Ukraine 0 France 2: match report Patrice Evra, the Manchester United left-back, was the most notable omission, with his lack of form leading to a start for Gael Clichy. Florent Malouda was also sacrificed, allowing Jérémy Ménez a start to the right of a typically fluid French midfield. With the rainstorm unsettling both teams, there were no clear chances before referee Bjorn Kuipers decided in the fifth minute that the match should be suspended until the weather improved. When the teams did reappear almost an hour later, France were quick to assert themselves and take control of possession. Ribery was alert to pounce on a terribly under-hit back-pass from Anatoliy Tymoshchuk and sprinted into space behind the defence. His cross eluded Benzema but did find Ménez whose shot was superbly smothered by goalkeeper Andrei Pyatov. Pyatov then produced another brilliant stop to deny Philippe Mexes, who emerged unmarked on the far-post but was unable to get sufficient power and accuracy on his header to prevent Pyatov from scrambling across his goal to make the save. Despite the soggy conditions, Ukraine also produced glimpses of quality. Winger Andrei Yarmolenko had several sights of goal but was unable to complement his clever movement with accurate finishing. Indeed, despite his age, it was Andrei Shevchenko who remained their biggest threat. For all their attacking options, France are unconvincing at the back, with Shevchenko exploiting a defensive lapse from Adil Rami to beat an attempted offside trap. The 35 year- old chested the ball down and unleashed a fierce volley that was well blocked by Hugo Lloris. Ukraine's captain and talisman began the second-half with another reminder of his class. Collecting the ball just inside the French half, he showed quick feet to move into a shooting position and then curl a shot just inches wide. It was a warning to France and it provoked an impressive response. Ribery and Benzema then combined before releasing Ménez, who shifted the ball inside Yavhen Selin and drilled an accurate left-footed finish past Pyatov. Ukraine will point out that Ménez was fortunate even to be on the pitch after escaping without a caution, when he had already been booked, for a dangerous tackle on Selin. Yet within four minutes, it was 2-0 to France. Benzema, once again, was involved, picking out the run into the penalty area of Cabaye. Oleg Gusev had got himself into a poor position and was unable to recover, with the Newcastle midfielder clinically aiming his finish past Pyatov. The Donbass Arena was now muted and, with the rest of the match resembling a training exercise, Cabaye also shook the outside of the post with a precise half-volley. The thoughts of Ukraine, it would seem, were already on England but, on this evidence, there is little beyond Shevchenko for Roy Hodgson's team to fear.