What England and Wales need to reach knockouts

Friday 17 June at 9:49am

England went top of Group B after a dramatic 2-1 win over Wales in Lens on Thursday afternoon, so what do both sides now need to reach the knockout stages?

Here, we look at the permutations for England and Wales ahead of their final group games against Slovakia and Russia respectively.

Aaron Ramsey and Wales were left contemplating a different route in the last-16 after Daniel Sturridge's late winner. Credit: PA

Watch highlights of England 2-1 Wales

BOTH ENGLAND AND WALES WIN THEIR FINAL MATCHES

If both home nations win their final matches then England will top the group with seven points and face one of the best third-placed teams in the next round. Wales would finish second with six points and meet the runners-up from Group F, which contains Portugal, Iceland, Hungary and Austria.

IF ONE TEAM WINS AND THE OTHER DRAWS

If England won but Wales drew then the Welsh would still finish in second place with four points to Slovakia's three. Should England be held by Slovakia and the Welsh win then Chris Coleman's side would top the group with their neighbours having to settle for second place.

IF BOTH TEAMS DRAW

A draw for both home nations would see the table remain as it is now, with England and Wales again going through in first and second place respectively and Slovakia in third.

IF WALES LOSE

Should the Welsh lose to Russia then they will need England to beat Slovakia in order to potentially remain in the tournament. This would see them finish in third ahead of the Slovakians, who they beat in their opening game, as when two teams are level on points the result of their match against each other is used as a tie-breaker before their overall record. Anything less than an English win would see Wales finish bottom of the group.

IF ENGLAND LOSE

If England lose then they cannot finish top of the group, as Slovakia would move ahead of them with six points. The best Welsh result for England in this case would be a draw, which would keep England in second place ahead of Wales thanks to today's win acting as a tie-breaker. A Wales victory over Russia would move England down to third, and a Russian win could do the same if they were to finish with a superior goal difference.