Match Summary

France Team

England Team

PARIS, MAY 14.
France beat the English Continental touring team at the Colombes Stadium here this afternoon by five goals to two in the presence of a big holiday crowd of 30,000 people. Rarely has a visiting team from England given such a poor exhibition of football, and though the score is rather flattering to the French team, they thoroughly deserved their victory--the first since 1921 and the second of the series of matches played. Professional teams representing England are thought to have shown an increasing tendency to regard their matches with France as foregone conclusions and have not played up to form. After a strenuous season at home British players may well feel jaded, but they owe it to their hosts to do their best. It is questionable whether they always do so. The game in France is making rapid strides, and though still far below English standards is good enough to be treated seriously.

To-day the inevitable happened, and the pupils of other days turned the tables on their masters. The English players found the pace of the hard, dry ground and a hot sun little to their liking, and were beaten by a fast team, who, without playing clever football, attacked incessantly throughout the match. England missed two open goals, but they missed them, so that that is no excuse. The English forwards played with a strange lack of energy. They seemed determined to walk the ball into the net, and their short-passing movements, though pretty to watch, were ineffective. In technique they were far superior to the Frenchmen, and a little initiative would have turned the scales. As it was, the three inside forwards were always hampering one another by being bunched together in the French goal-mouth, and the shots put in from beyond the penalty area could be counted on one hand. The backs played well and constantly fed the forwards with well-directed passes along the ground, which were wasted...

England scored within 10 minutes of the start, after Cooper had repelled a menacing French attack. Crooks, on the right wing, finished a beautiful forward passing movement by shooting against the post, and the ball bounced into the net. It was not long before France drew level, Laurent, the inside-right, running through to take a pass from the wing, and lobbing the ball over Cooper's head, had no difficulty in beating Turner with a shot to the roof of the net.

...France, after having been dominated for most of the first half, were leading by three goals to one at half-time...

Then the French went further ahead from a fine piece of play on the right wing...

Waring eventually succeeded in getting through and beating Thépot with a good shot...

A fifth goal shortly before the end put the issue beyond all doubt. - The Times - Friday 15th May, 1931

IN OTHER NEWS...

It was on 13 May 1931 that Paul Doumer was elected president of France. Just under a year later, he was assassinated at a book fair by a Russian, who felt that France should have actively opposed the rise of communism in his country.

Source Notes

TheFA.com
AllezLesBleus.Fr
Rothmans
FFF.Fr
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CG