its forms - and in advancing the important work of teaching future generations about the horrors of the Holocaust.”

People need to vigilant to ensure nothing like this ever happens again. There are far too many examples, albeit on a much smaller scale, of people engaging in the same kind of dehumanizing thinking that led to this atrocity. Even right now in Poland itself (and Ukraine) players being subjected to racist chants and other abuse.