Euro 2016: Player stats toppers after the group stage
The group stage in UEFA Euro 2016 came to an end in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night with the final 16 teams confirmed for the knockout stages. While many teams confirmed qualification on matchday 2, many third-placed teams still had to wait even after having played all three games as the new tournament format required all teams to finish their games to see which four third-placed teams would go through.
Although the usual suspects such as Germany, France, Italy and Spain confirmed progress on matchday 2, there were many twists on the final day that saw the final tables turned upside down. Croatia beat Spain to top spot while Iceland relegated Portugal to third place and hand them a tougher draw. On the other hand, many teams with potential failed to deliver, such as Austria and Turkey.
With two days of rest before the Round of 16, also a blessing in disguise for the fans who have had non-stop football since 11 June, we take a look at the star players at Euro 2016 so far.
Top Goalscorers
The Golden Boot race at Euro 2016 sees Spain’s Alvaro Morata and Wales’ Gareth Bale lead the charts with three goals each. While Morata scored three in two games, Bale scored one goal each in every game he played – including two from free-kicks.
It hasn’t been the best tournament for forwards as a whole but a number of midfielders are in the running for the Golden Boot. Dimitri Payet was in sensational form in the first two games, scoring the winner in the tournament opener against Romania before finishing off Albania in the second. He was used as a substitute for the third match and almost made an impact if not for his teammate who stood in the way of a potentially lethal free-kick.
The highest-scoring game was between Portugal and Hungary who played out a thrilling 3-3 draw and it saw Cristiano Ronaldo finally join the party and become the first player to score in four different editions of Euro.
| # | Player | Team | Goals | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alvaro Morata | Spain | 3 | 219 |
| 2 | Gareth Bale | Wales | 3 | 263 |
| 3 | Dimitri Payet | France | 2 | 207 |
| 4 | Romelu Lukaku | Belgium | 2 | 242 |
| 5 | Nani | Portugal | 2 | 260 |
| 6 | Bogdan Stancu | Romania | 2 | 264 |
| 7 | Ivan Perisic | Croatia | 2 | 267 |
| 8 | Balazs Dzsudzsak | Hungary | 2 | 270 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 2 | 270 |