Bars in St Etienne were battening down the hatches on Sunday as thousands of England soccer fans prepared to descend on the French town, bringing with them fears of violent scenes which marred the opening of the Euro 2016 tournament.
England coach Roy Hodgson said on Sunday that next opponents Slovakia are a good team that did really well in qualifying for Euro 2016.
A win against Slovakia in St Etienne on Monday would seal an English victory in group B and see them paired with one of the third-placed teams in the round of 16, giving them an excellent chance of advancing further.
England captain Wayne Rooney said on Monday that the current squad wants to do well in this tournament and will get even better and more mature.
