Created on 16-06-2016 at 08:45 AM
Hosts France are the first side to seal a spot in the EURO 2016 last sixteen. Les Bleus struck late to beat Albania 2-0 at Marseille's Stade Vélodrome on Wednesday evening, moving onto six points which guarantee a berth in the first knockout round. The French with Bayern pro Kingsley Coman in the starting line-up ran up vainly against the rock of Albania's defence for a long time, but two stoppage-time goals by Antoine Griezmann, who came on for Coman, and Dimitri Payet sealed the victory. A draw against Switzerland would be sufficient for France to win the group.
Starting prospects for Thiago
Unlike Coman, Thiago and his Spanish team-mates still have to wait for their second match. The reigning European champions face Turkey on Friday. Head coach Vicente del Bosque indicated that Thiago, who came on as a sub in the 1-0 victory over the Czech Republic, might make the starting line-up: “We're very satisfied with him, he's made a good impression in terms of physique too. But there's a lot of competition in midfield, at Bayern as well as in the national team.” Del Bosque, who regards the 25-year-old as an “excellent footballer," indicated that he is considering making changes to the starting line-up.