Slovakia 0-0 England
By Nick Powell
England missed out on the top spot in Group B as they were held to a frustrating draw against Slovakia, who in the process gave themselves a huge chance of qualification.
England, playing in red, outplayed their opposition as they had done in their first two games but a combination of a lack of skill and poor performance in front of goal meant they failed to get the breakthrough against their Eastern European opponents.
Jamie Vardy went close as he broke clear in the first half, and Slovakian goalkeeper Matus Kozacik also saved a Nathaniel Clyne chance as he had a strong outing.
But England missed some good opportunities, Dele Alli and Daniel Sturridge having chances that they should have put away, in a second half which just didn't match the promise that the previous second half had against Wales.
Slovakia fought hard and defended with great passion, and they are in a fantastic position to go through against one of the winners of Groups C or D.
And as for Wales, they leapt to the top of Group B with a fine win against a poor Russia, 3-0.
Hodgson Feel-Good Factor Erased
Ultimately it wasn't a good day for Roy Hodgson, having been lauded as a genius for his super-subs against Wales, England didn't really look like scoring and his radical idea of six changes prior to kick off was arguably mis-judged.
Jordan Henderson, a new selection, was poor from start to finish but was allowed to stay on for the duration of the game. It was inexplicable that he was allowed to, continuing to play poor balls, pass inaccurately and blaze shots in that had no chance of giving England the lead.
Whilst leaving out Raheem Sterling was a relief, he neglected to start Rooney and Alli and whilst they came on in the second half, you felt they needed longer. His decision to try the two other full backs was hardly inspired either, though they did not perform as well as expected.
In hindsight, it didn't work for the England manager, but many were excited with the line up before kick-off, the fact is many players massively underperformed. It is the failure to remove the problems on the day which is where the criticism deserves to come down on him.
Meek Midfield Sum Up Difficult Night
Wilshere was selected in a starting role alongside Jordan Henderson, with Eric Dier retaining his place in the defensive midfield role but all three players had a difficult night.
Wilshere showed that he really should be used off the bench, as he is still not at the fitness required to start a game at a European Championship. Whilst there is no denying his ability, a man who had not managed two full games of Premier League Football was thrown right in at the deep end, and was probably just one example of where Hodgson underestimated the opposition.
Jordan Henderson was very poor as mentioned previously. It was strange that he was included given the way that Dele Alli has played this season and Wayne Rooney has in the tournament but it might have been ok had he taken him off. He shouldn't have lasted to 45, let alone 90 minutes.
Eric Dier was far from impressive going forward, but he has done his job well in the first three games and he should start in the last 16 game, whoever England come up against.
Slovakia Show Brilliant Fight
Credit has to be given to Slovakia, who are now in a really great position to qualify as one of the 4 best 3rd place teams after a very good defensive performance. They offered next to nothing going forward but had very few heart in mouth moments and blocked a large proportion of England's 29 shots.
They had a clear plan and they kept their discipline for the whole match. Whilst England were not incredible on the night, it set an example for the likes of Northern Ireland, Iceland and Croatia who will be targeting a point in their last games coming up.
Slovakia are now likely to face a clash against Spain or Germany, the European and World Champions, it is tough to see how they will manage to hold on against those sides. But they have both shown signs of weakness, Spain leaving it very late to get a win against Slovakia's close neighbours the Czech Republic, and Germany being left goalless against Poland.
Despite Draw, There's No Need to Panic
England were uninspiring, but panicking now is the very worst thing they can do. England have hardly been great, but will benefit from playing a team that doesn't play 10 behind the ball. There's an argument to say they will score against better sides.
England have a week off before Nice next Monday, but they need to keep an eye on Group F. They could face Portugal or Hungary, which will see them get more opportunities as their opponents play for victory, or Austria or Iceland, which will see them have a repeat of their group (and Roy knows his best side to play against defensive teams now). Either way they have the tools to get a win, they just need temperament.
It has become clear that the likes of Sturridge and Wilshere are better coming off the bench, and that Rooney deserves his place in the stating line up, and if Hodgson uses the information obtained from this encounter then he should be able to put a decent game plan in place for the next game.
They've been disappointing so far, but in the bigger games, against bigger teams, they will get much more of an opportunity to create chances, the worry is defensively where it is incredible they've even managed to conceded 2 goals, given the way the games have panned out.
Roy Fearless
Roy Hodgson speaking on ITV: "If we had won the game people would say we didn't miss them [the players who were left out] and when we don't they say the team selection is wrong, I am used to that one.
"Finishing second is a disappointment but we are still in the last 16 and who is to say the team we will play will be that much stronger?
"You just don't know, the way we are playing I am not frightened of anybody."
Slovakia coach Jan Kozak: "Our players tired as the game went on and England showed their quality and strength, but when you see an opportunity you give everything you can.
"Perhaps I didn't expect to be pressed so deeply but we made some substitutions to neutralise the impact of their attack."
Player Ratings
Slovakia: Kozacik 7, Pekairk 7, Skrtel 7, Durica 6, Hubocan 6, Mak 5, Pecovsky 5, Hamsik 5, Weiss 5, Duda 6
Total: 59/110
England: Hart 7, Clyne 6, Cahill 7, Bertrand 6, Henderson 4, Dier 7, Wilshere 4, Sturridge 5, Vardy 7, Lallana 7
Total: 60/110
By Nick Powell
England missed out on the top spot in Group B as they were held to a frustrating draw against Slovakia, who in the process gave themselves a huge chance of qualification.England, playing in red, outplayed their opposition as they had done in their first two games but a combination of a lack of skill and poor performance in front of goal meant they failed to get the breakthrough against their Eastern European opponents.
Jamie Vardy went close as he broke clear in the first half, and Slovakian goalkeeper Matus Kozacik also saved a Nathaniel Clyne chance as he had a strong outing.
But England missed some good opportunities, Dele Alli and Daniel Sturridge having chances that they should have put away, in a second half which just didn't match the promise that the previous second half had against Wales.
Slovakia fought hard and defended with great passion, and they are in a fantastic position to go through against one of the winners of Groups C or D.
And as for Wales, they leapt to the top of Group B with a fine win against a poor Russia, 3-0.
Hodgson Feel-Good Factor Erased
Ultimately it wasn't a good day for Roy Hodgson, having been lauded as a genius for his super-subs against Wales, England didn't really look like scoring and his radical idea of six changes prior to kick off was arguably mis-judged.
Jordan Henderson, a new selection, was poor from start to finish but was allowed to stay on for the duration of the game. It was inexplicable that he was allowed to, continuing to play poor balls, pass inaccurately and blaze shots in that had no chance of giving England the lead.
Whilst leaving out Raheem Sterling was a relief, he neglected to start Rooney and Alli and whilst they came on in the second half, you felt they needed longer. His decision to try the two other full backs was hardly inspired either, though they did not perform as well as expected.
In hindsight, it didn't work for the England manager, but many were excited with the line up before kick-off, the fact is many players massively underperformed. It is the failure to remove the problems on the day which is where the criticism deserves to come down on him.
From strong, decisive substitutions against Wales, Hodgson deserves criticism for his changes against Slovakia
Meek Midfield Sum Up Difficult Night
Wilshere was selected in a starting role alongside Jordan Henderson, with Eric Dier retaining his place in the defensive midfield role but all three players had a difficult night.
Wilshere showed that he really should be used off the bench, as he is still not at the fitness required to start a game at a European Championship. Whilst there is no denying his ability, a man who had not managed two full games of Premier League Football was thrown right in at the deep end, and was probably just one example of where Hodgson underestimated the opposition.
Jordan Henderson was very poor as mentioned previously. It was strange that he was included given the way that Dele Alli has played this season and Wayne Rooney has in the tournament but it might have been ok had he taken him off. He shouldn't have lasted to 45, let alone 90 minutes.
Eric Dier was far from impressive going forward, but he has done his job well in the first three games and he should start in the last 16 game, whoever England come up against.
Eric Dier did not have a great game, but was probably England's best player on a frustrating night.
Slovakia Show Brilliant Fight
Credit has to be given to Slovakia, who are now in a really great position to qualify as one of the 4 best 3rd place teams after a very good defensive performance. They offered next to nothing going forward but had very few heart in mouth moments and blocked a large proportion of England's 29 shots.
They had a clear plan and they kept their discipline for the whole match. Whilst England were not incredible on the night, it set an example for the likes of Northern Ireland, Iceland and Croatia who will be targeting a point in their last games coming up.
Slovakia are now likely to face a clash against Spain or Germany, the European and World Champions, it is tough to see how they will manage to hold on against those sides. But they have both shown signs of weakness, Spain leaving it very late to get a win against Slovakia's close neighbours the Czech Republic, and Germany being left goalless against Poland.
Despite Draw, There's No Need to Panic
England were uninspiring, but panicking now is the very worst thing they can do. England have hardly been great, but will benefit from playing a team that doesn't play 10 behind the ball. There's an argument to say they will score against better sides.
England have a week off before Nice next Monday, but they need to keep an eye on Group F. They could face Portugal or Hungary, which will see them get more opportunities as their opponents play for victory, or Austria or Iceland, which will see them have a repeat of their group (and Roy knows his best side to play against defensive teams now). Either way they have the tools to get a win, they just need temperament.
It has become clear that the likes of Sturridge and Wilshere are better coming off the bench, and that Rooney deserves his place in the stating line up, and if Hodgson uses the information obtained from this encounter then he should be able to put a decent game plan in place for the next game.
They've been disappointing so far, but in the bigger games, against bigger teams, they will get much more of an opportunity to create chances, the worry is defensively where it is incredible they've even managed to conceded 2 goals, given the way the games have panned out.
Roy Fearless
Roy Hodgson speaking on ITV: "If we had won the game people would say we didn't miss them [the players who were left out] and when we don't they say the team selection is wrong, I am used to that one.
"Finishing second is a disappointment but we are still in the last 16 and who is to say the team we will play will be that much stronger?
"You just don't know, the way we are playing I am not frightened of anybody."
Slovakia coach Jan Kozak: "Our players tired as the game went on and England showed their quality and strength, but when you see an opportunity you give everything you can.
"Perhaps I didn't expect to be pressed so deeply but we made some substitutions to neutralise the impact of their attack."
Player Ratings
Slovakia: Kozacik 7, Pekairk 7, Skrtel 7, Durica 6, Hubocan 6, Mak 5, Pecovsky 5, Hamsik 5, Weiss 5, Duda 6
Total: 59/110
England: Hart 7, Clyne 6, Cahill 7, Bertrand 6, Henderson 4, Dier 7, Wilshere 4, Sturridge 5, Vardy 7, Lallana 7
Total: 60/110
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