Vardy, Sturridge score as England come from a goal down to beat Wales in Lens

Two Second half goals by substitutes Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge earned England a 2-1 victory over Wales in Lens to go top of Group B with 4 points from 2 games.

A Gareth Bale free-kick had left Wales with a 1-0 lead entering the half-time break, but Jamie Vardy and Sturridge both came off the bench to score and secure a vital three points for the Three Lions.

2 FreeKicks, 2 Goals for Gareth Bale. Pls what was Hart doing? #ENGWAL pic.twitter.com/g3jSdNqUMq

— SportsRation (@Sportsration) June 16, 2016

As expected, the tempo was extremely high in the early exchanges and it did not take long for Arsenal’sAaron Ramsey and Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli to clash inside the Welsh half following a push from the Englishman.

It was England that had the first opening of the match in the seventh minute when Adam Lallana delivered a wonderful cross into the path of Raheem Sterling, but the Manchester City attacker somehow fired over the crossbar from close range.

The early intensity settled as the 20-minute mark approached, but Wales were struggling to get Bale and Hal Robson-Kanu in the match as England controlled possession of the ball in the middle of the park.

Harry Kane stood over a free kick in the 23rd minute as England had the chance to threaten Wayne Hennessey from a set piece, but the Tottenham striker fired his effort straight into the stands.

Three minutes alter, Gary Cahill met a super free kick from Rooney as Hennessey was tested once again, but it was a routine save for the Crystal Palace goalkeeper, who was in the correct position to claim.

England had a penalty shout in the 32nd minute when Welsh centre-back Ben Davies appeared to handle a cross from Sterling, but the referee was not interested and play continued in Lens.

The Three Lions continued to put the pressure on and Chris Smalling came close with a header from a Rooney corner, but the centre-back’s effort just dropped wide of the post.

It was Wales that made the breakthrough in the 42nd minute, however, when Bale struck a long-range free kick into the bottom corner after Rooney had brought Robson-Kanu to the deck. Hart might have saved it, but Bale found a route into the corner with his second goal of the competition.

England boss Roy Hodgson made two changes at the break, introducing both Sturridge and Vardy for Sterling and Kane, who disappointed in the first 45 minutes.

Sturridge had England’s first shot in the second period, but the striker’s effort was always moving high of the target as Wales managed to resist an early spell of pressure from the team in white.

Rooney was next to come close for England after bending one towards the bottom corner in the 55th minute, but Hennessey got down well to make a smart save and tip the ball wide of the post.

England were level less than one minute later, however, when Vardy turned home from close range afterAshley Williams had failed to clear a dangerous Sturridge cross from the right.

Wales just could not get out of their own half in the 10-minute spell that followed as England continued to put the pressure on the Wales goal, but Sturridge fluffed his lines after finding all sorts of space inside the Wales box.

Both managers made alterations as the match entered its final 20 minutes, with Jonny Williams entering for Wales and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford coming on for his tournament debut.

Bale had a half-chance for Wales 15 minutes from time when he met a deep cross from Neil Taylor, but the Real Madrid attacker’s effort was always moving wide of the post as it remained all square in Lens. Jonny Williams was next to have a go for the Welsh, but his strike was too high of Hart’s crossbar.

Wales dropped deeper and deeper as the match entered its final 10 minutes and the pressure from England went up a few notches as Rashford, Sturridge and Vardy all occupied the forward positions.

Walker continued to receive possession down the England right as Wales retreated, but Gary Cahill headed his team’s best chance for some time over the crossbar in the final minute of action.

There was still time for another opportunity, however, and Sturridge bundled his way into the Welsh defence in the second minute of additional time before finding the bottom corner with a smart finish.

Wales will attempt to secure their spot in the next round when they play their final Group B match against Russia on Monday, while new group leaders England will take on Slovakia with the same afternoon.