Euro 2016 Results: Wednesday Group Scores, Highlights and Twitter Reaction
What a day of football.
Group F opened the day Wednesday in thrilling fashion, as Portugal and Hungary drew 3-3 in a breathtaking matchup that gave Hungary top billing in the group. Iceland, meanwhile, earned a 2-1 win over Austria in second-half stoppage time that placed them second.
That set the stage for Group E to close out the group stage of the Euros, with Belgium and Ireland each beating Sweden and Italy, respectively, on late goals.
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Below, we'll break down all of the day's matchups.
Portugal and Hungary Draw, 3-3
Catch your breath, folks.
Three times, Hungary took a lead on Portugal. Three times, Portugal mounted a comeback, twice due to a Herculean effort from their superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo. When the dust settled on a second half that at one point included four goals in the span of 15 minutes, Hungary and Portugal had drawn, 3-3, clinching the group for Hungary.
Zoltan Gera (19th minute) opened the scoring for Hungary, and Balazs Dzsudzsak (47th minute, 55th minute) notched a brace, while Nani (42nd minute) and Ronaldo (50th minute, 62nd minute) provided the firepower for Portugal.
Ronaldo, who also provided an assist on Nani's goal, came up absolutely huge. Squawka Football shared his final stats:
It was Hungary that struck first, however, and it was a cracking finish from the 37-year-old Gera. Portugal failed to fully clear a Hungarian corner attempt, and the ball bounced to Gera on the edge of the box. Gera promptly smashed a fizzing half-volley that left a diving Rui Patricio completely helpless to stop the game's first goal.
Michael Cox of ESPN FC was certainly impressed with the tally:
Ronaldo and Nani would combine for a fantastic goal late in the first half, however. Ronaldo played a perfectly weighted through ball to Nani in the box, who took a first-time shot and beat goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly at the near post.
It's certainly been a stronger showing from Nani than he normally offers at the international stage, as WhoScored.com noted:
From there, the madness set in.
Dzsudzsak scored the first of his two goals on a free-kick early in the second half, though he caught a bit of fortune in the process, as his shot deflected off a Portugal defender's elbow and redirected into the net, catching Patricio off guard.
Hungary's lead was short-lived, however, as Ronaldo struck back three minutes later. Joao Mario's low cross into the box was slightly behind Ronaldo, but the Real Madrid superstar calmly outstretched his right foot and redirected the pass behind his body and into the left corner. It was a scintillating finish, and it made Ronaldo the first player to score at four different Euros, per Fox Soccer.
But Portugal just couldn't contain Dzsudzsak, and five minutes later, he struck again. This time, lax defending allowed him to cut inside on his left foot, and he ripped a shot at goal that was again deflected by the Portuguese defense and, again, sent Patricio the wrong way in the process.
Everything about Dzsudzsak's afternoon was impressive, as Arlo White of NBCSN noted:
A visibly infuriated Ronaldo was seen screaming and gyrating toward his team-mates after the goal. And then, he took matters into his own hands.
Seven minutes after Dzsudzsak's equaliser, Ricardo Quaresma sent a cross into the box on a short-corner routine. Ronaldo created space for himself and earned a free header, sending the ball past Kiraly for the game's final goal.
Hungary came agonizingly close to scoring a fourth goal just two minutes after Ronaldo's equaliser, however, but Akos Elek hit the left post with his effort. The game would finally slow down somewhat after that, however, and for good measure—it's hard to imagine anyone in Hungary or Portugal had taken a breath since the second half began.
The win means Hungary awaits a very dangerous Belgium side in the Round of 16. Hungary certainly are not a team to be taken lightly, however, as they've proven in this tournament.
Portugal, meanwhile, avoided a clash with England due to Iceland's win but will have an equally tricky matchup against a talented Croatia side. If the Portuguese defend against Croatia like they did against Hungary, Ronaldo's heroics may not be enough to save them for a second time.
Iceland beat Austria, 2-1
Arnor Ingvi Traustason will likely never have to buy himself a drink or a meal in Iceland again after his 94th-minute goal against Austria gave Iceland a 2-1 win over Austria and a trip to the knockout phase.
Iceland joined some prestigious company in the process, per SportsCenter:
Traustason was the hero, but Jon Dadi Bodvarsson gave Iceland the lead in the 18th minute. Austria equalised on an Alessandro Schopf goal in the 60th minute, however, and they looked set to capture a point.
Instead, Traustason and his team-mates rose to the occasion, as Iceland poured forward on the counter-attack in the dying seconds. Teddy Bjarnason's pass across the face of goal left Traustason with a wide-open goal to shoot on, and Traustason buried the chance and scored arguably the greatest goal in Icelandic soccer history.
How monumental was this achievement for the small country of Iceland?
Allow Iceland's Kari Arnason to put it into perspective, per Paul Hayward of the Daily Telegraph:
That likely wasn't an exaggeration.
“If five people sit at a bar, at least one of them knows someone in the national football team,” Una Hildardottir, a 24-year-old student from Reykjavik, told Joshua Robinson of the Wall Street Journal. “And trust me, they will mention it.”
Indeed, Iceland have exceeded all expectations, and they have been excellent, as Oliver Kay of the Times of London noted:
Ronaldo was referring to Iceland's approach of parking the proverbial bus and hitting on the counter-attack. But if it ain't broke, don't fix it, as the old saying goes, and it once again wasn't broke for Iceland on Wednesday. Yes, Austria controlled 70 percent of possession and outshot Iceland 23-7 (7-3 on goal), per WhoScored.com.
But Iceland won again. That's the only stat they'll be concerned with as they head to the knockout phase.
Awaiting them will be England, and as Jonathan Northcroft of the Times noted, the English wouldn't be wise to underestimate Iceland:
Iceland will approach England the way they have approached the rest of this tournament: They will look to soak up pressure and spring forward when the opportunity arises. That could be tricky for an English side that has shown inconsistency in their finishing at times this tournament.
England will be favored. Iceland won't be bothered.
Belgium Beat Sweden, 1-0
Belgium left it late but they'll hardly be worried about that, as they advanced to the knockout phase as the Group E runners-up with a 1-0 win over Sweden.
Radja Nainggolan's 84th minute goal was the difference for a Belgian side that certainly had a few close calls throughout the match. Sweden will be lamenting a bounce that didn't go their way, however, as Nainggolan's shot from outside of the box deflected off the back of a Swedish defender and redirected past a helpless Andreas Isaksson.
Sweden had a few more tough breaks of their own, however. Marcus Berg was called for a dangerous play foul in a sequence that would have resulted with Zlatan Ibrahimovic scoring a goal in the 63rd minute. Instead, the game remained scoreless.
The Swedes nearly took the lead in the 83rd minute just moments before Nainggolan's goal. Andreas Granqvist's header off a corner appeared destined for the net, but Kevin De Bruyne—who was superb throughout the contest—headed the ball off the line.
Frankly, the Swedes simply weren't good enough at any point in this tournament to move on. On Wednesday, they held 53 percent of possession but were outshot 20-12 (7-4 on goal), per WhoScored.com, and simply weren't clinical when they did create opportunities.
Belgium will have concerns of their own to address in the knockout phase, however. While they've looked better after losing to Italy in their opener, the Belgians have been prone to bouts of inconsistency and will face a red-hot Hungarian side.
Leander Schaerlaeckens of Yahoo Sports was lamenting that inconsistency, even after the team's goal on Wednesday:
Belgium certainly have the talent to go a long way in this tournament, especially when De Bruyne and Hazard are in form in the attack. The Belgians drew the easier side of the bracket, as well, making them arguably the favorite to advance to the Euros final on their side of the draw.
Ireland Beat Italy, 1-0
Just moments before Nainggolan's goal for Belgium, Ireland's Robbie Brady headed home the game's only goal in the 85th minute of Ireland's 1-0 victory over Italy.
That win ensured Ireland's place in the Round of 16, where they'll face France.
Brady was the hero but Wes Hoolahan deserves at least a share of the credit, as his spectacular service into the box split two Italy defenders and landed perfectly on the head of Brady. It was as good of a cross as you'll see, and it came moments after he had missed a golden opportunity to give Ireland the lead.
White had nothing for praise for Hoolahan after his recovery:
Retired footballer Jamie Carragher concurred:
Ireland certainly looked like the team more likely to find a goal throughout, and for good reason—Italy had already clinched Group E and didn't need a result. The Italians held 52 percent of possession in the match, though Ireland outshot them 12-5 (4-1 on goal).
Their prize for winning on Wednesday and advancing to the knockout phase is a matchup against tournament hosts France, one of the favorites to win this tournament. Ireland have played well in this tournament, but they'll need to dig deep to get past France.
Italy, meanwhile, received the unhappy fate of winning their group and still drawing Spain, the defending European champions in one of the most intriguing Round of 16 matchups. Italy looked very good in their first two matchups, but a matchup against Spain is a huge test.
The Italians didn't put out their best team on Wednesday, so it's hard to analyze their matchup against Spain based on the loss to Ireland. Instead, Spain will be preparing to face an Italian side that beat Belgium and Sweden by a combined score of 3-0.
Flip a coin, folks—Italy vs. Spain should be epic.
You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.
