EURO 2016: Kante Through And Vardy Scores For England

- Jamie Vardy comes off the bench to score for England in a 2-1 win over Wales 

- Christian Fuchs plays 90 minutes in a 0-0 draw for Austria against Portugal 

- Just one group game now remains for each team ahead of the knockout stages 

The second round of Euro 2016 group matches concluded on Saturday night, with a total of three Leicester City stars seeing action for their respective nations. 

For France, N’Golo Kanté was once again at the heart of an impressive display from the tournament hosts as they overcame Albania with a 2-0 victory in Marseille. 

The Leicester City man played 90 minutes as the French left it late to secure the win – goals coming from Antoine Griezmann and Dimitri Payet inside second half stoppage time. 

That was a victory that ensured France become the first team to reach the knockout stages, with a point against Switzerland in their final game all that’s required to secure top spot in the group. 

Jamie Vardy’s England and Andy King’s Wales faced off on Thursday in a huge Group B clash in Lens, with England looking to bounce back from a late draw with Russia while Chris Coleman’s men were hoping to build on a 2-1 win over Slovakia in their opening game. 

Both Vardy and King started on their respective benches for the match, which was going in Wales’ favour when Real Madrid superstar Gareth Bale fired in a 35-yard free kick before the break. 

That setback saw England introduce both Vardy and Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge from the bench at half time. The Leicester man struck first, just 10 minutes after coming on with an instinctive finish before playing a part in Sturridge’s excellent stoppage time winner. 

Finally on Saturday night, an Austria side captained by Christian Fuchs faced a tough task against Group F favourites Portugal, who were looking to re-affirm that tag after a 1-1 draw with Iceland in their opening game. 

Austria meanwhile were beaten 2-0 by Hungary after going down to 10 men in their opener. It was an excellent and resolute display for the Austrians in the face of considerable Portugese firepower – most notably Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo. 

The forward was thwarted a number of times on the night by Fuchs and his defensive colleagues and even saw a penalty strike the upright, meaning Austria were able to hold out for a point that keeps their hopes of progress alive. 

GROUP A 

Next up: 

FRANCE (Kanté) vs. Switzerland – Sunday 19 June (8pm KO) 

Knockout stages: 

France are already through to the knockout stages after winning their opening two group games against Romania and Albania. 

Opposition: 

If they secure a point against Switzerland they will win the group, and face the third placed team from either Group C, D or E. At the moment those teams are Northern Ireland, Czech Republic and Sweden. If they lose to Switzerland, they will face the runner-up from Group C – Germany, Poland or Northern Ireland. 

GROUP B 

Next up: 

Russia vs. WALES (King) – Monday 20 June (8pm KO) 

Slovakia vs. ENGLAND (Vardy) – Monday 20 June (8pm KO) 

Knockout stages: 

England need a point against Slovakia to guarantee progress to the knockout stages while Wales need a win against Russia to be sure. A draw for Wales would be good enough if England beat Slovakia. 

Opposition: 

The winners of Group B will face the third placed team from either Group A, C or D, which at the moment is Romania, Northern Ireland and Czech Republic. The runner-up will play the second placed team from Group F – Hungary, Iceland, Portugal or Austria. 

GROUP F 

Next up: 

Iceland vs. AUSTRIA (Fuchs) – Wednesday 22 June (KO 5pm) 

Knockout stages: 

Austria must win against Iceland in their final group game if they hope to progress from Group F. They can finish second if they beat Iceland and Portugal do not win against Hungary. A draw against Iceland would leave them facing elimination. 

Opposition: 

Should Austria finish second in Group F, they will face the second placed team from Group B, which contains England, Wales, Slovakia and Russia.