Group B cellar dwellers Russia (0-1-1, 1 point) will take on dark horse Wales (1-1-0, 3 points) in the third round of the 2016 UEFA European Championship group stage games in a match set on Monday, June 20 at the Stadium Municipal in Toulouse.
Sports Livestream ⚽ JOIN NOW for FREE
Instant access to the BT Sport, Sky Sports and Eurosport
The match will be crucial for both sides as it can determine who will land in the second spot of the group table, which will mean automatic qualification to the next round
.
Russia was left as the only winless team in the group after two rounds of competitions as they settled to a 1-1 draw with the star-studded England squad during their tournament opener. The team then lost to Slovakia, 1-2, in their second round fixture on Wednesday at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, via ESPN.
The Falcons went on a first half scoring-spree as midfielders Vladimir Weiss and Marek Hamsik alternated in scoring and passing at the 32nd and 45th minutes to give their side a two-point advantage at the halftime break.
The Golden Eagles managed to score a consolation goal at the 80th minute courtesy of substitute midfielder Denis Glushakov, who converted a cross from teammate Oleg Shatov.
Russia still has a shot of advancing into the knockout phase if they can pull off an upset over Wales in this match and if Slovakia loses to England in their own third round fixture.
Meanwhile, Wales dropped a highly disappointing 1-2 game to friendly rival England at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens on Thursday, Daily Mail Online reported.
Head coach Chris Coleman’s boys got the early upperhand in the match with Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale’s 35-yard free kick opener at the 42nd minute as the Three Lions entered the game seemingly slow and lackluster by its standards.
Things began to change in the second half, though, when Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge replaced Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling one minute after the restart. Vardy scored at the 56th before Sturridge sealed it in stoppage time, which sent heartaches to the Welshmen and their fans.
Wales will advance in the next round and have a chance at vindication if they beat Russia in this match.
The predicted result is a 2-1 decision for Wales.
Russia starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Akinfeev; Smolnikov, Berezutski, Ignashevich, Schennikov; Golovin, Neustadter; Kokorin, Shatov, Smolov; Dzyuba
Wales starting lineup (3-4-3 formation): Hennessey; Chester, Williams, Davies; Gunter, Ledley, Allen, Taylor; Ramsey, Robson-Kanu, Bale
