Euro 2016: The 5 stars and 5 flops of the tournaments so far

At the end of group phase, here are five players who shone, and five who didn't quite live up to expectations

HITS
Gareth Bale (Wales)
Bale has lived up to his pre-tournament billing. He inspired Wales to a 2-1 victory over Slovakia with a stunning 25-yard free-kick and repeated the feat, albeit from 10 yards further out, in the narrow loss to England. He struck again against Russia, sealing a 3-0 win that sent Chris Coleman's men into the last 16.

Dimitri Payet (France)
Following a superlative debut season with West Ham United, Payet sparked the tournament into life with a magnificent left-foot winner against Romania. He was substituted to a standing ovation in stoppage time, and left the pitch wiping away tears. He claimed another late goal in France's 2-0 win over Albania.

Andres Iniesta (Spain)
Iniesta has demonstrated that even at the age of 32, he remains one of the game's foremost midfielders. His stand-out moment came against Turkey when he was involved six times in a sweeping move before spearing a pass through the Turkish defence to Jordi Alba, who crossed for Alvaro Morara to knock in the third goal.

Jerome Boateng (Germany)
The Bayern Munich centre-back was man of the match in the world champions' goalless draw against Poland. Hailed for the way he marshalled the back, Boateng has also become a leader in the team, not hesitating to criticise the attackers for failing to do their duty warning Germany "won't go far" if they do not improve.

Michael McGovern (Northern Ireland)
If Northern Ireland overcome the odds against Gareth Bale and Wales on Saturday, Michael McGovern will almost certainly play a role. The 31-year-old goalkeeper hurled himself everywhere to limit Germany to a one goal victory in Group C and is certainly one of the heroes of the tournament. "The players gave him a round of applause when he came in the dressing room.

MISSES
 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden)
Fresh from scoring 50 goals for Paris Saint-Germain in his last season, Zlatan Ibrahimovic looked ready to terrorise opposition defences at the Euros. Unfortunately he failed in his quest to score at a fourth European Championship finals. It was an inauspicious end to his international career, with Ibrahimovic now retiring from Sweden duty.

Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
One of the reasons Poland were tipped to do well in France was the presence of Bayern Munich striker Lewandowski. But while Adam Nawalka's side qualified for the last 16, it felt like they did so despite their biggest star. Poland scored just two goals in three games but conceded none.


Arda Turan (Turkey)
Turan's status as an icon in his home country meant fans were largely pinning their hopes on him to drive Fatih Terim's team. But Turan toiled, struggling to influence games from a position wide on the left. The 29-year-old even had to endure the ignominy of being booed by Turkish fans during the 0-3 defeat to Spain in Nice.

Aleksandar Dragovic (Austria)
The Dynamo Kiev player's tournament has been a disaster. He was sent off in the opening game against Hungary, leaving 10-man Austria to succumb to a crucial 2-0 defeat. In his absence Austria held Portugal to a goalless draw. He returned for their final Group F match against Iceland but missed a first-half penalty.

Blaise Matuidi (France)
He was not at his best as Didier Deschamps' side struggled to find top gear in Group A. He has been Deschamps' most used player since 2012 but there is now a debate in France as to whether Les Bleus would be better off using Moussa Sissoko of Newcastle United. Sissoko showcased his marauding midfield abilities in the 0-0 draw with Switzerland when Matuidi was rested.