England finished runners-up to Wales in Group B after they were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by a resolute Slovakia.
Martin Skrtel led the charge for Slovakia, who clearly played for a draw to keep hopes of qualification to the knockout stages alive.
Roy Hodgson made six changes, resting captain Wayne Rooney and it didn’t pay off as England lacked fluidity for the majority of the game.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Here are the major talking points to come out of the match:
England produce Russian performance, minus the late drama
If you witnessed both the Russian and Slovakian matches, they were almost a carbon-copy without the late Russian drama. England completely obliterated the Slovaks in the first-half, as they did the Russians but with no reward. They again tired in the second half and lacked the inspiration shown against Wales, scrambling to pick through the deep Slovakian defence after failing to strike while the iron was hot.
Not panic stations at all for England, but they need to develop a clinical edge which is crazy when you consider they have Wayne Rooney, Jamie Vardy, Harry Kane, Daniel Sturridge and Marcus Rashford all in the same squad.
Wales embarrass the motherland in Group B, Slovaks have hope
Wales top of the group, can you believe it? The neighbours to the motherland of England, they have earned a Round of 16 match in Paris on Saturday against a third-place lucky loser, while England will travel to Nice to face the runner-up of Group F.
It is an extraordinary achievement for Wales, especially after they lost to England in the middle-match and an opportunity squandered by England. The result also leaves Slovakia with a good chance of progressing through as one of the four lucky-losers, with four points and an even goal difference.
Jack Wilshere will not start again at Euro 2016
It’s safe to say Jack Wilshere will not start for England again this tournament or indeed even for quite some time. Hodgson rewarded the Arsenal midfielder with a start as part of his six changes to the starting XI but Wilshere was awful in his 55 minutes.
Replaced by Wayne Rooney to a rousing approval from the English fans, Wilshere over-complicated things in midfield and failed to get the simple things right. Eight misplaced passes, one tackle won, zero chances created, zero interceptions and zero shots – simply not good enough at this level.
Hodgson’s six changes did not appear to unsettle the side in the first half, but as a collective, you could argue that England’s best starting XI from the outset could have won this game.
Eric Dier the epitome of consistency
England’s most outstanding performer for the full 90 minutes, Eric Dier was simply flawless as the base of the midfield. Not one teammate came close to having to the consistency of Dier, who sniffled out most Slovakian attacks, while also showing his creative side on one or two occasions with some delightful balls.
The Tottenham midfielder kept things ticking over in midfield nicely and has set the barometer for his teammates. Hodgson must compliment Dier’s industry with his team selection for the knockout stages – Rooney and Dele Alli will likely support him.
Slovakia toothless in attack, rock solid in
Martin Skrtel was defensively rock solid against his Premier League colleagues. The Liverpool veteran was the backbone of Slovakia’s defensive masterclass as he snuffed out England’s best attacks and irritated the Three Lions with his no-nonsense defending.
The highlight of his fine display was preventing a goal-bound Alli shot off the line to preserve a precious point for Slovakia.
RUSSIA 0 WALES 3
At the other end, the Slovaks were almost non-existent with almost the entire 90 minutes played inside the England half. Marek Hamsik was far too stationary and listless after his stunning performance against Russia, although he had very little licence to roam into attacking areas.
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