Euro 2016 Results: Group Scores, Highlights and Twitter Reaction from Wednesday

Euro 2016 host nation France earned a berth in the tournament's knockout phase in thrilling fashion Wednesday as they netted two late goals against upset-minded Albania in their second Group A match.

Switzerland and Romania played to a draw in the other Pool A fixture during Wednesday's action. In Group B, Slovakia took a major step toward securing a knockout spot with a win over a struggling Russia side who are now in imminent danger of getting eliminated.

Let's check out the complete list of final scores from Day 6 of the event. That's followed by a recap of the action from around France.

Wednesday's Match Results

Group	Match Result	Score
B	Slovakia defeated Russia	2-1
A	Romania and Switzerland drew	1-1
A	France defeated Albania	2-0

Slovakia 2, Russia 1

Vladimir Weiss and Marek Hamsik connected on a pair of first-half goals as Slovakia scored a minor upset over Russia to ensure they control their own destiny heading into the final group match. Meanwhile, Russia are in serious danger of elimination after earning just one point from their first two matches.

Weiss got the Repre on the scoreboard shortly after the half-hour mark. Hamsik provided a terrific delivery from behind the halfway line that landed behind the Russian defenders and at the feet of the 26-year-old winger, who took a quick touch inside before blasting the shot past Igor Akinfeev.

OptaFranz noted the opening goal also represented a tournament first:

Hamsik added to the lead right before half-time. It was a rare moment of glory for the short corner as Weiss found the longtime Napoli midfielder cutting just outside box. The Russian defence was caught off guard by another quick cut as he created space before cracking a perfect strike off the far post and in.

OptaJohan pointed out the goal capped a high-impact first half for the vice captain:

Afterward, Slovakia head coach Jan Kozak praised Hamsik and stated he believes the midfielder could make his mark with a top European side, per Rastislav Hribik and Richard van Poortvliet of UEFA.com.

"I don't know whether we will be here long enough for him to become one of the top players of the finals," Kozak said, "but what we can say is that he has matured as a person and as a player at Napoli—he is ready to play for a very big club."

Russia attempted to make a late rally as Denis Glushakov made a nice run into open space and headed a shot home in the 80th minute off a hopeful cross from Oleg Shatov. The Russians weren't able to find an equaliser in the final moments, however, leaving them at the bottom of the group for the time being.

ESPN Stats & Info provided more information about the result:

Russia won't know the full extent of the danger they are in until England and Wales play Thursday to complete the second set of matches in Group B. They are definitely going to need a victory over Wales in the finale and may end up needing some additional help to guarantee progression as well.

Meanwhile, the victory gives Slovakia a little more room for optimism as they prepare to face England next Monday. The Repre are already in a position where they would advance with a win, and a draw may prove good enough depending on tomorrow's result.

Romania 1, Switzerland 1

Romania and Switzerland played to a highly entertaining draw that saw the sides combine for a total of 33 shot attempts. Both goalkeepers, Ciprian Tatarusanu (Romania) and Yann Sommer (Switzerland), were up to the task for most of the match to earn their respective sides a point.

The Tricolorii netted their second penalty of the tournament to grab the early edge. Captain Stephan Lichtsteiner was penalized for grabbing the shirt of Alexandru Chipciu, and Bogdan Stancu calmly slotted the ensuing spot-kick into the corner in the 18th minute.

CNN Football Club passed along an overhead look as Sommer guessed the wrong way:

Romania started to play a more physical brand of football after scoring as they fought to protect the lead from a suddenly more urgent Swiss side. The result was a trio of yellow cards before half-time, but they did maintain the advantage into the break.

The Rossocrociati stuck back just before the hour mark, though. Admir Mehmedi unleashed a laser as the Romanian back line reacted slowly to a loose ball in the box off a corner kick, leaving Tatarusanu with no hope of reacting quickly enough to parry it away.

UEFA Euro 2016 highlighted the moment of contact on the game-tying volley:

Getting a point keeps Romania alive heading into the group's final matches. They will need a victory over Albania and a France win over Switzerland to have a chance to advance directly with a top-two finish based on either goal difference or goals scored.

Switzerland still hold the advantage, though. Not only do they just need a draw to lock up a place in the knockout rounds, but France may opt to rest a couple starters with their ticket already punched out of the group, though the top spot in Group A is still up for grabs.

France 2, Albania 0

It appeared France would be forced to accept a draw with Albania as they squandered chance after chance despite controlling the pace of play for a majority of the fixture. Of the side's 22 shot attempts, none of them were even on target until the final two, but the Blues made sure to make them count.

The Blues' frustrations, which included several narrow misses from Olivier Giroud, finally came to an end in the 90th minute courtesy of Antoine Griezmann. The Atletico Madrid forward found an opening between Albanian defenders and headed home a cross from Adil Rami.

The Tactics Room noted the 5'9'' Frenchman has actually enjoyed a lot of success in the air:

With the monkey off their back, France added a second goal just before the final whistle. Dimitri Payet, who bolstered his possible transfer value for West Ham United with another strong showing, picked up a loose ball inside the attacking third and used a few nifty moves to free himself for the clinical tally.

Euro 2016 Stat Man provided the midfielder's final statistics:

Ultimately, France are moving on, but there's work to do. Head coach Didier Deschamps made the surprising decision to drop Griezmann and Paul Pogba from the starting lineup, and the attack didn't look the same until they entered in the second half.

The final group match against Switzerland figures to serve as a testing ground, which likely means more changes as Deschamps seeks a combination he likes heading into the knockout rounds.

As for Albania, they still have a chance to advance through a third-place finish, but they would need to beat Romania on Sunday to at least keep those hopes alive. The strong effort over the first 89 minutes against France should provide a confidence boost heading into that fixture.  

All match statistics courtesy of the tournament's official site.