Euro 2016 produced a very unpredictable champion in Portugal but that is just football, isn't it? Just like whenever you expect some favourite to come out as the victor, there comes a late twist.
Eder's goal for Portugal against France on Sunday in the Euro 2016 final definitely remained the most important goal of the tournament as the quality of the goal from the long-ranger in the second half of extra time remained one of the best moments football fans could have asked for from the game. Having said that, we also cannot ignore the amount of sensational goals we saw in the month-long tournament.
In fact, picking up just five top goals from the tournament is a really tough job. Therefore, just to make sure that justice is served, the top five list has been increased to top six.
Check out these wonderful goals (in chronological order):
6) Dimitri Payet - France vs Romania: At number six, we have the most dramatic goal of the Euro 2016 opener that gave the hosts the opening luck in the tournament. One of the unexpected heroes of the tournament, the West Ham midfielder lashed a long-ranger with his left foot to give Les Blues the first win of the competition. The emotions that followed later from Payet only showed how crucial that goal was for him and his nation.
5) Marek Hamsik - Slovakia vs Russia: Slovakia reached the round of 16 of the competition and the match between them and Russia in the group stages proved to be the most crucial one for them. Napoli midfielder Hamsik stepped up in the game and his brilliance showed throughout the duration of time he was on the field. While he set up the first goal for Vladimir Weiss, he scored the second one for his team. The way his left-footed effort saw the ball travel past a flurry of defenders and got right inside the goal from an impossible angle was commendable, to say the least.
4) Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal vs Hungary: Cometh the hour, cometh the man. A player par excellence when on field, but when stretchered off, he returns to inspire his men from the sidelines. That was the new face of Ronaldo we saw in the Euro 2016 final. His goalscoring prowess, however, doesn't come as a surprise to anyone. In the six goal thriller, the Real Madrid star's opening goal for Portugal in the match through a sublime backheel is worth a continuous watch.
3) Zoltan Gera - Hungary vs Portugal: The six-goal thrilling Euro 2016 match started off with an absolute unstoppable shot on goal from the 37-year-old midfielder. In the 19th minute of the match, the former West Brom man capitalised on a defensive gaffe from Portugal. Gera took the ball in his chest and lashed a powerful shot with his left foot that left everyone inside the box startled.
2) Radja Nainggolan - Belgium vs Wales: A not-so-popular name among football fans but those who have been following Serie A closely know the potential of the Roma midfielder. The Belgian lashed a stunner from way outside the box and the pace of the ball startled everyone, including Wales custodian Wayne Hennessey, who got a slight finger on the ball, but it was difficult for any keeper in the world to stop that belter of a goal.
1) Xherdan Shaqiri - Switzerland vs Poland: If there was one goal from the Euro 2016, which made fans say "Wow," it was the goal from the Stoke City midfielder against Poland in a group game. Romania did lose the round of 16 game against Poland on penalties, but the goal from Shaqiri remained the highlight from the game and also one of the best goals of the tournament. Just from the edge of the box, the 24-year-old attempted a bicycle kick and the ball hit just the bull's eye.
