After the matches of the Matchday 2, we update our Power Rankings to see how teams did in their second group matches.

Twelve more matches have been played, and it’s time for a Sofa Power Rankings update – agian, depending on four different factors – the play presented, the strength of an opponent, the value of expectations and, of course, the result they achieved.

The leaders – Spain, Italy, Croatia

Spain destroyed Turkey to frighten Europe. They seemed to be back, with everything functioning really well – all the way since defence to the attack, and over the ever-present stout midfield, led by Andres Iniesta. Double holders seem to be ready to play to the very end, as they secured the knockout rounds and will play against Croatia in the remaining group stage encounter. 87 Sofa points by us.

Italy channeled their inner Italy – again. Defensive performance and solid play seemed enough to grant them a point against Sweden, but then, just as many times before in history, one swift solo-action by Eder gave them three points and propelled them to the next round. Not bad for a team dubbed “worst Italy ever”. They’ll be dangerous, whomever they meet. 86 points.

Croatia looked amazing 75 minutes against the Czech Republic as they dismantled their opponents, led 2-0 and really should’ve scored many more. Instead, they fell to only draw 2-2, their supporters made mess in the stands, and Luka Modric got injured. Pretty much everything went wrong for the Croats, but if they can learn from their mistakes and not repeat them, they should be a force to be reckoned with in this tournament.

The hopeful contenders – Germany, England, Poland, France

Germany played a goalless draw against Poland, but if the Polish attackers were more precise, it could’ve been much worse. They still seem to be warming up, but never count the world champions out. 79.5 points, but they’re still ready to grow.

England pulled off something they lacked before – two substitutions by Roy Hodgson scored to overturn the deficit against Wales in a British derby, meaning England are very close to the knockout rounds. With Vardy and Sturridge they looked much better, and if they can increase the defensive performance and midfield control even more, anything could happen in France.

Poland are also there, as they gave a really good effort against Germany, not frightening out but instead playing what looked like a pretty good football. Final match against Ukraine could be important for them to grab as good position in the group as possible, and if they can make Arek Milik score those kind of chances he missed against the Germans, Poland have nothing to fear.

France did somehow well against Albania, securing the passage to the knockout stages as well – for the hosts, two opening games were those with the highest pressure, and they should play easier now. 77.5 points as their play still seems to lack some certain elements, but France will work on that for sure.

The mid-table lurkers – Wales, Slovakia, Hungary, Iceland, Romania, Belgium, Portugal, Albania, Switzerland, Czech Republic

The biggest section – Wales lost to England but still looked good on pitch, and if they could repeat that against Russia, their progression should not be in question. As for Slovakia, they played amazing against the Russians, but almost fell victims to the late scare as they conceded one goal and entered some sort of panic mode afterwards. Similar game without the “black holes” should grant them the place in the knockout rounds.

Hungary knocked on Iceland’s door for almost a whole half and in the end got their equalizer, meaning they now hold 4 points after two games – not bad for a team that was expected to lose basically all of their games. As for Iceland themselves, that point meant their meeting against Austria will be a must-win, but there’s nothing to fear for them if they can remain compact, solid and deadly as in two games already played.

Romania looked good against Switzerland, but in the end it was enough only for a point – Romanians still know their fate depends on a last match against Albania. 74 points from us.

Belgium woke up – it wasn’t easy, as Ireland looked good and had a penalty-shout at 0-0 that probably should’ve been given, but three goals should restore confidence to the Belgians and make them grow.

Portugal are still somewhere close to it – Cristiano missed penalty that would (probably) grant them a win against Austria, but the Portuguese created chances and looked solid. If only they could score more, they would’ve already secured the passage to the knockout rounds. However, don’t count Portugal out – if their attackers wake up, anything’s possible yet. They sit at 72.5 points.

Albania lost to the hosts in the match they could’ve fared better – but, as for the Romanians, it’s the last meeting that will really decide the fates of those two teams.

Switzerland underperformed, and they are aware of that, but point against Romania gave them a cushion – 4 points are probably enough to progress, and they can hope to do better in the knockout rounds. If they surprise the hosts in the last round of a group stage, the better for them.

Czech Republic didn’t look good against Croatia – they should’ve lost the match in all honesty – but they fought back, showing incredible spirit and confidence. So, all of a sudden, they got a chance against disheartened Turkey, where a win will be enough to secure their passage.

The underperformers – Northern Ireland, Ireland, Russia, Ukraine

Northern Ireland won their match, showing amazing team spirit against Ukraine – they are still in this bracket due to their poor first round performance, but they’re on the grow. The chance is there – match against Germany certainly isn’t the easiest in the world, but a point there could be huge for the Northern Irish.

The island neighbours share the table position as well – Republic of Ireland fell here after their defeat against Belgium. Their play in the first half was encouraging, but the reaction after conceding is what dropped them down. Still, although Italy isn’t an easy opponent, with Conte saying he’ll rest some players for that match, Ireland could grab their chance to win and progress to the knockout stages.

Russia looked desperate against Slovakia – instead of building upon a point against England, they fell to the ugly defeat and put themselves into a corner. Must-win match against Wales awaits – 68.5 points, only due to the last ten minutes where they actually looked like a team. Maybe they just need around 85 minutes to warm up?

Ukraine is the similar story – after playing well against Germany and unluckily losing, they got ran over by Northern Ireland, the team they actually expected to beat, becoming the first team to officially lose the chance to grab knockout stages. Huge disappointment for a talented squad.

The disappointments – Austria, Sweden, Turkey

Austria are still here – 0-0 draw against Portugal put them to a must-win encounter against the stout Icelandic side, where they must finally perform in order to grab anything on this Euro. 66.5 points from us, as we still hope they can do better.

Sweden, to be fair, didn’t play bad against Italy, but as it usually happens in football, if you don’t score… well, you name it. Ibrahimovic couldn’t hold on his own as the Italian defence tied him down easily, and the Swedes must find some sort of inspiration before their meeting against Belgium, or they will be up for a long and disappointing journey back home. 64.5 points.

Turkey were on a back foot against Spain throughout the whole game, to the point their own supporters started to jeer their attempts. Sad story for the Turks, but they actually still have a chance – a win against Czech Republic would give them a decent shot in qualifying as one of the four best 3rd-placed teams. How to get that win is a whole another story.