Every match day during Euro 2016, The National's Premier League correspondent Greg Lea will break down every match and its key moments. Here is his analysis of Wednesday's action in the tournament.
Russia 1-2 Slovakia: Hamsik the hero
Slovakia recorded their first win in European Championship history to move into second place in the Group B standings.
It was a deserved triumph for Jan Kozak’s men in the end, even if they did become incredibly nervy when Russia pulled a goal back with 10 minutes left on the clock.
Two fine strikes in the first half had given them a healthy cushion, though, and that was ultimately enough for the Slovakians to get their first points on the board following a 2-1 defeat by Wales last time out.
Slovakia were content to cede possession throughout, safe in the knowledge that this is a Russia side severely lacking invention and ideas – as evidenced by the fact that their most common passing combinations were Sergei Ignashevich to fellow centre-half Vasili Berezutski (31) and Berezutski to Ignashevich (26).
If Russia were missing a dash of creativity in the final third, Marek Hamsik ensured Slovakia were not.
The Napoli playmaker set up Vladimir Weiss' opener before doubling his team's lead with a stunning finish late on in the first half. It was Hamsik who made Slovakia tick throughout, with Weiss, Robert Mak, Juraj Kucka and Ondrej Duda all impressing in support roles.
Slovakia will probably need to take something from Monday’s clash with England to qualify for the next round, but they have at least given themselves a chance with this historic victory.
France 2-0 Albania: Late, late show sends hosts through
Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann were rather ineffective in France’s opening-day triumph over Romania, but it was still a surprise to see the duo dropped to the substitutes’ bench for this encounter in Marseille.
It was a bold move from Didier Deschamps, and one that did not really come off. France were laboured in the first period, with many of their players looking uncomfortable in a 4-2-3-1 formation that featured Dimitri Payet in the No 10 role and Kingsley Coman and Anthony Martial out wide.
Albania did a good job at frustrating the hosts, who reverted back to a 4-3-3 after the interval as Pogba belatedly entered the fray.
France certainly improved thereafter, although it is worth noting that Etrit Berisha did not have a save to make in the Albania goal.
The pressure eventually told as Griezmann and Payet netted late on, but France desperately need to rediscover their fluency before the knockout stage. There is still plenty of work to be done.
More Euro 2016
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Romania 1-1 Switzerland: Not an ideal result for either side
A draw in Paris suits Switzerland more than it does Romania, but this was still not a particularly convincing performance from Vladimir Petkovic’s men.
Just as they had in a slightly fortuitous 1-0 win against Albania last weekend, Switzerland failed to click despite creating enough clear-cut chances to have recorded a second successive victory.
There are plenty of talented players within the Swiss ranks, but Petkovic is not quite getting the best out of them at present.
While four points should be enough to secure a place in the last 16 even if they are beaten by France in their final Group A encounter on Sunday, Switzerland will have to improve if they intend to advance any further than the first knockout round.
For Romania, nothing less than a win against Albania this weekend will do.
A well-refereed tournament
Certain events off the pitch have cast a shadow over Euro 2016 so far, but at least the behaviour on it has been altogether more positive.
There has, for the most part, been a distinct lack of simulation and dissent in the opening six days of the tournament, and although there is still plenty of time for that to change it is a refreshing development nonetheless.
In addition, almost every match has been refereed well, with the officials letting the game flow wherever possible and managing proceedings in a sensible manner.
It is difficult to recall many controversial decisions or significant errors – perhaps the biggest was the failure to award Wales a penalty when Slovakia’s Martin Skrtel elbowed Jonny Williams – while the belated introduction of goal-line technology has provided referees with some much-needed objective assistance.
It is much more enjoyable when the discussions about a tournament are focused on the actual football rather than refereeing mistakes or player misbehaviour, as they have been up to now. Long may it continue.
Player of the day
Albania could not quite hold out for a point, but Arlind Ajeti’s heroic efforts in the heart of the backline still deserve to be recognised. Perhaps it was no coincidence that his side’s resolve was only broken once he had left the pitch through injury.
Goal of the day
After demanding Vladimir Weiss play a Slovakia corner short to him, Marek Hamsik cut inside Oleg Shatov and bent a gorgeous strike into the back of the net via a satisfying thump of the far post.
Decision of the day
Slovakia manager Jan Kozak made a big call in fielding attacking midfielder Ondrej Duda up front ahead of natural striker Michal Duris, and the decision paid off handsomely.
Duda constantly dropped deep in his side’s defeat of Russia, tempting Sergei Ignashevich and Vasili Berezutski up the pitch and in turn opening up space for wide men Robert Mak and Vladimir Weiss to dart into. Slovakia’s fluid system worked well, and Kozak deserves credit for devising it.
Howler of the day
Haris Seferovic spurned a number of glorious goalscoring opportunities as Switzerland were held by Romania.
Statistic of the day
There was not a single shot on target in France’s win over Albania until Antoine Griezmann’s header in the 90th minute.
Thing to look forward to
Poland beat arch-rivals Germany for the first time in qualifying and would enjoy nothing more than repeating the feat in Paris on Thursday.
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