Gary Lineker Defends England Performance In Euros 2016 Slovakia Group B Clash

But he had words of congratulations for Wales.
Saving themselves: Former England striker and Match of the Day host Gary Lineker
Saving themselves: Former England striker and Match of the Day host Gary Lineker
Neal Simpson/EMPICS Sport

Gary Lineker has hit back at England fans dissapointed by their team's performance this evening, as he said the Lions were saving their true skills for the upcoming knock-out stage at the Euros.

The broadcaster and former England player, Lineker said fans of the team always "expect to crush the opposition" and defended Hodgson's men.

He also congratulated Wales on their 3-0 over Russia, after a match that was fraught with concerns that there may have been a repeat of violent clashes between fans like those seen between Russia and England last week.

Lot of negativity on here but everyone is hard on their own team and expect to crush the opposition. It's rarely that easy.

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) June 20, 2016

Well played Wales! Brilliant effort.

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) June 20, 2016

The striker who praised England's performance and said the team had achieved "total domination ... without one lucky break".

Despite a dozen chances, England failed to convert shots into a breakthrough in the 95 minutes they spent battling Slovakia to try and top the Group B rankings.

Total domination from England without one lucky break. Saving it for the KO stage, hopefully. Sometimes easier against sides who have a go.

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) June 20, 2016

Wales won Group B with six points, followed by England with five. With four points, Slovakia can still reach the knockout round as one of the four best third-place teams.

Many fans were frustrated at manager Roy Hodgson's failure to lead England to outflank Wales and themselves reach the top of the leaderboard.

This sums up the game in case you missed it #ENGSLO pic.twitter.com/CcYhENbBl3

— SlashFootball (@slashfootball) June 20, 2016

#ENGSLO
Hodgson should have been sacked after World Cup Fiasco.
3 goals, two draws,a last minute winner, 2nd in Group, is not good enough.

— Cllr.Brian Silvester (@CllrBSilvester) June 20, 2016

Roy Hodgson right now... #ENGSLO pic.twitter.com/FuSNbP7I5t

— BreatheSport (@BreatheSport) June 20, 2016

The match passed without the scenes of violence police were preparing for.

On Monday, France's interior minister revealed 557 "violent supporters" had been arrested at the European Championship, with 344 of them being held by police.

Bernard Cazeneuve said custody has been followed by "very firm prison sentences for a certain number" of them, the Associated Press reported.

In a statement, the government later said that 21 fans have been sent to jail while another six had been given suspended prison sentences; French authorities have ordered a further 25 supporters to be deported.

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