NORTH MACEDONIA

Taking part in their first-ever major international tournament, the achievement for Finland was just getting here in the first place. Joel Pohjanpalo’s goal against Denmark gave the Nordic nation their first tournament goal and victory, but there wasn’t to be a second of either. They did finish third in the group on head-tohead goal difference, ahead of eastern neighbours Russia, and were the best-ranked of the third-placed teams not to qualify for the last 16; a more than decent debut showing.

FINLAND

Despite finishing bottom of their group without a point to their name, North Macedonia didn’t look out of place in their first major tournament. By the end of the group stage, they had taken the same number of shots on goal as Belgium, and more than France, Portugal and England, but their problem was that too few hit the target and only two found the back of the net. Goran Pandev announced his retirement from international football during the tournament, netting in a 3-1 defeat to Austria, but in Eljif Elmas and Darko Churlinov they have two potential stars of the future.

A second-place finish in Group C meant Austria were handed a tough last-16 tie against an in-form Italy. Franco Foda’s team were resolute, taking the game to extra-time before the Italians turned on the style. This tournament can still be considered a success, especially as it was the first time Austria have reached the knockout stages. Right-back Stefan Lainer stood out, while 21-year-old attacker Christoph Baumgartner confirmed his status as one of his nation’s brightest prospects.

AUSTRIA

Led by the experienced and still hugely talented midfield maestro Luka Modric, Croatia always pose a threat in tournament football. The 35-year-old scored a goal of the tournament contender in the 3-1 win against Scotland at Hampden Park, struck expertly with the outside of his boot to help Croatia through to a last 16 meeting with Spain. They played their part in that epic knockout round tie, with Mario Pasalic’s late equaliser taking the game to 3-3 and extra-time, but the superior depth of the Spanish bench ultimately told and, as the Croats tired, they conceded twice.

It was a tournament to remember for Patrik Schick who led the line for the Czechs and – at the time of their exit – the tournament’s goalscoring charts too, tied with Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo on five goals. The Bayer Leverkusen forward scored in every game bar a 1-0 group-stage defeat to England, including the goal of the tournament from the halfway line against Scotland. Jaroslav Silhavy’s side can look back on a positive showing and a memorable win in the round of 16 against the Netherlands before exiting to an impressive Denmark outfit in the quarter-finals.

While the semi-finals proved to be a step too far for the Danes, they undoubtedly won the hearts of Europe on the journey there. It was certainly an emotional ride following Christian Eriksen’s collapse in their opening game against Finland, but how his team-mates dealt with the situation as Eriksen was given CPR on the pitch, then regrouped after losses to Finland and Belgium will be part of this impressive team’s legacy. Kasper Hjulmand’s side weren’t merely outsiders grabbing a lucky result here or there, they were a genuinely good team that almost upset England at Wembley after the outstanding 21-year-old Mikkel Damsgaard became the first player to score against them.