Football
Miguel Delaney 8y

Germany top Euro 2016 Power Rankings; Italy second, France third

With the Euro 2016 round-of-16 stage done and dusted, the bracket is down to eight teams. Miguel Delaney takes a look at how they rank among the 24-team field.

1. GERMANY (+2): Germany finally sparked to life with a full-blooded display and made the most of their brilliant talent as they thrashed Slovakia 3-0. If they keep that up, no one will be able to take them down.

2. ITALY (+2): Italy put in the performance of the tournament so far, as they tactically outclassed Spain 2-0 in a match that could well have been 5-0. They were that good, and Antonio Conte looks that exceptional as a manager. It's a pity they and Germany face each other so early.

3. FRANCE (-1): As Didier Deschamps put it, they really had to "dig deep" to come from behind to beat Republic of Ireland 2-1, and the question now is whether the lessons from that game have sunk in deeply enough. The second half seemed to show the formation to get the best out of France. Will Deschamps continue with it?

4. BELGIUM (+2): Three late goals against Hungary might have made them look better than they were, but that's also three wins in a row for a team that is growing together.

5. PORTUGAL (+7): Still not convincing, still too cautious and still not cohesive enough ... but they still have Cristiano Ronaldo for key moments.

6. POLAND (+1): After initially showing an impressive level against Switzerland, they fell back in the second half and were lucky to take the game to penalties. It should be ominous for everyone else, though, that Robert Lewandowski is due a goal.

7. WALES (+2): They were not at their best against Northern Ireland but are still so well set up to trouble everyone else as they continue to make history. They have a strong defence and the brilliance of Gareth Bale.

8. ICELAND (+3): Iceland are the story of the tournament so far, but don't make the kind of dangerous assumption that England did and think it's going to be over any time soon. As they proved with one of the most seismic results in European Championship history, they are tough to break down and will give you a proper game.

9. CROATIA (-4): The letdown of the round of 16, Croatia were so oddly flat against Portugal and just couldn't seem to rediscover the verve they showed in the late win over Spain. That ended up being their peak, when they promised so much more.

10. SPAIN (-9): How costly was conceding that late goal against Croatia in the group stage? It didn't just give Spain a much harder round-of-16 game against Italy. It also seemed to sap their belief and intensity -- and ensure Conte's side had a surprisingly easy job.

11. SWITZERLAND (+3): A missed opportunity, as -- of all people -- Granit Xhaka's missed penalty saw them go out in a shootout against Poland, when they probably should have won in normal time. At least Xherdan Shaqiri offered up one of the moments of the tournament.

12. REPUBLIC OF IRELAND (+3): They properly rattled the hosts by leading 1-0 for so long and, though the energy they put in that early ended up costing them as they wilted, can be proud of their effort.

13. ENGLAND (-5): This was another embarrassment, right down to the fact that England's humiliating defeat to Iceland was not exactly a case of close missed chances or the luck of the day. Iceland actually created more against an England side that struggled to open them.

14. HUNGARY (-4): Their attacking bravery made them one of the revelations of the group stage but probably made a bad beating inevitable too, as they suffered against Belgium. The entire campaign has been a great memory to be enjoyed.

15. NORTHERN IRELAND (+1): Hungary were a little lucky to go so far on goal difference, given how many chances Poland and Germany created against them, and it probably evened out with that unfortunate own goal against Wales. They creditably surpassed expectation, though.

16. SLOVAKIA (-3): Slovakia just couldn't live with Germany, as the solidity shown against England evaporated.

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