Euro 2016: Six teams that surprisingly qualified for the second round

– Two British teams without a recognizable footballing history qualified for the last 16 

– A surprise team with tougher oppositions in their group also made it through

– An Eastern European side survived from the test of playing in the toughest group

Now that Euro 2016 is in its critical stage where there are no second chances to restore what was lost, NaijSports takes a look at the teams that have surprised everyone by qualifying for the round-of-16.

These following are the countries who qualified beyond their status as a footballing nation

1. Northern Ireland – The Green and White Army have never been on the footballing map but somehow they have scrapped through to the next round of the competition as one of the best third placed teams.

Right from the road to Euro 2016 down to the tournament itself, the Northern Irish team have shown their country is not only recognized by the game of golf with Rory Mcilroy.

Northern Ireland are not known for playing golf like Rory Mcilroy

Despite losing 0-1 to Poland in their opening game the 2-0 victory over Ukraine was pivotal to their qualification although they were lucky not to have conceded more than a goal against Germany in their last group match.

Above all, whatever the outcome of the result against Wales in the next round, the football federation will take the positives from it because it has been a successful campaign for them.

2. Iceland – A nation with about 330,000 people also the smallest country to feature in an European tournament, the fairy tale story of Iceland has blossomed with picking a ticket into the next round of Euro 2016.

Iceland ensured qualification with Arnor Ingvi Traustason’s goal in the third minute of time added on against Austria as it ended 2-1 in favour the Lars Lagerbäck’s men to set up a meeting with England in the next phase of the competition.

Having not lost a game in the group that comprises Portugal, Austria and Hungary, crossing the England-hurdle will be the biggest upset in the tournament as the team has shown character in every department especially Hannes Halldorsson who has putting up fantastic saves in all the matches.

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3. Wales – A new generation of world class players has been the reason for the rise of Welsh football which also stems from the fact that they have been convincing since Euro 2016 started.

Even as The Dragons were tipped to qualify from the group-of-death, they showed their mettle as a force to reckon with as they topped the group ahead of England whom they lost to in their group match.

Real Madrid superstar, Gareth Bale has been the back-bone of the Welsh national team so far and he scored three of the six goals Wales have registered in the tournament making him joint top scorer with Spain’s Alvaro Morata.

Wales are favourites going into the game against neighbours, Northern Ireland and with all things being equal The Dragons have the chance to sneak into the semi-finals as the tournament progresses.

4. Slovakia – The Slovak national team were regarded as the minnows in the group-of-death but against all the odds they made it through to the round-rubbing stage of the competition courtesy of brilliant displays against Russia and England.

The Eastern European nation’s organization in defence and the deadly combination of Marek Hamsik’s and Vladimir Weiss up front will definitely be a hard nut to crack for the Germans in their round-of-16 fixture.

Making a tournament debut has been an unforgettable experience for the Falcons and with performances like this at Euro 2106, they will continue to soar in tournaments to come in the future.

5. Switzerland – Vladmir Petkovic has made history with the Swiss national side making the first ever appearance in the knock out phase of an European Championships as they qualified as group runners-up behind host nation, France.

Recording an impressive 0-0 scoreline against tournament hosts in the last their group has been the high point of their campaign at Euro 2016 courtesy of saves by their Borussia Moechengladbach goalkeeper, Yann Sommer.

Switzerland are set to make another landmark if they defeat Poland in their round-of-16 encounter to make it through to a tournament’s quarter-final stage ever.

6. Hungary – The Hungarians are the surprise team of tournament topping the group above Iceland and Portugal is their biggest achievement in recent times.

Victory over Austria in their match opened their account in Euro 2016 with two draws against Portugal and Iceland scoring six goals group in the process.

Their round-of-16 clash with Belgium can not be brushed aside as a no contest because the Hungarians are set to pull another upset in the tournament with their collective effort as a team.

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