Best Performances After First Round in EURO 2016

UEFA EURO 2016

          After the round of group matches is over, UEFA Euro 2016 has entered the round of 16, where top 16 teams will contest to get a ticket to the quarter final. The teams to qualify for the round of 16 include Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, Spain and Wales. Whilst Northern Ireland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland and Slovakia are the best third placed teams to qualify for top 16.

EURO 2016 Football Match

       With Euro 2016 reaching the halfway, prediction about the leading scorer and the potential winner of the tournament has become easier. Although European Championship 2016 hasn’t produced a standout team in the group stage, here are some individual performances you wouldn’t like to miss. Players have been rated based on their individual performances in the tournament so far. Now, let’s have a look at some of the best performers of the tournament:

Goalkeeper

Michael Mcgovern: Northern Ireland

         Northern Ireland’s Michael McGovern is likely to find a club after UEFA Euro 2016. At present, he doesn’t have a club. With an average rating of 7.66, McGovern is the goalkeeper of the tournament so far. He performed exceptionally well in the matches against Poland and Ukraine. His performance against Germany entitled him man of the match, leading his team to the last 16. Other goalkeepers to give impressive performances include Switzerland’s Yann Sommer (7), Iceland’s Hannes Thor Halldorsson (7), Poland’s Lukasz Fabianski (7) and Sweden’s Andreas Isaksson (7).

Defenders

Kyle Walker: England

        If goals have been few and far between in the tournament so far, the credit goes to the defenders. The best four defenders of the tournament include England’s Kyle Walker (8), Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini (7.5), Iceland’s Kari Arnason (7.33) and Germany’s Jonas Hector (7).

Midfielders

Ivan Rakitic: EURO 2016

        Midfield is a very tricky area where we have  seen  so  many good  performances  in the  group stage of European Championship 2016. Ivan Perisic (7.66) from Croatia  has been influential and has helped his team top  group D.  There are  also other  midfielders who have grabbed our attention for their  remarkable  performances. These include  Ivan  Rakitic  (7.66),  Andrés  Iniesta (7.66), Marek Hamsik (7.33), Granit Xhaka (7.33), Joe Allen (7.33), Mesut Özil (7.33).

Forwards

Cristiano Ronaldo: Portugal

      Forwards seem to have been struggling in the ongoing European Championship 2016. This is so because defences have been so well organized in the tournament. Candreva’s inclusion was more of a surprise, but he proved his place after two impressive performances against Belgium and Sweden. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Müller have not been in form. They have failed to score in the tournament. Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, took two games to get going.

European Championship 2016: Story So Far

EURO Cup 2016

        UEFA Euro 2016 has completed its first week successfully, giving all the 24 nations enough reasons to cheer, solace or despair about. The nations that have started their Euro 2016 campaign with a win must be jollifying, while in the meantime preparing for their next clashes. Let’s take a look at how all the nations have performed so far in the European Championship 2016, and where they currently are in the point table. The summary is as follows:

Hugo Lloris

GROUP A

          France Vs Romania: The hosts France made a perfect start by scoring a win over Romania in the opening match of Euro 2016. France, as one of the tournament’s favorites, have much more to offer in the coming matches too. Romania, on the other hand, had a good go at France in the opener, but couldn’t pay off their efforts. Romanians’ efforts were not good enough to take their team to opening win. But, they have every chance to come back against Albania and Switzerland in their remaining matches.

        Switzerland Vs Albania: The Swiss in their opening match were made to toil by the 10-men Albania. They must be grateful to Fabian Schar’s early header, which brought them the triumph. Nonetheless, a win is a win no matter how it comes. After a defeat in the opening match, Albania will be under fire. Having been reduced to 10 men during the first half, Albania missed some good late chances that could have made a difference. It’s France up next, and only valorous performance can prolong their stay in the ongoing UEFA Euro 2016 football championship.

Wayne Rooney: England Captain

GROUP B

         England Vs Russia: Despite being positive, England were left defeated by Russia last-minute equaliser in their opening match of European Championship 2016. Next up are yeasty Wales that England will be facing in their next match.

        Slovakia Vs Wales: By beating Slovakia, Wales put themselves on course to reach the knock-out stage. If they take one point against England in their next UEFA Euro 2016 match, they are pretty much through.

Mesut Ozil

GROUP C

          Germany Vs Ukraine: A 2-0 win over Ukraine has put Germany top in point the table. With Poland and then Northen Ireland next to come, it’s not hard for Germany to reach the knock-out stage.

         Poland Vs Northen Ireland: After beating Ukraine, Poland are in a good position. And from here on, they will be looking for one more point to progress to the next round. A point against Germany in the next match will seal their spot in the knock-out stage.

Cesc Fabregas

GROUP D

      Spain Vs Czech Republic: The defending Champions Spain just managed to beat Czech Republic 1-0 at the last movement. They would be grateful to Gerard Pique’s winner. Being the strongest contender of group D, Spain are supposed to beat both Turkey and Croatia in their next clashes.

       Turkey Vs Croatia: With a well-deserving 1-0 win over Turkey, Croatia set themselves up nicely to make their way to the knock-out stage. So, they have good reasons to cheer about.

Gareth Bale

GROUP E

           Italy Vs Belgium: Under the burden of high expectations, Belgium flopped against Italy in their opening match. Italy sealed a 2-0 victory over Belgium.

           Republic of Ireland Vs Sweden: The Irish couldn’t hold on against Sweden. Both Sweden and Ireland could manage to hold 1-1.

Cristiano Ronaldo

GROUP F

          Portugal Vs Iceland: With plenty of chances going begging, Portugal could not bag maximum points In the first match against Iceland. They were held 1-1 by their opponent Iceland.

         Austria Vs Hungary: With a convincing win over Austria, Hungary left everyone stunned on their return to the competition. Thye recorded a 2-0 win in the opening match, and positioned themselves to make it through.