Euro 2020 was really lively on match day two, with some shocking results and captivating goal parties that ensured that a handful of deeply boring games did not linger long in the memory.
Patrik Schick finished the first round of games as a top player on our list, but there have been significant changes among the leading individuals after the last 12 matches.
With the help of the Opta player index – which calculates ratings based on data collected from each game – Stats Perform can reveal the 20 best artists in Euro after the second round of matches.
Let’s start from number 20 and see who has climbed to the top of the mound …
20. Jorginho
Jorginho has played in Italy’s midfield / Claudio Villa / Getty Images
Italy looked imperial at an early stage in these finals and Jorginho has set the pace for his leading victories over Turkey and Switzerland.
The Chelsea man has the best passing accuracy for his side (92.1 percent) after two games, despite having tried by far the most (152).
19. Daley Blind
Blind helped the Netherlands keep a clean sheet against Austria / BSR Agency / Getty Images
The Netherlands are now unbeaten in nine games in a row in major tournaments (although that run includes a penalty shootout loss to Argentina in 2014). Unbelievably, Blind has played in all nine of these games.
Austria failed to score a goal during the Blinds’ 64 minutes on the pitch, and the Ajax man tried (65) and completed (55) the most passes for Oranje despite playing just over an hour.
18. Marko Arnautovic
Arnautovic missed the defeat against the Netherlands / Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images
The fact that Arnautovic remains in the top 20 despite being suspended for Austria’s 2-0 loss to the Netherlands says a lot about his impact against Northern Macedonia on the first day of the match.
After 31 minutes, a couple of quick and successful challenges followed by a shot from just outside the penalty area by Sasa Kalajdzic might have resulted in another goal for Jürgen Schneider.
17. Robin Gosens
Gosen’s fire against Portugal / Alexander Hassenstein / Getty Images
Germany’s wingback Gosens shoots into the top 20 in the Opta index thanks to his spectacular performance against Portugal – one of the best individual screens during the first two match days.
The Atalanta man forced Ruben Dia’s own goal, set up Kai Havertz for his team’s third and nodded in the fourth in a spectacular 4-2 victory in Munich. Just a narrow offside call denied him a previous, spectacular volleyball.
16. Frenkie de Jong
De Jong has so far impressed / ANP Sport / Getty Images
The Netherlands have so far done relatively little work with their group and Frank de Boer seems to be getting the best out of De Jong’s direct driving.
The Barcelona midfielder completed five dribbles against both Ukraine and Austria and could become the first player to do so in three Euromatches in a row since Zinedine Zidane 21 years ago. Overall, he tops the charts at this tournament for dribbles tried (13) and finished (10).
15. Pedri
Pedri is already one of Spain’s most important players / David Ramos / Getty Images
Some of the expectations of 18-year-old Pedri sometimes feel a little unfair, but Barcelona’s youth have not removed the spotlight at these finals.
Pedri completed more passes (170) than any other Spanish midfielder in his first two matches, with 137 of them coming on the opponent’s half.
14. Victor Lindelof
Lindelof has led Sweden to two clean sheets / Kirill Kudryavtsev – Pool / Getty Images
Often questioned due to lack of pace in Manchester United, Sweden’s deeper defense has really helped Lindelof shine in this tournament.
Sweden has kept clean sheets in its two opening matches at a major final for only the third time in its history, their stability is based on the partnership between Lindelof and Marcus Danielson. Lindelof’s distribution has also been key – he tried 36 passes into the opposition half against Slovakia, more than anyone else in the game.
13. Danny Ward
Ward made five saves against Turkey / Marcio Machado / Getty Images
There is something about the euro that brings out the best in Wales. In fact, their five wins from eight matches give them the best winning percentage in the history of the tournament (63 percent).
Their 2-0 victory over Turkey was largely due to goalkeeper Danny Ward, who saved all five shots on goal he met, including a flying stop to deny Merih Demiral what would have been an equalizer.
12. Marcos Llorente
Llorente clashes with Poland’s Tymoteusz Puchacz / Marcelo Del Pozo – Pool / Getty Images
The right-back may be a somewhat unorthodox position for Llorente, but he has generally been at the heart of Spain’s attempts to break down stubborn opponents in the form of Sweden and Poland.
Against the latter, Llorente made more successful passes (92) than any other player and gave four crosses from open play. He also made two tackles on the rare occasion he was called up defensively.
11. Romelu Lukaku
Lukaku was influential again even though he did not have a shot against Denmark / Stuart Franklin / Getty Images
Although he could not add the 26 direct goal mixes he managed in his previous 19 Belgium appearances, Lukaku was still a threat to Denmark, especially in the second half.
The striker did not have a single shot on match day two, but he was the core of the two moves that saw his side come from behind to win and reach the knockout phase.
10. Manuel Locatelli
Locatelli scored two goals against Switzerland / Insidefoto / Getty Images
Italy have seen the most licked of all sides at Euro 2020, their back-to-back 3-0 victories driven by the efforts of midfielder Maestro Locatelli.
With two goals against Switzerland, he became the third Azzurri player to do twice in the same European Championship match and the third youngest to do so in a major tournament, after Mario Balotelli in 2012 and Giacomo Bulgarelli in 1962.
9. Patrik Schick
Schick netted a penalty against Croatia / PAUL ELLIS / Getty Images
The star on match day one after the frankly absurd goal against Scotland, Schick got his third in just two matches from the penalty spot for the Czech Republic against Croatia.
The last Czech player to score more goals in a major tournament was Milan Baros at Euro 2004 – he did five times to win the Golden Boot.
8. Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo’s Portugal was beaten by Germany / Alexander Hassenstein / Getty Images
Ronaldo fixed the deadlock with Portugal’s first shot in the match against Germany, which corresponded to Miroslav Klose’s record of 19 goals over both the World Cup and the European Championships.
The result may not have gone the way of the holders, but Ronaldo, with three goals and an assist already at these finals, seems to be in no mood to go home early.
7. Milan Skriniar
Skriniar is owned by Kristoffer Olsson / Lars Baron / Getty Images
Skriniar delivered another perfect screen for Slovakia, who lost to Sweden with the permission of Emil Forsberg’s second penalty.
The midfielder made a team-high two tackles, two blocks and five clearances and won eight of ten duels for his side. He will probably be asked to do even more in the most important final match with Spain.
6. Luke Hradecky
Hradecky impressed again against Russia / Lars Baron / Getty Images
The best performing goalkeeper on our list, Hradecky, kept clean goals and saved a penalty against Denmark and it took an inspired finish from Aleksey Miranchuk to get better over him in Finland’s loss to Russia.
Hradecky made two saves and two catches in the 1-0 defeat and really could not be blamed for admitting the winner. Can he keep his form against Belgium? Finland’s hopes may depend on it.
5. Roman Yaremchuk
Yaremchuk netted in Northern Macedonia’s victory / Vadim Ghirda – Pool / Getty Images
There are two Ukraine players in our current top five, highlighting the impressive contributions from two unlikely stars.
First is Yaremchuk; healthy from a goal and an assist against the Netherlands, he made Ukraine’s second in the 2-1 victory over Northern Macedonia. The striker has scored from half of his total shots in these finals.
4. Joakim Maehle
Maehle has impressed on Denmark’s right side / Stuart Franklin / Getty Images
Under those circumstances, Maehle has performed admirably for Denmark, even though they both lost their opening matches.
He regained his team height ten times against Belgium, delivered four crosses and created four goal chances, while only Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (195) has had more details for Denmark in the first two match days than Maehle (184).
Andriy Yarmolenko
Yarmolenko celebrates his strike against Northern Macedonia / Robert Ghement – Pool / Getty Images
Yarmolenko followed up his fantastic goal in the defeat against the Netherlands by scoring goals and helping against Northern Macedonia to give Ukraine its victory.
The West Ham winger has now made three straight Ukraine appearances for the first time since 2016 and is the first man from his country to compete in several appearances in a major tournament since Andriy Shevchenko in 2006.
2. Kevin De Bruyne
De Bruyne changed the match against Denmark / Isosport / MB Media / Getty Images
This was not so bad, as impact compensation goes. De Bruyne scored one and set up another after coming on at half-time against Denmark, which helped secure Belgium’s 2-1 victory.
Along with Eden Hazard, the Manchester City star is one of only two Europeans to help score a goal in each of the last four major tournaments, while a remarkable 10 of his last 14 international goals have come from outside the box.
1. Jordi Alba
Jordi Alba celebrates with Alvaro Morata / LLUIS GENE / Getty Images
Spain’s campaign has not really started, with two draws from two matches which means that they need a victory against Slovakia on match day three. However, Alba has emphasized its importance for a site that lacks experience and leadership.
Alba leads the way at Euro 2020 for touch (271), finished passes (192) and successful passes in the opposition half (145). He has also created five chances, more than any other player in Spain. He just needs someone to take them …
