Italy dropped 8 players yet still looked comfortable in beating Wales 1 - 0. They are the first team to qualify top of their group with three wins out of three. Wales weren't helped by the sending off on 55 minutes of defender Ethan Ampadu. Despite that they showed the grit, organisation and team spirit we've seen from them in all their games to keep the score down. That was crucial as Switzerland beat Turkey to finish on the same points as Wales. The Welsh's goal difference was enough for them to finish second and automatically qualify for the knockout stages. A remarkable achievement from Rob Page's team which, to be honest, I didn't expect at start of the tournament. The Swiss will have to see what happens in other groups before they know if their 4 points and goal difference is enough to qualify. Having some of the third place finishers qualifying is not a rule that every fan likes. Yesterday was an advert though for keeping this format as Wales and Switzerland weren't sure if they'd qualified until the final whistle was blown in both games. There is more impetus in the final group games for teams to go for the win which generates more excitement.
Turkey are out with zero points and just one goal. To my mind they have been the biggest disappointment in the tournament so far.
Today we have four intriguing games that will determine who qualifies from Groups B and C and who else goes home.
North Macedonia V Netherlands - Group C- Kick off at 1700 from Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam. Live on ITV and ITV Hub.
The Macedonians have lost both games so far but shown patches of nice football, spirit and scored a couple of goals. More than can be said for some other Countries in the tournament. Three points could possibly get teams through as the highest third placed finishers. This will probably be star forward Goran Pandev's last international tournament at 37 years old. It would be nice to see him sign off with a good performance and goal. Macedonia should go for the win against a Dutch side who are already qualified with two wins from two. The Dutch have been impressive thus far without having the star studded squad they've had in the past. Captain Gini Wijnaldum has been their driving force playing in a more advanced role than he has done for Liverpool. Will his new PSG team look to play him further forward too? It's hard to see with a team that already has Mbappe, Icardi and Neymar Jr. Will Holland rest players for this game having already qualified or go for the win and top the group with maximum points?
Frenchfooty prediction: North Macedonia 1 V Netherlands 2
Ukraine V Austria - Group C - Kick off at 1700 from the National Arena, Bucharest. Live on ITV 4 and ITV Hub.
This match is compelling because both teams sit in the table with three points. They have the same goal difference with Ukraine holding second place only on goals scored (4 to Austria's 3) .If one of these teams loses and Macedonia beat Holland by some margin the losing team will be out. Unlikely as that is neither team will want to finish third in case other groups third place finishers have more points or better goal difference. Ukraine narrowly lost their opening game to the Dutch then beat Macedonia relatively comfortably. Andriy Yarmolenko has two goals in the tournament already and will be looking to drive his team to a required win here. Austria will have Forward Marko Arnautovic back from suspension which will give them more of a threat. The Austrians were well beaten by the Dutch in their last game and will have to improve if they are going to get a result here.
Frenchfooty prediction: Ukraine 2 V Austria 1.
Finland V Belgium - Group B - Kick off at 2000 from Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg. Live on BBC One and BBC Iplayer.
Finland gave themselves a chance of qualification in the unusual opening game against Denmark. They were narrowly beaten by Russia in their last game without really threatening. The Finns will have to be at their best to get something against a class Belgian team. Finnish Striker Teemu Pukki is capable of scoring but he needs better service than the previous games. The Belgians have already qualified with two impressive wins but will want to finish top of the group. With the quality they have in the squad they could afford to rest a few players here and still win. The quality of Belgium's goals have been impressive and they should add to them in this game.
Frenchfooty prediction: Finland 0 V Belgium 1.
Russia V Denmark - Group B - Kick off at 2000 from Parken Stadium, Copenhagen. Live on BBC two and BBC Iplayer.
Group B could be very tight as we near the final whistle in this game. If Denmark beat Russia here and Belgium win against Finland then they'll be three teams on three points and who qualifies could come down to goal difference. A point here should be enough for the Russians to get through but Denmark will be desperate to get a win after losing both games so far. These two teams seem quite well matched so the game could be close. Given that the Danes have to win for a chance of qualifying and Russia need one to be guaranteed of it, we could see an open attacking game here. Both teams have just a single goal in the Competition so far and will be desperate to add to that. Atalanta's Aleksei Miranchuk (pictured below) scored a fantastic goal against Finland and is one of Russia's quality players. For the Danes Yussuf Poulsen took his goal against Belgium well to send the Parken Stadium wild. They are going to need every bit of their home atmosphere to get a win here. There is still a lot of emotion around the Danish team following Christian Eriksen's collapse in the first game. Eriksen is thankfully out of hospital now after a successful heart operation and will be watching this from home. It will be a shame for Denmark if they don't get out of the group after having all their games in front of their own fans and all the emotion of the Eriksen incident. It's hard to see how this game and this group pans out. It will be compelling to see who qualifies and how.
Frenchfooty prediction: Russia 2 V Denmark 2
Its amazingly good to hear that Eriksen is out of hospital so soon after his callapse on the field.