Euro 2016: France breaks Albania defence in 2-0 win, Slovakia beats Russia, Switzerland held by Romania

France had struggled to make any impression on a determined Albanian defence and as the clock ticked into the last minute neither team had managed a shot on target - though both had hit the post.

They had needed an 89th-minute Payet goal to beat Romania in their first game and it was even later when centre back Adil Rami swung in a hopeful cross that Griezmann guided expertly home for Les Bleus.

Euro 2016 results:

• France 2-0 Albania
• Slovakia 2-1 Russia
• Switzerland 1-1 Romania

The 67,000 Stade Velodrome crowd - minus 20,000 stunned Albanians - erupted in a wave of noise, which was repeated minutes later when Payet cut inside to smash in the second.

With six points France is guaranteed to finish in the top two of Group A, with Switzerland, on four points after drawing with Romania earlier, favourites to join them.

France had lost to and drawn with Albania in the last two friendly meetings so they knew they would not be handed the game on a plate by a team desperate to make an impact in its first major tournament, after it was beaten by Switzerland in its opening game having suffered an early red card.

France coach Didier Deschamps handed starts to Kingsley Coman and Anthony Martial, but if the plan was for their speed and mobility to stretch the Albanians out wide it was a failure.

France instead played a tense, risk-free 45-minutes with neither wide man making in-roads, one smart Coman turn apart, and managed only two wayward Olivier Giroud headers

Deschamps took action at half-time, introducing Paul Pogba for Martial and within a minute Coman nudged a header inches wide.

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VIDEO: Late goals seal 2-0 win for France over Albania(ABC News)

It was Albania which went closest to a breakthrough 10 minutes later when Ledian Memushaj pressured Bacary Sagna into bundling the ball against his own post with Hugo Lloris beaten.

Pogba sent a half-volley over the bar and Giroud, unmarked, sent another header wide and then thumped another against the post from a juicy Patrice Evra cross as France gradually turned the screw.

Griezmann then joined the fray, replacing Coman, as did former Olympique de Marseille forward Andre-Pierre Gignac in place of Giroud - to a massive roar.

However, with Albania taking every opportunity to slow the game - half the team taking it in turns to go down with cramp - France struggled to get up any head of steam.

It was looking as if they would have to settle for a point until Griezmann struck, with Payet adding the icing.

Slovakia makes life difficult for Russia with 2-1 win

PHOTO: Marek Hamsik's stunning finish helped seal a 2-1 win for Slovakia over Russia. (AFP: Philippe Huguen)

Slovakia has deepened Russia's woes with classy first-half goals from Vladimir Weiss and Marek Hamsik in a tense 2-1 victory in Euro 2016 Group B.

Just 24 hours after UEFA told Russia it would be expelled from the tournament if their fans caused more crowd trouble, the Slovaks outplayed them for large parts of a match contested under a closed roof because of forecasts of heavy rain.

Slovakia, which lost its opening clash with Wales 2-1, took the lead in the 32nd minute when midfielder Hamsik hit a superb long ball to Weiss who cut inside the left-hand side of the box and curled his shot inside the far post.

Just before half-time Hamsik picked up a short corner on the left and struck his own superb curling shot across the goal and inside the right hand post.

The Slovaks appeared to be heading towards a comfortable victory but the game changed direction dramatically in the last 10 minutes.

Substitute Denis Glushakov threw his side a lifeline when he reduced the deficit in the 80th minute, heading home Oleg Shatov's cross. Suddenly Slovakia was on the back foot and the Russians looked capable of grabbing an equaliser.

Glushakov had a chance to pull his side level late on but fired just wide, and an injury-time corner for Russia was headed clear as the final whistle went.

The result left Russia with just a point from a draw with England at the weekend when their fans were involved in violent clashes with opposition supporters.

Slovakia tops the group on three points ahead of Wales on goal difference. The Welsh take on England in Lens on Thursday evening (AEST).

Switzerland made to wait after Romania draw

PHOTO: Admir Mehmedi scored Switzerland's equaliser but the Swiss will be frustrated by a 1-1 draw.(Getty Images: Paul Gilham)

Switzerland was frustrated in its attempt to book a place in the knockout stage after a 1-1 draw against Group A rival Romania in Paris.

Bogdan Stancu's penalty gave Romania the advantage at a sunny Parc des Princes and the Swiss spurned a host of chances to score before Admir Mehmedi slammed home to level just before the hour mark.

Switzerland will now face France in Lille on Sunday, still looking for the points to guarantee its place in the knockout round.

Stancu is fast becoming a penalty specialist at these championships, having also scored from the spot in the 2-1 defeat to France on Friday's opening day.

But it was Switzerland's veteran captain Stephan Lichtsteiner who was to blame for the penalty after the Juventus man pulled the lively Alexandru Chipciu's shirt and Russian referee Sergei Karasev pointed straight to the spot.

The penalty came against the run of play because the Swiss had the overwhelming share of first-half possession but coach Vladimir Petkovic will be furious at their wastefulness in front of goal.

The worst culprit was an unmarked Haris Seferovic who curled his shot wide in the first 15 minutes.

Seferovic had another chance five minutes later but Romanian 'keeper Ciprian Tatarusanu denied him.

Fabian Schaer's dippng shot was then pushed over by Tatarusanu and Blerim Dzemaili misplaced his header just before half-time.

But the Swiss burst back into the game when Macedonian-born Mehmedi slammed home a loose ball from a corner in the 57th minute after the Romanian defence failed to clear.

The Swiss began to get the upper hand after the goal, a wave of red shirts pinning back the Romanian yellow.

Stoke City's Xherdan Shaqiri increasingly became a thorn in the Romanians' side but he should have done better with two second-half free kicks.

Shaqiri began to stretch the Romanian defence but the Swiss could ultimately not find a second goal.