Hello everyone! Euro 2016 is well underway following last night's opening match between hosts France and Romania. It was a cracker in the end as Dimitri Payet found an 89th-minute winner for Didier Deschamps side. Olivier Giroud scored the opening goal of the tournament, but Romania got back into the game with a second-half penalty from Bogdan Stancu. The visiting nation could not hold on to a point, though, as the hosts kicked their campaign off with a win.

Today, we turn to Group B, which includes England, Wales, Slovakia and Russia. Later on, Roy Hodgson's Three Lions will take on Russia in Marseille, but before that, Wales and Slovakia will go head to head in Bordeaux. That is where our focus lies and we will take you through all of the action when the match kicks off at 5pm.

As we all would have noticed, Wales have been on cloud nine since earning a spot in the European Championships. Partly because it is a big feat in anyone's books but mainly because they have not competed in a major tournament since 1958. They have arrived in France in a relaxed mood, but the hard work starts again if they want to play more than three games in this tournament.

As for Slovakia, they are competing at this stage of the Euros for the first time in their history after they finished second behind Spain in their qualifying group. Jan Kozak's side have been in positive form in the run-up to the tournament as they defeated both Georgia and Germany by 3-1 scorelines in recent warm-up friendlies. Their final match before the tournament ended in a goalless draw with Northern Ireland.

Right, before we delve deeper, let's bring you the eagerly awaited team news from both sides, and there's some big news from Wales...

HENNESSEY OUT! Goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey has been ruled out of today's starting XI due to a back spasm. It's a big blow to Wales as the shot-stopper conceded just four goals during the qualifying campaign. Liverpool's Danny Ward takes his place in between the sticks. Let's bring you the lineups in full.

WALES XI: Ward; Gunter, Williams, Chester, Davies, Taylor; Edwards, Allen, Ramsey, Williams; Bale
Subs: Hennessey, King, Robson-Kanu, Fon Williams, G. Williams, Richards, Ledley, Cotterill, Vokes, Collins, Vaughan, Church

SLOVAKIA XI: Kozacik; Pekarik, Skrtel, Durica, Svento; Mak, Kucka, Hrosovsky, Hamsik, Weiss; Duris
Subs: Mucha, Novota, Gyomber, Gregus, Duda, Sestak, Stich, Nemec, Skriniar, Hubocan, Salata, Pecovsky

Hennessey's injury is a big blow to Wales, but Ward has an opportunity to make an impact in his first international start. No pressure! In the outfield, Chris Gunter, James Chester, Neil Taylor and Ben Davies join captain Ashley Williams in defence. Dave Edwards, Joe Allen, Aaron Ramsey and Jonathan Williams line the midfield, with the team's star man Gareth Bale leading the line.

As for Slovakia, Kozak was expected to start Ondrej Duda up front, but he has instead opted for Michal Duris. Marek Hamsik will provide threat from midfield, while Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel will captain the side from defence.

Every nation heading into their first group match will be determined to win, but a victory for Wales tonight could be particularly crucial. Sixteen of the tournament's 24 teams will qualify for the knockout stage, so it is easier for teams to make it through, but if Coleman's side suffer defeat today, it will pour doubt over their chances of progressing.

It is fair to say that Wales do not head into the showdown in the best of form. They were undone 3-0 by Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Sweden in their warm-up friendly last Sunday. Emil Forsberg netted the first in the 40th minute in Solna, and Wales failed to get back into the match as they conceded goals from Mikael Lustig and John Guidetti before the final whistle blew. While it was only a friendly, the result may have dampened the fans' spirits slightly ahead of the tournament.

En route to qualifying for the finals, Coleman's men managed to win six of their 10 matches, drawing three and losing just once. It was an impressive campaign for the Welsh as they finished second in Group B, two points behind first-placed Belgium. The team rounded off the qualifying stage with a 2-0 win over Andorra, but they had already made it into the finals three days beforehand.

Despite losing 2-0 to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Wales nabbed their ticket to France because Israel lost their match on the same night. The significant results for Coleman's side were the home and away clashes against group favourites and eventual winners Belgium. The first meeting between the pair ended in a goalless draw in Brussels, but Wales got them better of them in Cardiff last June. Bale scored the only goal of the game to boost his nation's chances of reaching the finals.

There is no word to describe Bale's importance to Wales. The Real Madrid attacker, who remains the most expensive footballer in history following his £85m move to the Bernabeu from Tottenham Hotspur in 2014, pretty much single-handedly sent Wales through. No disrespect to the remainder of the squad because they all had a significant part to play, but the 26-year-old scored seven of Wales' 11 qualifying goals and produced two assists.

Bale's commitment and desire for his nation is just as important to Wales. There are a handful of top-class players in Coleman's team, but it is no secret that Bale is head and shoulders above the rest. The former Spurs man may have felt like slowing down after helping Real win the Champions League last month, but his excitement for the tournament and honour of representing Wales is clear to see. Despite the nation's pressure on his shoulders, Bale seems unperturbed and relaxed. Not to mention very excited indeed!

This morning, he tweeted this...

There has also been some fighting talk from Bale with regards to Wales' rivalry with England. The two nations go head to head in Group B on June 16.

"I think we've got a lot more passion and pride about us than them," Bale told reporters. "We'll definitely show that on the day. I don't know what it is but, if you're Welsh, we feel more pride and passion than anyone else.

"Look at the national anthem, everyone sings, the whole stadium. I remember the Belgium game. We were all tired and the whole stadium just started singing it. I don't think any other nation would do that. Being Welsh just brings it out of you.

"It's like when I was young and being in a pub with my parents, everyone watching rugby or football on the television. Everyone was together, singing. It's the way we are brought up."

All eyes will be glued to that match, I'm sure!

It is also worth mentioning Joe Ledley's remarkable return to fitness. The midfielder broke his leg while playing for Crystal Palace early last month, but four weeks later returned to training and is on the bench today. Great work from him and Wales' medical staff!

So, what do we know about Slovakia? Well, they too have a star man among their ranks. Much like Wales do with Bale, Kozak's side rely on the quality of Marek Hamsik. The Napoli player, who will operate as a number 10 for his country, had an impressive season in Serie A having scored six goals and producing 11 assists in 38 appearances. For Slovakia, Hamsik has scored 16 goals in 81 games, so he is likely to provide a big threat for his nation in the tournament.

In Slovakia's qualifying campaign, they managed to finish second in Group C behind Spain after winning seven of their time games, drawing one and losing two. The team's 2-1 victory over reigning champions Spain was a huge step forward in their campaign, and their two defeats in the group were in the reverse tie against Spain and at home to Belarus.

HEAD TO HEAD: Wales and Slovakia have only played one another twice before, and that was in Euro 2008 qualifying. Slovakia came out on top 5-1 in the meeting in Cardiff, but the Welsh outfit got revenge in the away fixture by claiming a 5-2 triumph.

There is not long now until kickoff, so let's get a word from the managers.

Chris Coleman: "I thought it would never happen, but we're here. It's something we've dreamed about. I understand we've got 25,000 or 30,000 Welsh supporters here to back us, which is incredible. We want to do them proud.- It's not the time to sit back and enjoy the moment."

Jan Kozak: "Bale is a top player, and not just for Wales, he's one of the best in the world. I won't go into detail about how we'll deal with him. We respect him, but Wales aren't just about Bale, they have other players who play with top English teams. It's a team game and without his teammates Bale can't be a great threat."

The excitement builds as both sets of players make their way out onto the pitch in Bordeaux. All eyes on Bale as you'd expect!

Skrtel gives a little wave to the camera during the Slovakian anthem... *waves back*

Here we go then, an emotional moment for Wales as the anthem rings around the stadium! Coleman and co proudly sing along. What an historic day for them all.

KICKOFF! Slovakia get the game underway! Norway's Svein Moen is the referee for today's match.

Wales do some early pressing and it pays off as a stray pass from Slovakia ends at the feet of Allen. It looks as though newly-blond Ramsey will be the man to push forward to support Bale.

A decent move from Slovakia in the final third as Pekarik feeds the ball forward to Duris in the box, but Chester intercepts.

BLOCK! Oh my, what a vital block from Davies! Hamsik shows his quality by storming from the middle of the park, getting past three Wales players before cutting inside to take a shot, which looks certain to ripple the net, but Davies manages to track back and block his thumping effort. Heart in mouths moment for Wales!

Wales manage to clear the resulting corner, but they are under a bit of pressure. That would have been the worst possible start had the ball gone in, and it should have!

Wales earn a free kick in Slovakia's half. Ramsey's lines up to take it and whips the ball into the box. It's initially punched clear by the keeper, but ends up falling to Allen, who struggled to get his feet right to get a shot away. There's a scramble in the box and the Slovakia eventually clear the danger.

Wales are getting more time on the ball. They win possession in the middle of the park and Williams tries to cut to the right, but gets pulled down by the defender. The referee signals a free kick and Bale lines up to take the set piece from 30 yards out.

The players, coaching staff and fans go wild as Gareth Bale gives Wales the lead inside the first 10 minutes of the game! It had to be him, didn't it?! The Real Madrid star finds the back of the net with a left-footed shot from the free kick. For some reason, the keeper took a step to his left just as Bale lined up the shot and eased the ball past him.

As expected, Wales have their tails up and the travelling Welsh fans have ramped up the atmosphere in the stadium. Ramsey charges down the left before whipping the ball into the box, but the keeper gets there first.

Gunter finds Bale on the edge of the box, but Hamsik drops back to nick it off the Welshman. Slovakia do not keep the ball for long, though, as Wales continue to close down their opponents and break up the play.

Wales look happy to knock the ball around their own half, but Chester moves the play forward by sending a diagonal ball to Taylor, but the Swansea City man fails to reach it and the ball bobbles out for a goal kick.

A slightly nervy moment for Ward as he rushes off his line to the edge of the box in an attempt to cancel out a long ball. A lack of communication between the keeper and Ashley Williams, but no harm done as the ball goes out for a throw-in.

A wasted attack from Slovakia as Weiss charges towards the area but unleashes a shot too early and the ball soars into the stands.

Allen stops Hamsik in his tracks and the Slovakian earns a free kick around 35 yards out from goal. It looks too far out to cause Ward trouble and that proves to be the case as Kucka goes for glory, but he effort goes high over the crossbar.

Bale flicks the ball on for Gunter after winning a header in the air. The defender charges down the right wing before sending a low cross towards Ramsey, but it fails to reach the Arsenal man.

Hamsik is down on the floor after Taylor catches his ankle with studs up. It takes a minute for the ball to be played out, but Slovakia eventually do so. Hamsik rises to his feet and looks well enough to continue playing.

Slovakia are still struggling to get on the ball, and when they do, there are plenty of red shirts closing them down. Duris has been very quiet so far, but he's not getting the service. There's been hardly any crosses into the box from Slovakia either!

BOOKING! Hrosovsky goes into the book following a challenge on Jonny Williams. The Slovakia man got the ball, though.

NO PENALTY! Oh dear, how has a penalty not been awarded to Wales?! Jonny Williams chases down a long ball in the box and as it bounces, he's shoved out the way by Skrtel's elbow! For some reason, the official on the goalline doesn't deem a penalty worthy. The Wales fans are not happy, and that's felt further when a replay is shown on the big screen!

Gunter sends a cross towards Taylor at the far post. The Swansea City player tries to aim a header back to Edwards, but the ball is cleared by Slovakia.

Ashley Williams does well to close down Duris as soon as a long ball is hoofed up top, and the Wales defender eventually wins a throw-in.

Allen charges forward before sending the ball to Ramsey on the left, but it's poor from the Arsenal midfielder as his cross into the box bounces out for a goal kick.

SHOT! There haven't been many chances created by Slovakia, but they have a half-chance here. Kucka goes it alone from 25 yards out, but his attempt is weak and Ward comfortably gathers.

A spell of dominance from Slovakia as they try to nab an equaliser before the half-time whistle. Weiss shows quick feet in the box as he gets away from Ramsey, but his cross lacks zip and Ward picks the ball up at his post.

CHANCE! Slovakia get a corner, but it's comfortably headed away by Bale. Seconds later, the ball is played over for Skrtel, who stays onside and tries to latch onto the ball with a header, but he misses it.

It's a dream start for Wales as they enter the half-time break with a 1-0 lead over Slovakia. The goal came in the 10th minute and it was scored by Gareth Bale from a free kick. Marek Hamsik should have put Slovakia ahead inside the first three minutes after unleashing a shot after a marauding run, but Ben Davies got a crucial block in. It has been a positive half for Wales as they have closed down Slovakia, preventing them from implementing their game. Jan Kozak's side had a spell of dominance in the final five minutes of the half, but they trail. Wales were denied a blatant penalty after Martin Skrtel's elbow on Jonny Williams, and they will be hoping that that decision does not play a factor in the result. We'll return for the second half shortly.

RESTART! Wales get us back underway in Bordeaux! Can they maintain their lead to take all three points or will Slovakia stage a comeback? We have 45 minutes to find out!

Much of the same from Wales as they start the second half with attacking intent. Ramsey shows frustration with the fourth official as he manages to shake off Durica on the byline, but the referee pulls play back for tugging his opponent's shirt.

The flag goes up for offside as Duris latches onto the ball. It's not been his day so far and has struggled to get service up there.

Wales get a corner and it's Ramsey who delivers it into the box, but the keeper comfortably picks the ball out of the air and holds onto it.

Jonny Williams has been impressive today and he shows desire on the ball by going past two players, but he gets brought down by Kucka, who avoids a booking.

CHANCE! Brilliant run from Mak as the ball is played long and low to the midfielder, who has Ashley Williams marking him. The Slovakian manages to get a shot away, but his attempt goes over the bar. A decent opportunity for Kozak's team.

SAVE! Almost two goals for Bale! The Real Madrid star latches onto Allen's cross into the box. The 26-year-old is rooted to the spot before getting a header away, but the ball bounces in front of Kozacik, who manages to keep it out of his post.

SLOVAKIA SUBS: Kozak makes two changes as Hrosovsky makes way for Duda and Duris is replaced with Nemec.

Slovakia are back in it! Duda has been on the pitch for less than a minute and he gets a goal with his first touch of the game! The forward breaks away from his marker before sending a low shot past Ward. Game on!

The momentum is swinging Slovakia's way now as they earn a free kick close to the edge of the area. Weiss takes it from 25 yards out, but the ball flies over the bar.

Things could be getting worse for Wales as Williams is limping and doesn't look like he's going to carry on. That would be a huge blow!

SAVE! Wales are being forced on the backfoot here. Kucka fires towards goal but Ward saves with his feet, giving away a corner. The ball is then whipped in and Ward saves comfortably.

Williams is still limping slightly and it looked as though he was going to come off, but it seems that he's told his manager that he wants to try to shake it off.

It was a very quiet first half for Ward, but he is being made to work now. The ball comes into the area again, and the Liverpool shot-stopper punches clear.

CHANCE! The ball is squared to Mak on the edge of the area and he shoots, but his attempt soars over the crossbar.

WALES SUBS: Coleman makes his first change of the game as Edwards is replaced with Ledley, who has recovered from a broken leg in just four weeks! Jonny Williams also makes way and Robson-Kanu comes on.

It's all Slovakia at the moment. Wales are looking a bit nervy now, but they need to get back their fluency.

MISS! Dear oh dear, what a miss from Ramsey! They have been on the backfoot for the majority of the second half, but they could have regained the lead had Ramsey not fluffed his header! Robson-Kanu whips a great ball into the area to find Ramsey, who heads from the six-yard box, but the ball goes over the bar.

Ledley plays a one-two with Bale and almost gets through on goal, but Slovakia manage to get the ball away.

Wales win a free kick and it's Ramsey who lines up to take it. He delivers it into the box but the keeper punches clear.

It's another free kick for Wales and it's Bale's turn. The Real Madrid star is 35 yards out from goal, but it's low and ends up bounces straight into the keeper.

Wales regain the lead and it's thanks to substitute Robson-Kanu! Ledley finds Ramsey, who gets past Skrtel and moves into the penalty area before poking the ball to Robson-Kanu, who whips a shot with his left foot and the ball bobbles into the back of the net.

Bale sends a great ball forward for Ramsey, but the Arsenal's man's touch to bring it down results in the ball getting away from him.

Wales are searching for another, but Slovakia are still showing a threat when on the frontfoot. It could be a nervy finish! Ramsey's involvement is over as he is replaced with Richards.

Silly from Skrtel as he dives in on Davies with a rash challenge. He rightfully gets a yellow card, but many Wales fans will think he shouldn't be on the pitch following his foul in the first half.

Wales have kicked off their campaign with a victory! What a crucial three points that could be for Coleman and his men. Gareth Bale and Hal Robson-Kanu got on the scoresheet, but there were some nervy moments when Ondrej Duda scored an equaliser in the second half. It's over to you, England...

That's all from us, but stick with Sports Mole for all the latest reports and news from Euro 2016. Enjoy!