Euro 2016: Impressions from the group stage, including best and worst player, team of the tournament and best goal
Our football writers pick their best and worst moments from Euro 2016 so far
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Mark Ogden
Team of the group stages
Croatia: The perennial tournament dark horses, Croatia may just have gone beyond that status and entered the favourites’ enclosure by topping Group D. Defeating Spain, without the injured Luka Modric, was a real statement of intent from a team who could now go all the way.
Worst team of the group stages
Russia: But for an injury-time equaliser against England, the next World Cup hosts would have gone home with zero points. The Russians were dismal at Brazil 2014 and they have gone backwards under Fabio Capello and his successor, Leonid Slutsky. And as for their fans…..
Berets off to
Hotel receptionists in Saint Etienne: Not everyone in France is on strike or shrugging their shoulders at foreign visitors, so well done to the receptionist at the Saint Etienne hotel who, exasperated by striking cabbies, abandoned her post to drive a group of England fans to the train station.
Player of the group stages:
Gareth Bale: Three games, three goals and some pretty tasty soundbites along the way too. Being a big-time player is all about seizing the moment when it matters most and Bale has been outstanding for Wales. No player has dragged their team to such heights as Bale.
Most disappointing player of the group stage
Robert Lewandowski: Ok, the Poland forward was my tip to emerge as the top scorer of Euro 2016 and, three games in, he has yet to have a shot on target, never mind score a goal. But they say form is temporary and class is permanent, so the Bayern Munich striker still has time to make amends.
Country I’d most like a weekend in:
Iceland: If almost 15 per cent of Iceland’s population is prepared to travel to France to watch their team in action, it is only fair that that commitment is repaid with a visit to the volcanic Iceland. And if they party into the night after games, good luck waiting for it to go dark at this time of the year.
Kit report
Controversial, but Portugal’s mint green away kit has been a breath of fresh air amid some shockers. As for Spain’s second strip, one can only assume that the inspiration was a white bed sheet after feeding time with a six-week old baby.
Best goal of the tournament
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Hungary: The Portugal forward was subjected to some ridiculous criticism for failing to score against Iceland and Austria, but he finally came to the party with a stunning back-heeled equaliser against Hungary in Lyon.
One change to the Euros
Stop stupid reasons for kit changes. Wales were forced to abandon their traditional red against England because both teams wore the same colour socks. So England vs Wales, a traditional clash of white versus red, became white versus grey and lime green. All because of a sock clash.
Young player of the tournament
Eric Dier: England have been their usual tournament-self in France. High hopes, but little in return, yet the one glimmer of light has been the performances of Eric Dier. The Tottenham forward has been majestic, performing like a player who will be a fixture for years to come and a potential future captain.
Ian Herbert
Team of the group stages
Hungary, for their technical excellence, joie de vivre, novelty value, vast fan base and role in returning goalkeeping sweat pants to high fashion.
Worst team of the group stages
Russia, the team whose assistant coach told Wayne Rooney he was in decline, blamed British media for describing how tooled-up hit squads beat English fans to a pulp, and then played dismally. Not a distinguished tour.
Berets off to
The stadium managers: For the pre-match baseball 'kiss-cam' - a gift that never stops giving – and, at Lille, for giving Northern Ireland’s ‘Will Grigg's on fire’ song national anthem status on the big screen. Beautiful brass band at Lille, too.
Player of the group stages
Mesut Özil: The first two weeks have entailed the weaker building brick walls in front of the stronger. Özil drove a sledgehammer through those constructions. A beautiful contribution against Northern Ireland.
Most disappointing player of the group stages
Zlatan Ibrahimovich, a player who revealed in his struggles to get the better of Republic of Ireland what tends to happens to strikers when they reach 34. What a colossal waste of Manchester United's money.
Country I'd most like a weekend in
Take me to Bratislava, if you please. The Slovakian fans were a delight and some had travelled 12 hours in the back of minibuses to be here. After Saint Etienne, England's newest best friends.
Kit report
There are some dodgy away shades. Look very closely and you’ll see the Albanians resemble radiators in their change strip but that Portuguese mint? Extra strong they’re not. And it doesn’t bring out the best in CR7.
Best goal of the tournament
Robbie Brady, Republic of Ireland v Italy: Because it's not just what you do but the moment that you do it. Wes Hoolahan was still recovering from the horrific late miss that would have haunted him for all his days when he lifted in the exquisite cross which Brady expertly judged to score. There's ice in those boys’ veins.
One change to the Euros
Stop the ridiculous, dangerous inflexibility which dictates that police cannot influence where and when teams play. Staging England v Russia in Marseilles at the end of a boiling hot Saturday was lunacy, and a recipe for some of the disaster that ensued. Uefa refused to shift.
Young player of the tournament
Eric Dier: Amid the angst of England, Dier has emerged as the outstanding English holding midfielder of his generation, unflustered and unaffected by the pressure of tournament football and operating as if he has been there for years.
The top 20 most searched-for players at Euro 2016
Show all 20Tim Rich
Team of the tournament
Iceland: Previously their one previous contribution to European football was the volcano whose explosion forced Barcelona to travel to Milan by coach for a European Cup semi-final. Now a nation with the population of Leicester have qualified for the knockout stages of the competition without losing a game. But for an own goal they would have topped the group with more points than England.
Worst team
Russia: If they had trained half as hard as their hooligans, they would not have been going home quite so soon. Their manager, Leonid Slutsky, drew no salary for taking Russia to France. He said he would accept only performance-related bonuses. I wouldn’t go checking your bank account just yet, Leonid.
Berets off to
The Uefa official who tracked down an interpreter who could speak both Icelandic and Hungarian.
Player of the group stages
Cristiano Ronaldo and for every possible reason. His sneering comments on Iceland after Portugal’s draw with them in St Etienne demonstrated that he still has the world view of a 12-year-old but he is the only reason Portugal are still here and the only reason to believe they might go further.
Most disappointing player of the group stages
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: He may have been a great player leading an indifferent team but then so too is Gareth Bale. Ibrahimovic has spent a career pocketing domestic trophies while failing to impose himself on the grandest stages of all.
Would most like a weekend in
Northern Ireland: After their victory over Ukraine, the long wait for a tram back to Lyons was eased by the sound of one of their fans playing the bagpipes.
Kit report
Spain’s shirts against Croatia looked like they had the kind of stains that even Persil would struggle to get out. Germany show why you shouldn’t interfere with a classic.
Best goal of the group stages
Cristiano Ronaldo’s back heel at pace against Hungary, the kind of goal that should have been on a Nike commercial.
One change to the Euros
Bring it back to a 16-team tournament: Thirty-six matches to eliminate eight teams is way too many. Iceland, Northern Ireland, Wales and Albania would have qualified anyway.
Young player of the group stages
Joshua Kimmich: There have not been that many but in Joshua Kimmich, a product of the Bayern Munich youth system, Germany may have found the successor to Philipp Lahm at right back.
Glenn Moore
Team of the group stages
There have some outstanding performances - Spain against Turkey, Wales against Russia, Italy against Belgium, but Croatia have produced the best body of work culminating in their defeat of Spain.
Worst team of the group stages
Ukraine, Austria and Sweden have offered very little but Russia, on and off the pitch, have stunk the place out. They have a real job on to find a decent team to play World Cup hosts in 2018.
Berets off to
The referees: There have been a few poor decisions but in general the standard and approach have been excellent with refreshingly few controversies.
Player of the group stages
Dmitri Payet, who has rescued a misfiring France from embarrassment and made himself a national hero.
Most disappointing player of the group stages
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was unable to rise above a moderate team. The years catch up with everyone eventually; sadly, they may have caught up with Zlatan. Also hoping to see Harry Kane rediscover his zest.
Country I’d most like a weekend in
Football tournaments are not normal life, supporters do not party the same way when at home, but come Euro 2020, when matches are spread across the Continent, put me down for Dublin (since there are no matches in Reykjavik).
Kit report
The away kits of Portugal, Spain and Wales are shockers. NIke‘s are mostly ugly, Belgium’s look designed for riding a bike a night with all that fluorescent trim. Italy, as ever, sport a timeless classic.
Best goal of the tournament so far
There have been many good ones: long shots, fast counter-attacks and Spain’s team goal v Turkey, but Payet’s winner against Romania stands out, not least because it gave the Euros a flying start by lifting the hosts’ mood.
One change to the Euros
Play in Reykjavik instead of Baku, Azerbaijan, unless there is real progress on human rights and press freedom (the same could be said of St Petersburg, but at least it is in Europe).
Young player of the tournament
Eric Dier is mature beyond his 21 years. Bartosz Kapustka (Poland, 19), Laszlo Kleinheisler (Hungary, 22) and Tin Jedvaj (Croatia, 20) have also impressed.
Jack Pitt-Brooke
Team of the group stages
No-one has nine points so Croatia, who should have done had they not blown a 2-0 lead against the Czech Republic, and have shown that they have more quality and more range than most sides here.
Worst team of the group stages
Hard to choose between Russia and Ukraine, but Russia edge it given that they were in an easy group - even England qualified - and how fortunate they were to get their one point.
Berets off to
As ever these big tournaments rely on thousands of volunteers and low-paid staff who do what is often menial or difficult work. They have done so with commitment and courtesy throughout.
Player of the group stages
Andres Iniesta: Still the master of the game even now aged 32, playing the best football of his career. He is dominating games for Spain like never before, and when he is on it no-one can lay a finger on him.
Most disappointing player of the group stages
Mario Götze: Used as a very ineffective striker for Germany's first two games and he showed nothing to suggest he should have played more for Bayern Munich this season. Dropped for the more blunt, but more reliable Mario Gomez for the Northern Ireland game.
Country I’d most like a weekend in
Turkey has been getting some mixed coverage in the UK recently but their supporters were vocal, friendly and enthusiastic despite being very let down by their team in their first two matches.
Kit report
Spain's away kit with the red, yellow and orange diamond pattern over one corner has been unfairly criticised. It scores highly on originality and distinctiveness. Wales' away kit has not impressed, having little national flavour and looking more like a repurposed Championship away strip.
Best goal of the tournament
Alvaro Morata scored the best tap-in of the tournament against Croatia, because of the brilliance of David Silva's slipped reverse pass to Cesc Fabregas in the build-up. Silva saw an option no-one else on the pitch did, and then had the skill to pull it off.
One change to the Euros
The 24-team Euros has increased participation but allowing third-placed teams to qualify from four-team groups is a farce. It would be fairer and funner just to add the extra eight teams up to 32 and make it a seeded straight knock-out.
Young player of the tournament
He has only started one game but Tin Jedvaj was exemplary at centre-back for Croatia when drafted in for the Spain game, looking for more experienced than a green 20-year-old should.
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