SWITZERLAND-FRANCE
Switzerland-France: result and match report, Euro 2016 Group A
France are through as Group A winners and Switzerland finish second after a goalless draw, while Albania beat Romania to take third.
Euro 2016 hosts France progressed to the last 16 as Group A winners after a 0-0 stalemate with Switzerland on Sunday night, as Albania saw off Romania to claim a historic win.
France win the group, Switzerland second
The point for the French - who hit the bar on three occasions, twice through Paul Pogba and once courtesy of a fabulous second-half volley from substitute Dimitri Payet - was enough to ensure a round-of-16 tie with a third-placed side.
The draw in Lille sees the Swiss clinch second and advance to the competition's knockout stages for the first time. Vladimir Petkovic's men go on to meet the team finishing second in Group C - one of Germany, Poland and Northern Ireland.
Memorable night for Albania
In the group's other fixture, played in Lyon, Armando Sadiku's first-half header for Albania handed the Southeastern Europeans a 1-0 victory over Romania - their first at the finals of a major tournament.
The triumph means Albania jump to a final position of third and, with three points to their name, they will now wait to see if they qualify as one of the four best third-placed nations at Euro 2016.
Anghel Iordanescu's Romania, meanwhile, are condemned to last place and a first-round exit.
Here's how the action unfolded:
And it's all over in Lyon! Albania beat Romania and clinch third spot in the group with their first goal and first win at the finals of a European Championships! They finish on three points and will have to wait to see whether they progress to the knockout stages or not. Romania are out.
Peeep! And that's that! Switzerland-France ends goalless, meaning the tournament hosts top the group and will face the third-placed team from one of Groups C, D and E in the last 16. The Swiss take second and will meet the side finishing second in Group C - presumably Poland or Germany. Albania and Romania are still playing...
Min 92 | Well well well Sagna... Lang crosses towards the back stick and the City full-back has a real hold of Dzemaili's shirt. Nothing doing, though...
Min 90 | Two minutes of added time. It's slowing down to a nigh-on walking pace here. At the Parc Olympique Lyonnais, the Albanian fans are getting ready to celebrate a historic win.
Min 86 | Switzerland's MIchael Lang comes on for Mehmedi, before Gignac draws a handball from Schär in Payet territory. The number 8 stands over it, just left of centre and a few yards outside of the box...and it's off the wall and out for a goal kick - it hit Sissoko.
Min 82 | Albania continue to lead Romania in Lyon, while over in Lille Koscielny is booked for a challenge on Lichtsteiner. Rodríguez flights the free-kick into the box, but it's headed away. Granit Xhaka's shirt is ripped, and I have lost count of the Swiss players to have had such an apparel issue now tonight.
Min 80 | Shaqiri is replaced by one-time Man City midfield man Gelson Fernandes, before the ball sits up nicely for Payet just outside the box...but he's off target!
Min 78 | My colleague is trying to tell us that the technique for Payet's volley on the run isn't that hard. Hmm. As a well-known fictional news reader from San Diego would say, let's agree to disagree. Blaise Matuidi comes on for Griezmann.
Min 76 | Payet volleys it against the bar! Sissoko crosses high to the far post, where the West Ham United star pings a wonderfully controlled side-footed effort off the woodwork and down again! Sommer was beaten.
Min 73 | Embolo comes off for the Swiss, with ex-Real Sociedad striker Haris Seferovic introduced in his stead.
Min 71 | The tempo has dropped in Lille. You'd imagine that the closer we get to full time, the more the teams'll be happy with what they've got.
Min 68 | It's been down the Swiss end for a couple of minutes now, but without a whiff of some sort of end product from Les Bleus. This is France, though: they're clearly waiting until the last minute.
Min 64 | Ufff. Switzerland win another corner, and Shaqiri swings it in - for a moment it looks like it's going straight in - but it flies over onto the top of Lloris' net.
Min 63 | France make the game's first change as Coman trots off for man-of-the-moment Dimitri Payet, who enters the fray to a rapturous welcome. Will his late-goal lightning strike thrice?
Min 60 | An hour gone, and it's still France and Switzerland through to the last 16, Albania third on three points and Romania bottom.
Min 57 | Great chance for Griezmann! The French have been distinctly second best so far this half, but that's a really good opportunity to take the lead! The Atleti ace plays a one-two with Gignac, advances into the box and fires towards goal - but Sommer parries it behind!
Min 53 | Park football moment alert! Djourou's pass backwards is too short and Griezmann is haring after it, tangling with Valon Behrami as the Watford man stops him in his tracks - he was almost through on goal there - and in the tussle, the ball is trodden on and bursts!
Min 52 | The Swiss have had the better of the second period so far, and let's not forget that one goal would leave them at the top of the group. Just as I say that, Gignac cuts in from the left and fires straight at Sommer.
Min 50 | Shaqiri wins a corner for the Swiss, and the roar goes up among their fans - but the delivery travels all the way across the crowd of players and France take it clear. Petkovic's men then get a hold of the ball and win a corner to be swung in by Rodríguez, which is half-cleared before the Wolfsburg player is caught offside when the ball comes back to him.
Min 46 | Switzerland go on the attack and Embolo centres, but Koscielny is on hand to nick it clear.
Peep! We're back underway in both Group A games.
Switzerland and France are back out for the second half! No changes for either side.
Peeep! That's half time in Lille, where it remains scoreless - not for the want of trying, particularly as far as Pogba's concerned (and that's at both ends). The whistle goes in Lyon too, where Albania's goal late on in the period means they're leading 1-0 and sitting in third in Group A, ahead of Anghel Iordanescu's side. So, as things stand: France win the group, Switzerland are second and also into the knockout stages, Albania are third with three points, while Romania prop the section up.
Min 43 | A searching ball to the back of the box picks out Xherdan Shaqiri with the chance to cut inside and shoot, but the Stoke man's control is reminiscent of this humble scribes (that is to say, pants). And in Lyon... Albania score! Armando Sadiku nods in at the far post for their first ever European Championship finals goal! And sets off on a Tardelli-esque celebration which then transitions into a classic knee-slide in front of his team's dugout.
Min 41 | Switzerland play a spot of keep-ball, before France nick it and almost have Gignac through on Sommer, but not quite. La Marseillaise is being belted out once more.
Min 36 | Coman cuts inside on the right and feeds in a cute little low cross that's asking to be snapped up but is taken clear by a red shirt, before Pogba is penalised for trying to start a one-on-one game of Twister with Embolo.
Min 33 | As it stands, France are winning the group, Switzerland are going through in second and Romania are coming third with two points, which is highly unlikely to be enough.
Min 29 | That's nice from the Swiss to carve out a shooting chance for the lively Embolo, Lichsteiner feeding Dzemaili to backheel to the youngster, whose near post effort is cleared for a corner, which France deal with. Down the other end, Coman swings in an inviting cross which Griezmann might have got to if he weren't such a Tiny Tim of a forward.
Min 25 | A corner for France, two, three... and on the third Laurent Koscielny's header back across goal is cleared by Schär. Rami then earns the game's opening yellow card with high feet on Mehmedi.
Min 22 | It's a dangerous free-kick to the Swiss on the left sideline, but Ricardo Rodríguez's delivery is poor... Over in Lyon, Ermin Lenjani has just missed a sitter for Albania, and it's still 0-0 in both of tonight's Group A clashes.
Min 19 | Pogba is very much up for it ce soir. He it is who sends in a searching cross to the back stick, where Gignac can't quite connect properly with his header. Admir Mehmedi then cuts inside dangerously and curls off target for Switzerland. It's been a thoroughly watchable start to proceedings.
Min 17 | France are carving out openings aplenty here. First Antoine Griezmann's lay-off finds Gignac in space to shoot from the edge of the box, before Pogba drives at the Swiss goal and thunders it against the crossbar!
Min 15 | Switzerland had started well, but France have started to threaten. Just as I say that, Dzemaili has a shooting chance for Vladimir Petkovic's men, but the sting is taken out of it and Hugo Lloris gathers.
Min 13 | Newsflash: we have a Pogba! The midfielder latches on to a Kingsley Coman mishit to fire in a venomous, angled left-footed effort from the left of the area, only for Sommer to produce a fine stop to put it out with a little help from the bar.
Min 11 | Ufff! André-Pierre Gignac cuts inside and feeds Pogba, and the Juventus man controls, gets it out of his feet and curls a lovely effort towards the top corner! Yann Sommer saves, and it's out for a corner - which comes to precisely zip.
Min 8 | Switzerland almost take the lead! Fabian Schär nods on the corner to the back post, where Paul Pogba is marking Embolo - and has a good go at scuffing his clearance back the way into his own net, before it hits Embolo and France finally get it away.
Min 6 | Over at Romania-Albania, it also remains goalless. Hoban has just submitted his personal attempt at a new record for rolls after being fouled, though. Back in Lille, Adil Rami has to be alive to knock it out with Lichsteiner conveging on the ball in the box.
Min 3 | Stefan Lichtsteiner hoists it forward towards Breel Embolo, but the exciting young Basel prospect is flagged off. Meanwhile, my colleague is incredulous: "France are the hosts, but they're the away team tonight? And they use the away dressing room?"
Min 2 | France - for whom Deschamps has made five changes to the side that sneaked past Albania - start on the attack and immediately have two corners in succession, which come to nought.
Peep! We're underway in Lille, with Romania-Albania (where the rub is simple: both must win) also up and running in Lyon.
1 min to kick-off | France need just a point to ensure they progress as Group A winners, while for the Swiss a draw will make sure they qualify - but a victory would see them leapfrog the French and top the section.
4 mins to kick-off | The teams are out in Lille and it's anthem time. Switzerland first, followed by a belting rendition of La Marseillaise. I'm something of a sucker for Les Bleus pre-game sing-song, so Didier Deschamps' men win the anthem-off.
The teams are out!
Switzerland XI: Sommer, Lichtsteiner, Schär, Djourou, Rodríguez, Behrami, Xhaka, Džemaili, Mehmedi, Shaqiri, Embolo
France XI: Lloris, Sagna, Rami, Koscielny, Evra, Cabaye, Sissoko, Pogba, Coman, Griezmann, Gignac
Preview France vs Switzerland: Euro2016
A draw will do both sides perfectly well in Lille to send France through as group winners and the Swiss in second place.
However, both teams will fancy their chances of claiming all three points. Switzerland are an attacking side who look to move the ball quickly and France keeper Hugo Lloris is guaranteed to have some work to do. Swiss coach Vladimir Petkovic is unlikely to make many changes to the side that drew with Romania last time out, with Admir Mehmedi, Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka all set to start against a France side that Petkovic admitted ahead of the game “remain the big favourites.”
Didier Deschamps’ Les Bleus have already secured their place in the last 16 but have yet to fully douse the ire of the national media and supporters, who have booed star striker Antoine Griezmann and watched their side pick up six points via two late rallies against Romania and Albania.
The France coach was not without his problems in the build-up to the tournament, not lleast due to the ongoing legal case involving Mathieu Valbuena and Karim Benzema, both of whom were omitted from the tournament squad.
In France’s last match, midfielder and talisman Paul Pogba, who has yet to fire at Euro 2016, appeared to aim an insult towards the press box and both the Juve player and Griezmann were left out of the starting line-up against Albania. However, both are likely to start alongside France’s star turn of the tournament so far, Dimitri Payet.
N'Golo Kanté and Olivier Giroud could be rested as they are just one yellow card away from missing the last 16 through suspension.