Day 2 of Euro 2016 is behind us, with Switzerland joining France at the top of Group A, Wales dispatching Slovakia with a late Hal Robson-Kanu goal, and England messing up against Russia, letting an Eric Dier wonder goal go to waste by conceding in stoppage time.
Albania 0 Switzerland 1: A disappointing match from the Swiss, who did score early through a Fabian Schar header and also got a gift in the form of Lorik Cana getting sent off after 36 minutes due to a double booking. But Albania, with 10 men, were the more dangerous and adventurous team throughout the match, testing Yann Sommer time after time. Shkelzen Gashi had a huge opportunity in the closing minutes to give Albania a historic point, but they’ll have to look for points against France and Romania.
Wales 2 Slovakia 1: An entertaining match that could have gone either way. Gareth Bale kicked things off with a nifty free kick in the 10th minute to put Wales on the right track, but Ondrej Duda of Legia Warsaw scored a 61st minute equalizer that Slovakia deserved. But just like we mentioned before the match, Hal Robson-Kanu was always likely to make a difference, and he managed to score a very soft goal off of a Aaron Ramsey assist to win the game for the Welsh in the 81st minute.
England 1 Russia 1: After a day of clashes between fans, England looked like the better side for most of their match with Russia in Marseille, taking a deserved lead through a blistering Eric Dier free kick in the 73rd minute. But England, like England, were in for something of a tragic ending, conceding to a Vasili Berezutski header in the 92nd minute, as Russia dominated the aerial domain for most of the match, although the point they got was a tad poaching from the main pot.
Group A Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  France (H) |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 | Advance to knockout phase |
| 2 |  Switzerland |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 | |
| 3 |  Romania |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0 | Possible knockout phase |
| 4 |  Albania |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0 |
Group B Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Wales |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 | Advance to knockout phase |
| 2 |  England |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 3 |  Russia |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Possible knockout phase |
| 4 |  Slovakia |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0 |
What did we learn
- Switzerland are boring, but they have a fantastic goalkeeper and great wingback duo.
- Albania have courage and creativity, but without Cana playing in the next match, it’s hard to see them making it out of the group
- Wales are a side to look out for. Their defense and defensive midfield aren’t that good, but Bale and Ramsey give them a duo that will be a pain in the a$$ for anyone
- Slovakia have a strong midfield, but a very weak front, which should be costly in the next two matches
- England are talented, but their main problem is a manager who doesn’t know how to use his bench or make his players stop tripping over themselves
- Russia don’t have a lot of flair or creativity, but simply dominating crosses and set pieces could get them through the group stage
Top Scorers
- Ten different players with one goal