England and Bale's Wales set sights on Euro

Wayne Rooney's England and Gareth Bale and Wales will aim to cement their places in the Euro 2016 knockout phase on Monday in two high-security matches.

England take on Slovakia in Saint-Etienne while Wales play Russia in Toulouse with all four nations still in with a chance of reaching the next round.

Police will be watching closely in Toulouse to head off any repeat of the violence in Marseille around Russia's opening match against England.The fallout from that violence, much blamed on a group of well-prepared Russian hooligans, has seen UEFA formally warn Russia they will be disqualified if there is more stadium trouble.

Many cafe owners in the picturesque centre of Toulouse decided to shut their terraces for the day to avoid any damage.

English fans were also under surveillance in Saint-Etienne in central France.

England, thanks to Daniel Sturridge's stoppage-time winner against Wales, lead Group B on four points with Chris Coleman's men and Slovakia one point further back.Russia have looked unimpressive so far, despite pegging back England, and have only one point, but they remain in contention.

England face Slovakia knowing a draw would send them through to the next round, while a victory would guarantee top spot and a last-16 game in Paris.

- Welsh dream goes on -England coach Roy Hodgson was forced to reshuffle his pack after Bale's free-kick fired Wales ahead in their group game in Lens. Substitutes Jamie Vardy and Sturridge bailed out England in a dramatic 2-1 victory.

Premier League top scorer Harry Kane and winger Raheem Sterling, both of whom have struggled to find form in France, were substituted at half-time.

While Hodgson has decisions to make about his starting line-up, he said he might not make drastic changes against a Slovakia side counting once more on Napoli playmaker Marek Hamsik.

"I think the players are in good shape and I don't think it will be a problem if I keep the same side, but I do have the options if I want to make changes," Hodgson told reporters Sunday.In Toulouse, Real Madrid star Bale will try to exploit an ageing Russian back line.

Bale has scored two of his country's three goals, both directly from free-kicks, and the 26-year-old insisted his team-mates remain in high spirits despite their last-gasp defeat to England. 

"We have to forget about it. It's over. Our fate is in our own hands, and if you'd given us this at the start of the tournament we would have taken it," said Bale.

Russian coach Leonid Slutsky said his team will not try to man-mark Bale.

"It's hard to man-mark footballing superstars," added Slutsky.Wales can book their place in the last 16 with a victory, but a draw could also be sufficient to see the tournament debutants advance.

Manager Chris Coleman echoed Bale's optimism and believes Wales can keep their fans dreaming for some time yet after reaching their first major tournament finals since the 1958 World Cup.

"Look where we are, we're in a fantastic position. We're at our first major tournament, we've got the chance to progress. Our players have done unbelievably well," he said.

Russia must beat Wales to avoid a third straight group stage exit at a major tournament.

Adidas announced a deal worth more than 50 million euros ($56.5 million) a year to remain supplier of the German national team, in the face of competition from Nike.

The Albanian capital Tirana was also celebrating after the Balakan nation won its first ever match at a major international finals with a 1-0 victory over Romania in Lyon.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama tweeted "Goooooooooool" when Armando Sadiku's header looped into the net.

Thousands of fans erupted in joy in Mother Teresa Square which dominates the centre of Tirana.

Albania have a slim chance of qualifying from Group A -- won by host nation France after their 0-0 draw with Switzerland -- as one of the four best performing third-placed teams.

The team must await their fate -- but on Sunday their fans could not have cared less.

"We will celebrate achieving our dream this evening," said Tatjana Mali, 27, a medical student who had an Albanian flag draped around her shoulders.

"It's a historic victory for all Albanians," said journalism professor Genta Skuraj.

Source :AFP