France Strikes to Beat Ukraine 2-0 on a Stormy Night

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A torrential storm threatened to wash away co-host Ukraine's match against France, and caused a rain delay of nearly an hour at the European Championship on Friday.

Pounding rain and lightning around the Donbass Arena in Donetsk forced the referee to suspend the match in the fifth minute.

Play eventually resumed and France doused home fans' hopes with a comfortable 2-0 victory.

The storm's effects were felt 700 kilometers (435 miles) west in Kiev, where the kickoff between England and Sweden was pushed back 15 minutes to ease broadcasters' schedules.

Racism remained an issue at Euro 2012 as UEFA received reports that Croatia fans threw a banana at the pitch and racially abused Italy striker Mario Balotelli on Thursday.