The expanded European Championships have been fun so far, but the problem with first-round groups where the top three of four teams can go through is that you get matches like this. England against Slovakia was like a mid-season international friendly, with fewer substitutions.

The two teams initially went at each other as though they meant it, but by the time we had reached the hour mark it was clear that both sides were quite happy to draw 0-0.

The result meant England lost top spot in the group to Wales, but since their second place will pit them against the second-ranked team in the weak Portugal-Austria-Hungary-Iceland group, Roy Hodgson will not be losing too much sleep over that.

Vindicated

Meanwhile, Slovakia know that their four points will almost certainly be enough to put them into the last 16 as one of the best third-placed sides.

Hodgson’s decision to make six changes to the line-up was vindicated. He got to take a good look at the other players in his squad, while avoiding the embarrassment a defeat would have brought. After seeing the back-ups in action, we can guess that the team that starts the next England game will probably look a lot more like the one that started their first two matches.

England played in the same narrow 4-3-3 that they have used in all the games, with Jamie Vardy up front flanked by Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana. The more interesting changes were in midfield, where Wayne Rooney and Dele Alli were replaced by Jordan Henderson and Jack Wilshere.

Rooney’s performances so far have divided opinion, with some hailing his majestic possession play and others unimpressed by the mechanical predictability of his game. It turned out that the best way for Rooney to settle the argument was to sit on the bench and give people a good look at the alternatives.

Henderson was in the side to duplicate Alli’s role as the legs and lungs of the midfield. The man auditioning for Rooney’s playmaker role was Wilshere. Wilshere’s game is now all about jutting his not inconsiderable buttocks against opponents in an effort to shield the ball.

When he first broke into the Arsenal first team he was a player who could dribble past opponents. A debilitating series of ankle and calf injuries mean he is no longer that kind of player.

On the evidence of his performance against Slovakia, Wilshere, who missed almost all of last season, may now have to spend a few months working out what kind of player he has become. Hodgson’s decision to take Wilshere to France instead of Danny Drinkwater looks even more mystifying.

Rooney replaced him 10 minutes into the second half. If the roars from the crowd were not enough of a reminder of the status Rooney still enjoys, we also got to see stand-in captain Gary Cahill deferentially trotting over from his position in central defence to give Rooney the armband as he entered the fray.

Nathaniel Clyne deputised well for Kyle Walker, but Ryan Bertrand looked less assured at left back. In fact, he was lucky to remain on the field after breaking the nose of Slovakia’s right back Peter Pekarik with a flying elbow that looked accidental but was nevertheless extremely dangerous.

Flicked header

There was little for Vardy and Sturridge to feed off. Henderson clipped a ball over the top in the first half for Vardy, but though he got away from Martin Skrtel he couldn’t open up his body for his preferred right-footed finish, instead thrashing a left-footed shot against the goalkeeper’s legs. Sturridge then had a half-chance, getting on the end of Vardy’s flicked header, but Jan Durica blocked the shot.

Slovakia’s best chance came in the second half when an accidental ricochet off Chris Smalling put Vladimir Weiss in on the left side of the penalty area. Weiss tried to cut back and shoot with his right foot, just as he had against Russia, but this time his weak effort was easy for the goalkeeper.

And so the game petered out with both sides happy to settle for the same result in the time-honoured tradition of Austria and Germany in 1982, Ireland and the Netherlands in 1990, and so on.

It has been a smooth qualification for England, who will go into the knockout stages with plenty of confidence, but looking back on this Group B you have to wonder if a side that couldn’t beat Russia can fancy themselves as strong contenders for the tournament.