Euro 2016 Results: Scores, Highlights and Reaction After Saturday's Round of 16

Following a stirring group stage enhanced by the expanded field at Euro 2016, the round of 16 commenced Saturday in France with a fantastic mix of star power and underdog flair.

Poland and Switzerland kicked off the action in a match between a pair of dark horses, with a clash involving local rivals Wales and Northern Ireland as well as a battle between Croatia and Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal to follow.

As the field of 16 starts to get whittled down to eight, here is a full rundown of results from Saturday's Euro 2016 action, complete with recaps for each match.

Round	Team 1	Team 2	Score
Round of 16	Poland	Switzerland	1-1 (5-4 PK), Poland
Round of 16	Wales	Northern Ireland	1-0, Wales
Round of 16	Croatia	Portugal	1-0 (ET), Portugal

Poland 1, Switzerland 1 (Poland win 5-4 on penalties)

Grzegorz Krychowiak sent Poland to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016 in dramatic fashion Saturday, netting the game-winning strike in a penalty shootout against Switzerland. The game finished 1-1 after 120 minutes of action, and the teams went to the spot to settle the match.

A miss by Switzerland's Granit Xhaka left the door open for the Poles, and they took advantage with a perfect round of penalties.

Switzerland's dramatic tying goal in the 82nd minute went for naught, despite it being one of the finest strikes of the tournament so far. 

Poland appeared well on their way to victory when winger Jakub Blaszczykowski netted the breakthrough goal of the match in the 39th minute.

It was a seemingly significant marker for the Poles, as a Blaszczykowski goal has been among the squad's biggest keys to victory in recent years, according to Squawka Football:

The 30-year-old Borussia Dortmund player joined an elite group with his goal for a Poland team that traditionally hasn't enjoyed a great deal of success in major tournaments, per OptaJoe:

While defense and goalkeeping were arguably the biggest factors in Poland reaching the round of 16, WhoScored.com pointed out that Kuba's timely attacking contributions kept the White Eagles afloat as well:

Poland got the better of the play in a first half that featured plenty of attempts from both teams, but Switzerland started to turn the momentum by peppering Lukasz Fabianski's goal and generating a number of dangerous chances.

After Fabianski and Poland survived several close calls, the Swiss finally broke the seal when Xherdan Shaqiri scored what ESPN's Max Bretos named the top goal at Euro 2016:

With his back to goal, Shaqiri unleashed a wicked bicycle kick from outside of the penalty box to put the ball past Fabianski and knot the match at 1-1.

According to Squawka Football, that goal ended a lengthy shutout streak for Poland and left Germany as the only team yet to concede a goal at Euro 2016:

That goal led to extra time in a match that was already among the most exciting and offensive-minded at Euro 2016 thus far, per OptaJoe:

Both sides had some golden opportunities to advance to the quarter-finals in the second half of extra time, but they were unable to finish, which required the match to be decided from 12 yards.

Following Krychowiak's winning penalty, Poland will move on to face the winner of Saturday's third match, where Croatia take on Portugal.

The Poles figure to be underdogs regardless of their next opponent due to Croatia's strong overall team play and the presence of Ronaldo in Portugal's squad, but after a dramatic win against Switzerland, momentum is very much on their side.

Wales 1, Northern Ireland 0

Wales' Cinderella run at Euro 2016 continued Saturday, as they defeated Northern Ireland 1-0 by virtue of an own goal in the latter part of the second half.

Northern Ireland defender Gareth McAuley accidentally poked the ball past goalkeeper Michael McGovern in the 75th minute off a dangerous cross from Gareth Bale, and that is all the Dragons needed to move on to the quarter-finals.

The match started off quite slowly with neither side generating much of an attack throughout the opening half, and just three total chances being created, according to Squawka Football:

The Wales attack goes as Bale goes, and he had very little possession in dangerous areas in comparison to his previous three matches, per ESPN Stats & Info:

The momentum started to turn heavily in Wales' favour during the second half, though, as they began to put the pressure on the Green and White Army.

That culminated in McAuley's 75th-minute own goal, which continued a trend at Euro 2016 that has seen multiple goals scored in that heartbreaking manner, according to OptaJoe:

While it wasn't an ideal way for Wales to score and advance, they all count regardless of how they get in the back of the net, and no team has done that better than the Welsh during Euro 2016 thus far:

With the victory, it marks the first time Wales has advanced to the quarters of a major tournament since they accomplished that feat at the 1958 World Cup.

The challenge figures to get greater in the next round, however, as they will take on the winner of Sunday's clash between a supremely talented Belgium squad and a Hungary side that has scored at will in France.

Wales have the benefit of one of the world's best players in Bale, though, and his game-changing ability could keep their surprising run going, just like it did in Saturday's victory over Northern Ireland.

Portugal 1, Croatia 0

After 116 minutes of uninspired play from both teams, Portugal punched their ticket to the Euro 2016 quarter-finals with a 1-0 win over Croatia by virtue of a Ricardo Quaresma goal in the 117th minute.

Despite both sides possessing plenty of dynamic, attacking talent, the match yielded few exciting moments until the closing minutes, and regulation time was essentially a feeling-out process for its entirety.

Ronaldo's overall ineffectiveness was a big reason for that. He struggled to get himself involved in the match early and was a virtual non-factor in the first half, according to OptaJoe:

That carried over into the second half, and he entered extra time with no shots attempted after peppering the opposition regularly in his first three appearances of the tournament, per OptaJohan:

Ronaldo wasn't the only one who struggled, however, as there wasn't a single shot on target during the first 90 minutes of play, according to Squawka Football:

Croatia carried the play more so than Portugal, but their inability to test goalkeeper Rui Patricio kept the Seleccao's quarter-final hopes alive entering extra time. 

The match seemed destined for penalties, but that changed in the latter stages when Nani found Ronaldo with a fantastic pass in Croatia's box. Ronaldo's shot was stopped, but Quaresma deposited the rebound in the back of the net.

According to OptaJoe, Quaresma accomplished something that hadn't been done at the Euros in eight years with his goal:

While it took nearly all of regulation and extra time before a breakthrough occurred, Portugal's dangerous attack was finally able to present itself.

The combination of Nani and Ronaldo is so dangerous that even the slightest lapse in concentration can result in a goal against.

Croatia learned that the hard way, and now Portugal have a huge opportunity to reach the semi-finals against a Poland team that is in uncharted territory at Euro 2016.

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