England captain Wayne Rooney will be left out of the starting lineup for their last Euro 2016 Group B match against Slovakia.
Russia striker Fyodor Smolov insists that English and Welsh fans were guilty of antagonising their Russian counterparts during scuffles that broke out in Lille earlier in Euro 2016.
Slovakia defender Martin Skrtel will have no second thoughts about kicking England striker Daniel Sturridge, his Liverpool team mate, to help his country win their final Euro 2016 Group B game on Monday. England top the standings with four points from two games, one ahead of Slovakia and Wales with Russia at the bottom on one. "We can be friends before and after the game but on the pitch there is no friendship and I am sure Daniel would tell you the same thing," Skrtel told a news conference on Sunday.
England manager Roy Hodgson gave few clues on Sunday when asked about his attack for the final Group B game against Slovakia from which they need a point to qualify for the knockout stage of Euro 2016. Harry Kane started to disappointing effect in the 1-1 draw against Russia and was then substituted at halftime against Wales with England trailing 1-0. Daniel Sturridge and Jamie Vardy came on to change the game, each scoring in a 2-1 win and both have been tipped to play against Slovakia on Monday.
England coach Roy Hodgson will be strongly tempted to start with Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge in attack against Slovakia on Monday after both came off the bench to score in the 2-1 win over Wales.
The thousands of Welsh supporters who have brought their nation's famed singing, not to mention plenty of plastic dragons, to a major tournament after a wait of more half a century are steeling themselves to hit the heights -- or rock bottom -- on Monday.
England coach Roy Hodgson, basking in a 2-1 victory over Wales on Thursday clinched by goals from two substitutes, said fringe players would be a major factor at Euro 2016. Gareth Bale put Wales in front before Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge replied, the latter in stoppage time, after both came on in the second half. Hodgson said it was hard to remember if he had made a better double substitution in his 40-year career.
If England coach Roy Hodgson's two halftime substitutions proved decisive in turning the tide in their 2-1 victory over Wales on Thursday, he still risked a charge of not having made them before the game rather than midway through. As usual, however, the result was all and a win enabled the normally conservative Hodgson to claim justification for his strategy. Others will question whether his loyalty to Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane, both poor for the second successive match, might have been costly in terms of both England's qualification and, after that, his own job prospects.
Substitute Daniel Sturridge scored a dramatic winner in injury time to steer England towards a 2-1 win over Wales and top spot in their Group B clash Euro 2016.
The French envoy was notified about "discrimination" towards Russian citizens, it said, adding that "further fanning of anti-Russian sentiments" could damage relations between France and Russia.
Provoking England midfielder Dele Alli could end up being a plan that backfires, Wales defender and Tottenham Hotspur teammate Ben Davies has said ahead of their Euro 2016 Group B encounter in Lens on Thursday.
French riot police charged and used tear gas to disperse rowdy English football fans in Lille on Wednesday, though the northern city was spared feared clashes with Russian supporters.
Just 24 hours after UEFA told Russia it would be expelled from the tournament if their fans caused more crowd trouble, the Slovaks outplayed them for large parts of a match contested under a closed roof because of forecasts of heavy rain.
From sharp, flying tackles and tough possession-fights, bloodied noses to scissor kicks in attempt to finding those crucial goals and the ecstatic celebrations thereafter, Rediff.com gives you a quick rewind of all the excitement that has transpired over the last five days across France...
Wales will need to defend deep if they are to stifle England captain Wayne Rooney's influence on their European Championship clash on Thursday.
A rivalry dating back 137 years will reach a new level of intensity in Lens on Thursday when England and Wales meet at a major tournament for the first time.
Wales boss Chris Coleman is considering deploy Gareth Bale as a striker against England on Thursday after he played a similar role in their European Championship opener against Slovakia.
England will need to stick to the tactics used in Saturday's European Championship draw against Russia when they face Wales on Thursday.
Wales must have cool heads and not get carried away by the emotion of Thursday's all-British Euro 2016 Group B clash with England in Lens, manager Chris Coleman said on Monday. Coleman's side top the group after victory over Slovakia on Saturday, their first tournament match since 1958. A further win over England would guarantee Wales a place in the last 16 and pile huge pressure on Roy Hodgson's side. "We have to be streetwise. We don't have to rattle cages, they know what the atmosphere will be like, they have to be ice cold in their thinking and stick to a game plan," Coleman told a news conference on Monday.
England manager Roy Hodgson and captain Wayne Rooney have appealed to fans to behave around Thursday's Group B game against Wales after European soccer chiefs threatened to throw the country out of Euro 2016 following three days of violence in Marseille. In a video posted on the Football Association's Twitter page, Hodgson and Rooney expressed their concern that further flashpoints could lead to an early end to their tournament. "As the England manager, I am obviously now very concerned about the threat that is hanging over us and the sanction that could possibly be imposed upon the England team," Hodgson said.
England will beat Wales in their Euro 2016 Group B clash in Lens on Thursday if they match the team spirit of Chris Coleman's side, according to former captain David Beckham. Wales top the group after their 2-1 victory over Slovakia at the weekend while England were held 1-1 by Russia in Marseille. "It's a big game," Beckham said in a BBC interview.
England manager Roy Hodgson has hit out at critics who have questioned his team's patriotism and desire ahead of their European Championship clash against Wales in Lens on Thursday. Wales striker Gareth Bale last week said his team had "more passion and pride" than England, who "big themselves up before they've done anything". Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev also labelled Hodgson's men the weakest seeded team in the Euro 2016 prior to Saturday's draw with England. "I've been in the game sufficiently long to know every opponent has got an opinion," Hodgson told reporters.
European soccer's governing body warned the English and Russian football associations on Sunday that if fan violence continued their teams could be disqualified from the Euro 2016 tournament.
For all the positives that England can take from their performance against Russia in their opening Euro 2016 game there remains the worrying issue that their sophisticated modern defenders remain vulnerable to the most basic of attacking ploys -- a long punt into the box.
Wales were billed as a team dependent on Gareth Bale but a 2-1 win over Slovakia in their Euro 2016 opener on Saturday was built on a pacey, fearless performance that should help prove they are more than a one-man show.
Wales forward Gareth Bale got their Euro 2016 campaign off to a dream start with an early goal and substitute Hal Robson-Kanu struck a late winner as they beat Slovakia 2-1 in the Group B opener on Saturday.
Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is ready to play the mentor's role irrespective of who leads the team in their Euro 2016 opener against Ukraine on Sunday.
Representing Wales at the European Championship is a welcome change from being on "holiday" during a major international tournament, Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey has said. Wales will be making a first appearance at a major finals since the 1958 World Cup when Chris Coleman's side kick off their Euro 2016 Group B campaign against Slovakia on Saturday. Ramsey is keen for Wales to stamp their authority early on in the tournament with a positive result in their Bordeaux opener. "I'm excited... normally I'm on holiday now," the 25-year-old told reporters in France. "Our target is to get out of the group first and I think a win will probably get you through, maybe in third place.
England and Russia are the big beasts of Group B and, though each would love a winning start when they meet on Saturday, the fear of losing could well become all-pervading and lead to a cagey encounter. With games against Wales and Slovakia to come, and the potential for three teams to qualify with two guaranteed, a point at the Velodrome might look a very useful result in a couple of weeks. England, on the back of winning all 10 qualifiers, not to mention a rare victory in Germany in a friendly, start favourites and will expect to make the running in front of a 60,000 crowd that will be predominantly behind them.
Wales winger Gareth Bale has enough firepower to terrorise opponents in this month's European Championship in France, midfielder Joe Allen has said.
Bigger than ever, the European Championship kicks off in Paris on Friday with a four-week feast of football that promises to elevate the game above the corruption scandals and security fears that have overshadowed its build-up. All eyes will be on hosts France when they get the ball rolling against Romania in the Stade de France -- 210 days after suicide bombers at the same venue triggered a night of horror across the capital which killed 130 people.
England must ignore talks about their Euro 2016 prospects and focus instead on getting off to a good start in their tournament opener against Russia on Saturday, midfielder Adam Lallana has said. Warm-up victories over Turkey, Australia and Portugal have raised hopes of Roy Hodgson's charges ending the country's 50-year wait for a major international trophy since England's World Cup triumph in 1966. "All the team's focus will be on Russia now. It's the first game, you don't want to lose your first match and it's important we get off to a good start and build from there," Lallana told British media. "I think it's important to treat it as much of a normal game as you can. There's always going to be hype but if we concentrate on our football and don't get too caught up in the emotion and what comes with it then I'm sure we'll be fine."
Losing striker Jamie Vardy to Arsenal could spark an exodus of players from Leicester City, former defender Gerry Taggart has said, adding that the move could be catastrophic for the Premier League champions. Arsenal tabled a bid for Vardy before he left for the European Championship in France with the rest of England's squad on Monday, according to British media reports. The 29-year-old was the joint second-highest scorer in the English top-flight last season and Arsenal's bid comes at an uncomfortable time for England, whose manager Roy Hodgson has banned players' agents from the team hotel in Chantilly to avoid his players being distracted. "If Vardy goes then one or two others might want to leave as well," Taggart, who made over 100 appearances for Leicester, told the BBC. "For the good of the whole team and the club it is important Vardy stays."
England manager Roy Hodgson has told his squad to forget about potential club transfers and focus on their Euro 2016 campaign. With Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy the subject of a bid from Arsenal, according to British media, Hodgson has reportedly banned agents from the team hotel in Chantilly, though he is more concerned with players concentrating on the job at hand. England open their Group B campaign against Russia on Saturday before facing Wales and Slovakia. "Whether they (agents) come to the hotel or not is a moot point," he was quoted as saying on The Independent website. "They will be talking to the players face to face, on the phone or via Skype or Facebook, who the hell knows? "But one thing this group of players know and have accepted is that when you are on England duty, you are on England duty. Hodgson added that if a player decided to move clubs while on England duty he would not be allowed to leave to undertake a medical. "It is not a question of you sorting out your future, or diving off for medicals," he said.
Germany central defender Jerome Boateng has questioned whether England have enough quality to excel at the European Championship that will commence in France this week.
A round-up of Euro 2016 warm-up matches played on Sunday
The Indian 4x400m women's relay team, led by Jauna Murmu, Ashwini Akkunji, Anilda Thomas and MR Poovamma, clocked 3.31.39sec to win the gold medal at the PTS Athletics Meeting in Samorin, Slovakia. Only 16 countries are eligible to compete in the relay events of track and field at the Rio Olympics, and as a result of their performance in Slovakia last night, India has improved its 4x400m women quartet's world ranking to 15th position which is a step towards that goal. As per the IAAF regulations, the 2016 OG qualification standards has to be attained between the period, January 1, 2016 to July 11, 2016. The Samorin performance is the Indian relay quartet's second fastest timing and improves its average from two-fastest races to 3:30.24sec.
Mario Mandzukic and Nikola Kalinic grabbed hat-tricks as Croatia achieved a record win as an independent nation by demolishing San Marino 10-0 in their final Euro 2016 warm-up match in Rijeka.
Spain's Garbine Muguruza beat Serena Williams 7-5, 6-4 to win the French Open on Saturday and claim her first Grand Sam title. Take a look at the career of the 22-year-old.
England must be a bit more 'streetwise' if they are to have any chance of winning the Euro 2016 in France, according to defensive midfielder Eric Dier.
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