Wales make their mark with a late strike to claim victory over Slovakia, while England fail to capitalise on their dominance and allow Russia to snatch a point at the death. Over in Group A, Switzerland fail to impress as they struggle to see off 10-man Albania. Here’s the notes from Saturday’s Euro 16 events…
Switzerland 1 Albania 0
A fifth-minute goal from centre half Fabian Schar was just enough for Switzerland to beat a resolute Albania reduced to ten men by the first half dismissal of their captain Lorik Cana.
It was Switzerland’s first ever opening match victory, in nine European Championship attempts, and they had goalkeeper Yann Sommer to thank for it. The Borussia Monchengladbach stopper made two key saves as Albania threatened on the break despite their numerical disadvantage.
Schar’s winner, from a Xherdan Shaqiri corner, emphasised the Swiss threat from set pieces. They scored more goals direct from corners (7) than any other team in qualifying and could go on to cause major problems for a French defence that struggled from dead-balls against Romania.
Shaqiri was busy throughout, firing in two attempts, both on target, taking three corners and creating two chances, while Swiss striker Haris Seferovic, playing at the tip of a 4-2-3-1 formation, should have found the net from at least one of the four attempts that came his way.
New Arsenal signing Granit Xhaka and his midfield colleague Blerim Dzemaili also caught the eye. Both created three chances and had two attempts.
As expected, Swiss full-backs Stephan Lichtsteiner and Ricardo Rodriguez pushed high up the pitch although neither were able to muster service into the box, registering just three crossed balls. Rodriguez fared reasonably in the DraftKings courtesy of a clean sheet, a corner and five tackles won.
Albania carried a consistent threat on the break and missed two gilt-edged chances to grab a point from a match that suggests that Switzerland will struggle to hurt stronger teams – their prowess at corners may well remain their key weapon.
Wales 2 Slovakia 1
Substitute Hal Robson-Kanu’s late goal saw off a Slovakia side that had threatened to pinch at least a point as Wales’s first experience of tournament football in 58 years ended in joy.
The Reading striker’s scuffed shot on 81 minutes, from an Aaron Ramsey pass, came after a period of Slovakian pressure following Ondrej Duda’s 61st minute equaliser.
Manager Chris Coleman chose to keep regulars Robson-Kanu and Joe Ledley on the bench after their return from injury, and he was forced into one change when goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey woke up with a back spasm and was replaced by Liverpool reserve Danny Ward, who made his first international start.
The debutant was rarely troubled however, making just one save compared to his Slovakian counterpart’s six, although he was relieved to see a late Adam Nemec header hit the post.
Wales dominated the first half, and it was no surprise when Gareth Bale opened the scoring after 10 minutes, his free kick wrong-footing Slovak keeper Matus Kozacik.
Aside from a brilliant Marek Hamsik run and shot, cleared off the line by Ben Davies, Slovakia offered little going forward until Duda fired into the bottom corner after fine work from the increasingly influential Robert Mak, who had three attempts (as did Hamsik) and created three chances for teammates.
Bale, as ever, was the attacking focal point for Wales, with five attempts – only Ramsey among his teammates managed more than one shot.
The Arsenal midfielder was played in the number ten role with Bale leading the attack and Ramsey responded with six penalty area touches (to Bale’s four), and also notched match-leading figures for crosses (four) and tackles (11, three of which were successful).
Coleman must now decide whether to start Robson-Kanu against England or stick with the influential Ramsey further forward in support of Bale.
At the back, he will have been pleased with Wales’s solidity – skipper Ashley Williams leading the way with nine clearances, blocks and interceptions (CBI), just one shy of Slovakian duo Martin Skrtel and Jan Durica.
England 1 Russia 1
An injury time Vasili Berezutski equaliser rescued an unlikely point for Russia from a match in which they were outplayed for large portions by an England team lacking nothing but ruthlessness.
Roy Hodgson settled on a 4-3-3 formation, employing Wayne Rooney in a deeper midfield role, with Harry Kane supported by Adam Lallana and Raheem Sterling on the flanks. There was no place for Jamie Vardy, then.
The system worked perfectly in the first half, as England dominated, firing in 10 attempts to Russia’s one.
Leonid Slutski’s 4-2-3-1 set-up struggled to cope, frequently resorting to long balls up to their big target man Artem Dzyuba. But the Zenit striker was so well marshalled by centre backs Chris Smalling and Gary Cahill that he didn’t have a single shot on goal and won less than half of his 15 aerial duels.
Despite their superiority, it took a second half free-kick from Eric Dier to break the deadlock. Classed as the cheapest England defender in the official Uefa game at 5.0, Dier has obvious appeal, although it remains to be seen how many more free kicks he’ll take in the tournament.
England’s dominance was reflected in individual goal attempts. Six players had more than one shot; five of them were English, with Kane, Rooney and Lallana leading the way with three apiece. The Liverpool man also topped the charts with six penalty area touches. Kane, by contrast, had none.
Rooney’s midfield performance was solid. His 55 passes was the highest among the more attacking players, he led the way for chances and through balls (both two) and for minutes per chance (39). His reduced goal threat in a deeper role, however, massively undermines his attractiveness as he is classed as a striker in both the official game and by DraftKings.
England’s full-backs caught the eye, providing an attacking outlet throughout, but they only put in four crosses between them which limited their DraftKings scoring. Kane topped the England ranks for crossed balls as he surprisingly continued to be England’s designated corner taker.
Hodgson would seem likely to keep faith with the same XI for the now vital clash with Wales on Wednesday. Sterling’s questionable end product may cast some doubt over his start, although it would seem likely that he’ll be given another opportunity to impress.
