England and Russia played out an exciting 1-1 draw at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille on Saturday evening in both teams' opening encounter of Euro 2016. Unfortunately, it was action off the field surrounding the match that made bigger headlines.

At least two England fans have been seriously injured in Marseille after clashing with Russian supporters before and after the game, reported The Guardian.

The French police had to resuscitate a 51-year-old England fan after he was kicked multiple times in the head before the match, which left him unconscious. Some witnesses also said he had been attacked with an axe, according to the report, although these claims could not be verified.

The police had to use water cannons and tear-gas after the fans started throwing bottles at the authorities. Marseille's metro system was shut down following the clashes, while other modes of public transport such as buses and taxis were also impacted.

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While the Union of European Football Associations first said that it cannot interfere unless the violence directly impacted the match, the body was forced to step in after the two sets of fans clashed inside the stadium at the end of the game. Russian fans were seeing forcing their way into the England section of the stadium and landing punches on English supporters.

Russian media reported that it was the English fans who instigated the violence, although reports said Russia potentially faces strong sanctions.

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