England’s Eric Dier (left), and Wales’ Joe Allen vie for the ball during the EURO 2016 Group B soccer match between England and Wales at the Bollaert Stadium in Lens, France, June 16. (AP)

LENS, France, June 16, (Agencies): Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge rose from the bench to score as England came from behind to defeat neighbours Wales 2-1 in Thursday’s all-British Euro 2016 clash in Lens.

Just as he had in Wales’s opening 2-1 win over Slovakia, Gareth Bale put Chris Coleman’s side ahead with a long-range free-kick that England goalkeeper Joe Hart could only fumble into the net.

But Vardy and Sturridge came on at half-time and after the former had equalised in the 56th minute, the latter smuggled in a stoppage-time winner that fired Roy Hodgson’s men to the top of the group.

Wales are a point back in second place, above Slovakia on head-to-head record, and need to beat Russia in Toulouse on Monday to guarantee one of the two automatic qualifying berths.

A draw against Slovakia in Saint-Etienne will suffice for England and they will approach the game with renewed optimism after belatedly kicking their tournament into gear.

It was the 102nd meeting between the teams, but the first at a major championship, and the boxy, British-style Stade Bollaert-Delelis provided an ideal setting on a day when fears of fan violence failed to materialise.

Wales recalled first-choice goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey after he missed the win over Slovakia owing to a back spasm, as well as Joe Ledley and Hal Robson-Kanu, who came off the bench in Bordeaux to score the winner.

While it meant that Wales were at full strength, they were content to let England, who were unchanged, force the issue and it was Hodgson’s men who bossed the first half on a sunny afternoon in northern France.

They should have taken the lead in the seventh minute when Harry Kane freed Adam Lallana to cross for Raheem Sterling, but from seven yards out the Manchester City man could only slide the ball over the bar.

Gary Cahill and Chris Smalling threatened with headers, while the most contentious incident of the first period saw Kane denied a penalty when his close-range header struck Ben Davies’s outstretched left hand.

Bale, Welsh antagoniser-in-chief in the build-up to the game, had been a peripheral figure, save for a shot that was blocked by Cahill, but three minutes before half-time he strode onto centre-stage.

Wayne Rooney’s foul on Robson-Kanu gave Wales a free-kick 35 yards out in a central position. Though Bale’s shot had vicious pace and dip, Hart should have done better than palm it inside his left-hand post.

It made the Real Madrid forward the first Wales player to score against England since Mark Hughes, on his debut, in May 1984.

When the half-time whistle came, it drew a cascade of boos from the England end.

Hodgson was quick to react, sending on Vardy and Sturridge for Kane and Sterling at the break, and after Rooney had seen a low curler palmed behind by Hennessey, his side equalised.

Sturridge’s flighted cross from the left was knocked down at the back post and Vardy swivelled to tuck away his fourth international goal.

He was standing around four yards offside, but replays showed that the previous touch had come from Wales captain Ashley Williams.

The on-pitch scene soon resembled the Alamo as Hodgson threw on teenage Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford for Lallana, leaving England with four of their five named forwards on the pitch.

Despite the charge it seemed Wales would hold out, only for Sturridge to collect Dele Alli’s clever flick and steer a shot past Hennessey in the first minute of stoppage time, silencing the Welsh hordes.

1. Ireland 2, Ukraine 0

In Lyon, a thumping header from defender Gareth McAuley and a stoppage-time strike from substitute Niall McGinn earned Northern Ireland a 2-0 victory over Ukraine in their Euro 2016 group C encounter.

McAuley outjumped full back Yevhen Khacheridi to meet Oliver Norwood’s free kick early in the second half, and light up a dour physical struggle under leaden skies.

McGinn added the second in the dying moments of the game after Ukrainian keeper Andriy Pyatov could only parry a shot from Stuart Dallas.

The result leaves Ukraine still without a point but means Northern Ireland now have three, and a chance of reaching the last 16, as they brace themselves for a daunting final group match against Germany next Tuesday.

Coach Michael O’Neill was rewarded in his gamble of making five changes from the side that lost 1-0 to Poland in the opening game, including bringing in striker Conor Washington to replace Kyle Lafferty, the team’s top scorer in the qualifiers.

While Ukraine enjoyed two-thirds of the possession in the first half, Northern Ireland had more efforts on target, the best being a stinging shot from a narrow angle from captain Steven Davis that Pyatov could only parry.

Craig Cathcart headed just over from a corner after 33 minutes, and Jamie Ward hit a shot wide after being put through by Davis.

For Ukraine, Serhiy Sydorchuk fired a shot over the bar from a failed clearance, and centre forward Yevhen Seleznyov just failed to get his head onto a cross from Andriy Yarmolenko.

Yaroslav Rakitskiy had a long range effort comfortably saved by keeper Michael McGovern, and Konoplyanka hit a free kick over the bar from over 30 metres.

The game opened up after McAuley’s goal soon after the break, and Sydorchuk had a header saved from a corner.

After a short interruption for a ferocious hail storm, Viktor Kovalenko fired a shot just wide from the edge of the penalty area, and a second from similar range minutes later.

Substitute Olexandr Zinchenko rose above the defence but headed straight at McGovern, and soon afterwards the keeper dived to his left to save a long-range left-footed effort from Andriy Yarmolenko.

Ukraine again dominated possession throughout the half, but left themselves open as they strained for the equaliser, and McGinn was there at the death to seal the victory.