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

Thursday at the Euro 2016 tournament was one of the more anticipated of the group stage, as rivals England and Wales were set to face off. Elsewhere, Germany had Poland to deal with and Ukraine took on Northern Ireland. 

England and Wales opened the day in brilliant fashion as a late goal gave England a 2-1 win. Northern Ireland then earned a historic 2-0 win over Ukraine, which was eliminated after Germany and Poland's scoreless draw.

Below, we'll break down all of the day's action.

England Beat Wales, 2-1

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England earned a crucial three points on Thursday against rivals Wales, and they had two of their substitutes to thank for the win.

Both Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge were substituted into the game to start the second half, and each scored for England, with Vardy equalising the game in the 56th minute and Sturridge providing the winner in the 92nd.

Gareth Bale had given Wales just before the break, but they couldn't hold off the English attack late. And England, perhaps, deserved that winner. The Three Lions dominated possession (64 per cent), outshot their opponents 21-7 (4-2 on goal) and earned nine corners to just three for Wales. 

It was a justified scoreline, as Phil McNulty of BBC Sport noted:

Sturridge, meanwhile, spoke about the victory after the game, per the England football Twitter account:

"I'm grateful to the gaffer for allowing me to score and it's a beautiful feeling to represent your country in the rivalry against another great country," the Liverpool striker added after the match, per Guardian Sport. "It's a brilliant feeling."

The result was hardly guaranteed after the first half, however, following Bale's brilliant 40-yard free-kick to give Wales the 1-0 lead. There's an argument to be made that goalkeeper Joe Hart could have done better, but take nothing away from Bale for his dipping, blistering strike.

Oliver Hart of the Daily Mail summed it up nicely:

Meanwhile, ESPN Stats & Information put into context the epic tournament Bale has had to this point:

The lead for Wales wouldn't last long, however.

Shortly after being substituted into the game, Vardy found himself alone in front of goal after a bit of a scramble and had a fairly easy tap-in to knot the game at a goal apiece. It appeared as though Vardy was offside on the play, but the ball actually deflected to him off the head of Ashley Williams, so the goal stood.

It wasn't pretty, as Oliver Kay of the Times noted, but it was certainly needed:

That set up a tense second half, with England primarily providing the threat. But it was Sturridge who broke through the Wales defence in the 92nd minute to provide the winner off an assist from Dele Alli.

Jonathan Northcroft of the Sunday Times praised the England striker for his finish:

Sam Wallace of the Telegraph concurred:

For England, the win almost assuredly means they'll advance to the knockout phase, though beating Slovakia would guarantee they top the group and earn a more advantageous placement in the next round. Slovakia won't be easy opponents, as they did something England couldn't do in beating Russia.

For Wales, meanwhile, they should be favoured against a disappointing Russia team, though of course the latter will be playing for their tournament lives. A point should get Wales through to the knockout phase, but it certainly won't come easy against the desperate Russians.

Northern Ireland Beat Ukraine, 2-0

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Northern Ireland earned a historic win on Thursday, beating Ukraine 2-0 behind goals from Gareth McAuley (49th minute) and Niall McGinn (96th minute).

The victory marked Northern Ireland's first-ever win at the Euros, according to Fox Soccer.

It was a simply fantastic performance from Northern Ireland, as football writer Andy Brassell noted:

Ukraine certainly had their chances. They had 70 per cent possession and outshot Northern Ireland 15-12 (though Northern Ireland held the advantage in shots on target, 7-4), per WhoScored.com.

But it was Northern Ireland who took their chances.

McAuley's goal was a thing of beauty. Oliver Norwood lined up for a Northern Ireland set piece and perfectly placed his service into the box, where McAuley rose above his defender and headed back against the face of goal, easily beating the helpless Andriy Pyatov.

That goal was a long time coming, as OptaJoe noted:

The game would then be halted for a time due to adverse weather conditions that included sizable chunks of hail. But not even Mother Nature was going to ruin Northern Ireland's party.

McGinn finished things off in stoppage time on the counter-attack. Josh Magennis found Stuart Dallas with acres of space to get off his shot at the edge of the box, but Pyatov came up with the save. He couldn't corral the rebound, however, and McGinn was in position to easily slot home Northern Ireland's second goal.

And that goal perhaps gave them the chance to advance to the knockout phase, per Ian Macintosh of ESPN FC:

It also was a reminder that the new format at this year's Euros, at least thus far, seems to be working, per Bill Barnwell of ESPN:

Indeed, Northern Ireland now sit on three points, though their final game will be a brutal matchup against powerhouse Germany on June 21. Still, three points possibly could be enough to see them advance to the knockout phase, and a draw would dramatically increase their odds.

Ukraine are done, meanwhile. And after their first two poor showings, it's hard to see Ukraine getting any points against a talented Polish side.

Germany and Poland Draw, 0-0

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Coming into Thursday, most people probably wouldn't have predicted that if there was a scoreless draw on the day, it would come during the match between the World Cup champions Germany and dangerous Poland.

That was the case nonetheless, however, as the two countries finished knotted at 0-0. 

On paper, Germany were the stronger team. The Germans held 66 per cent possession and outshot Poland, 16-7 (3-0 on goal), according to WhoScored.com. 

Stefan Bienkowski of DW Sports aptly broke down the result:

Indeed, it was Poland who had the better chances, and Arkadiusz Milik may not sleep well tonight. The 22-year-old had three golden opportunities to give Poland the lead but couldn't capitalize on any.

In the 46th minute, Kamil Grosicki's cross into the box was put into perfect position to be headed home by Milik. But somehow Milik misjudged the flight of the ball and barely made contact, as the ball bounced wide of the net.

In the 59th minute, Robert Lewandowski backheeled a pass to Milik on a set-piece routine, giving the forward a better angle for the shot. His effort went wide of the net again, however, and the draw remained.

A third opportunity would be squandered by the forward later in the match, as he again found himself in prime scoring position in the box but slipped as he attempted to first-time his shot after a low cross and couldn't put an effort on goal. 

It was a tough evening for the forward, as Bienkowski noted:

The Germans had their chances, meanwhile. Mario Gotze found himself with plenty of space down the right flank to rip a shot at goal, but his effort was sent directly at goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, who handled it easily.

Mesut Ozil put an effort on goal himself in the 69th minute off an Andre Schurrle cross, but Fabianski was up to the task, parrying Ozil's left-footed curler away from danger with a leaping save.

The draw likely won't hurt Germany much, as they've all but advanced to the knockout phase already, but it could deter Northern Ireland's chances of advancing, as Ed Malyon of the Mirror noted:

Indeed, given the way Ukraine have played thus far, Poland will be expected to earn an easy win. Germany, then, won't be taking Northern Ireland lightly, as they look to advance atop the group to earn a better placement in the knockout phase. 

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