PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 10: Paul Pogba of France lines up for the national anthem prior to the UEFA Euro 2016 Group A match between France and Romania at Stade de France on June 10, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Day six at Euro 2016 sees Slovakia go to the top of Group B while France wins it late

Posted by on Jun 15, 2016 17:10

Day six at Euro 2016 saw Slovakia score a big 2-1 win over Russia to put themselves even with Wales at the top of Group B, and leave Russia in serious trouble. Switzerland were unimpressive once again but did enough to get a draw with Romania which puts them at four points. That should certainly be enough to advance. The story of the day though was French manager Didier Deschamps dropping Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann from the starting XI against Albania. The move nearly backfired as it took France 89 minutes to get a breakthrough, which came from none other than Griezmann.

1) Biggest winner: Marek Hamsik (Slovakia)

Unless you are a Serie A fan, you probably hadn’t heard of Marek Hamsik coming into this tournament. Well you have now. Hamsik delivered a brilliant long ball to set up Slovakia’s first goal provided Slovakia’s second on a tremendous shot. He’s currently the captain of Napoli, a club that lost a player last summer to Leicester City because Leicester could pay him more money. Hamsik could be in for a big payday this summer.

2) Standout performer: Granit Xhaka (Switzerland)

Switzerland may have failed to convince for the second game in a row but it wasn’t because of Xhaka. The newly signed Arsenal midfielder sprayed passes all over the field, creating many chances for his teammates. You can’t blame him for their inability to finish.

3) Biggest loser: Didier Deschamps (France)

French manager Didier Deschamps dropped star players Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba from the starting XI, choosing to go with a 4-2-3-1 formation that featured Dimitri Payet as the number 10. France generated no offense in the first half and by halftime Deschamps had to admit he made a mistake when he subbed on Paul Pogba with Griezmann following shortly after. The move nearly backfired as it took France until the 90th minute to finally get a goal, which was scored by none other than Griezmann while Pogba played an influential role in both goals. Even more perplexing from Deschamps has been him sticking with striker Olivier Giroud, who continues to send good chance after good chance over the bar. If Pogba and Griezmann could be dropped, why not Giroud?

 

4) Best tweet

5) Biggest surprise: France dropping Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann

Didier Deschamps was clearly not happy with the play of Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann in France’s opener against Romania when he pulled them both off in the second half. But Deschamps wanted to send an even stronger message when he left them both out of the starting XI against Albania. This is the luxury that the coach of France has when he can drop Griezmann and Pogba and still have Kingsley Coman, Anthony Martial, Blaise Matuidi, and N’Golo Kante.

6) Worst moment: More fan violence marring a great tournament

It’s becoming an almost daily occurrence in France as police have to fight to prevent violence from the Russian fans. While there were no issues (other then a flare being sent off) inside the stadium, fights broke out between Russian and Slovakian fans after the match. It’s not just the Russians as police once again were forced to deal with English fans, including many who banded together with Welsh fans to continue to mock the Russians, despite the two teams no longer being in the same city. Earlier UEFA ruled that one more instance of violence from Russian fans inside the stadium would result in Russia being disqualified. If we’ve already hit that point, then it’s time to start questioning we can simply turn around and trust Russia to be able to host the World Cup in two years.

https://twitter.com/mikeornsteinWEN/status/743112858712563714

7) Best goal: Marek Hamsik (Slovakia) 

I hate short corners because they never seem to work but this is the one time it’s acceptable. When you take it quick before the defense can even get set up. Then you have an edge and Hamsik took full advantage of it, unleashing this ridiculous shot.

8) Extra time

Slovakia’s win over Russia sends them to the top of Group B, which will put a lot of pressure on England before their match against Wales Thursday. Should they fail to win, England could be in a lot of trouble heading into their final group match against Slovakia. France’s switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation was certainly perplexing as while Dimitri Payet may be their most creative player, he still plays as a wide man for both club and country. The formation exiles Paul Pogba, who could be the worlds best midfielder to the bench. It just doesn’t make sense, France is a lot more dynamic in a 4-3-3 formation with Payet cutting in from the outside. Griezmann’s finish on his goal showed he can be a much more dangerous central striker for France than Giroud.

9) Thursday’s games 

The action continues with three more games on Thursday starting with the big one as England take on Wales from Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens. Then at noon the action continues from the Stade de Lyon with Northern Ireland and the Ukraine. Wrapping things up will be another big one when Germany takes on Poland from the Stade de France.

About Pauly Kwestel

Pauly is a Producer for WFAN in New York and the CBS Sports Radio Network. He has been writing about the beautiful game since 2010 and can be followed on twitter @pkwestelWFAN

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