Euro 2016's start was a bit underwhelming with low-scoring matches and the hooligans grabbing all the limelight, but by the end of the group stage, goals started flowing and some fairytale results for minnows gave the tournament the much-needed spark.
From Iceland's stoppage-time winner in their unbelievable run to Ireland’s stunning 1-0 win against Antonio Conte’s strong Italian side and from Russian fans chasing England supporters in a stadium after securing a draw to Cristiano Ronaldo’s back-heel equaliser against Hungary, Euro has had its moments.
But overall the first round was tedious and the longer format has made it a hectic task for the fans to watch every match.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a disappointing show and ended his international career with a draw against Belgium while Russia, despite all the hullaballoo and ruckus created by their ‘fans’, were the worst performers in the group stage.
The real test for the teams begins now as the knockouts start from Saturday but 40 matches are enough to analyse the hits and misses and the highlights of the event so far.
Iceland’s fairytale show
The most heartening thing to watch in the 15th edition of European championship has been the unbelievable performance from the island nation, Iceland. The team playing its first major event in football stunned everyone after Arnor Ingvi Traustason's goal in the 94th minute against Austria helped them secure a last-16 place.
Iceland are the smallest nation ever to have qualified for the event. After securing a 1-1 draw against Portugal – which was one the biggest games of their lives, Iceland players were celebrating and Ronaldo called their behaviour as "small-team mentality".
Iceland may be a small country with a population of just 330,000 but they finished above Portugal in Group F, and it will be a historical day if they beat England in the pre-quarters.
Darkhorse Croatia best team in first round
They were termed as the darkhorse of the tournament along with Austria, but they have been the most disciplined and consistent performers. Had it not been for the two late goals from Czech Republic, the Croats would have been the only team in the tournament to win all three games. What was impressive was that they defeated reigning champions Spain 2-1 despite the absence of their star player Luka Modric and topped Group D with seven points.
Despite threat from anti-federation fans who threw flares to the ground and interrupted the game against the Czechs, Croatia have hit above their weight and it won’t be a surprise if they knock out an off-colour Portugal. Other than Modric and Ivan Rakitic, left winger Ivan Perisic has been the key player for the team.
Late Goals and free-kick strikes
Late goals and winners are always exciting to watch and it has been a major highlight of the tournament this year. As their was a scarcity of goals in the starting half of the competition, late goals helped keep things interesting in the opening round.
There have been seven goals scored in the stoppage time which is a joint record. Out of the 69 goals scored in group stages, 45 came in the second half and 15 were scored between 46 and 60 minutes and 13 goals between the 76 to 90 minutes.
Euro 2016 also saw the record of goals scored on free-kicks getting broken and there are 15 matches still to be played. Hungary’s Balazs Dzsudzsak's goal against Portugal was the fourth direct free-kick, the most in the tournament.
Bale takes Wales top of the group
Real Madrid’s winger is Wales’ biggest hope and the he delivered when it mattered the most. He is the joint highest goal-scorer in the tournament with three, along with Alvaro Morata, and has been a driving force behind the team's exceptional performance.
They lost against England after taking a 1-0 lead but finished above their neighbours to win Group B and set up a last-16 clash with Northern Ireland.
Wales have got arguably the easiest draw in the pre-quarters; and Bale, who has scored in every match of the tournament so far, has the ability to take his team into the quarterfinals and beyond. Other than him, Aaron Ramsey and Neil Taylor have been brilliant and their manager Chris Coleman has played a big role in the team’s success.
Russia let down by Unruly fans
Drunk fans creating ruckus is nothing new for Europe but the number of incidents and the extent of violence is making Euro 2016 as one of the worst examples of football hooliganism.
UEFA had threatened to kick Russia and England out of the Euro 2016 after many clashes were reported between the fans of both countries inside the stadium and on streets. Hundreds of fans were arrested and French authorities gave police new powers to ban alcohol around stadiums.
There were many reports of street brawls from German, Ukrainian, Croatian and French fans as well.
Ronaldo’s missed penalty
Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance against Austria was probably one of unluckiest games of his career. Not only did he miss a penalty, but he also failed to score on some very easy chances and one goal that he scored was ruled offside.
Portugal played a disappointing draw which dented their chances of reaching the knockouts and the Real Madrid star was mocked on social media with reports of people celebrating after he missed from the spot.
Ronaldo, who made a record of scoring in four straight European Championships, allowed a pitch invader to take a selfie with him besides throwing a reporter's mic into a river. He also scored a brace against Hungary which also included a glorious back-heel goal.
Roy Hodgson’s Defensive England
England’s performance in the first round was strange. They played beautiful football in patches and sometimes it looked that manager Roy Hodgson, who has many attacking options in the team, took a defensive approach unnecessarily. They managed to beat table-toppers Wales after trailing but were held to draws by Slovakia And Russia.
Hodgson was criticised for not playing Jamie Vardy against Russia where they were leading 1-0 but instead of trying to double the lead, Hodgson’s men tried to block the opponents and conceded a goal in the dying moments of the game.
He used the same tactics against Wales before Vardy finally got a chance in the second half and scored a goal to help England make a comeback and keep their last-16 hopes alive.
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