Franks secures point

Jonathan Franks' smart finish ensured England picked up their first point of the tournament following a 1-1 draw with Portugal.

After a quiet first half where chances were few and far between, England fell behind in the 46th minute when Wilson Eduardo finished off a quick break.

But the young Lions responded with a slick passing move which included good work on the left flank by Tristan Plummer. The Bristol City player crossed, Portugal cleared only as far as Middlesbrough's Franks who netted from 12 yards.

"We started the second half really well but gave a goal away," said England Head Coach John Peacock. "I was pleased with the reaction of the players after we conceded."

However, with England pressing for the victory, West Ham defender Jordan Spence was sent-off after receiving his second yellow card for a handball after 54 minutes.

It capped a bitter-sweet evening for Peacock who, despite being pleased with the battling performance, was shocked that his team were reduced to ten men.

"It was an unfair decision," said Peacock. "Jordan said he did not touch it. The linesman did not give it. The referee reacted to the Portuguese player who appealed. I thought his first yellow card was harsh too, it was an innocous foul."

Peacock was impressed with his side's resilience after going down to ten men and despite a man disadvantage, England played with two up front and could have snatched a late victory when Leicester City's Ashley Chambers went clear but pulled his shot wide.

"The lads worked really hard and playing ten v 11 was a really good experience," added Peacock. "We tried to be positive and played 4-3-2, we looked the stronger of the two teams. We could have won the game."

After beating the same opposition 4-0 less than two months before, it would be easy to think a draw with Portugal was a disappointing result. But Peacock was happy with the players' effort.

"There was no complacency from the players. We analysed their game against Belgium and the players knew the Portugal team would be different from the one they faced in England," he said.