5 best individual performances from the group stage of Euro 2016

The group stage of Euro 2016 was littered with several standout displays, with attack-minded players and their defensive counterparts alike putting in superlative showings.

Here are the five best individual performances at the tournament thus far.

Dimitri Payet vs. Romania

On the periphery of the squad just months before Euro 2016, Dimitri Payet rocketed to national stardom in the tournament opener, scoring a thunderous left-footed piledriver to ease French fears and give his side a 2-1 victory over a resolute Romania. The stunning tally, which could yet go down as the best of the competition, came after the 29-year-old had already teed up Olivier Giroud for the opening goal of the match.

Playing on the left side of Didier Deschamps' front three, the West Ham conductor took over the contest after he was shifted into a more natural central role. That dominant performance saw Deschamps alter his entire formation heading into Les Bleus' second match, with the sole purpose of the tactical tweak being to ensure Payet was deployed in his preferred role.

Andres Iniesta vs. Turkey

The ultimate puppet master.

A magician with the ball at his feet, the 32-year-old was at his incisive best in Spain's 3-0 destruction of Turkey, completing more passes (100) than anyone on the pitch, and slicing open an opposition that simply had no remedy for his diminutive genius. Even at his advancing age, Andres Iniesta remains one of the most spellbinding footballers on the planet, and Turkey got a first-hand reminder of that.

Leonardo Bonucci vs. Belgium

There have been some masterful defensive display thus far at Euro 2016, but none compare to the Italians' comprehensive lockdown of a Belgian side that is rife with expensive attacking talent. Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli were brick walls, but club-mate Leonardo Bonucci was the catalyst in a surprising 2-0 victory that hearkened back to some of the great performances of past Azzurri sides.

In trademark Bonucci style, his match wasn't complete without at least one inch-perfect long ball that would even impress former teammate Andrea Pirlo. Taking some time off from sliding in with key interventions and containing Romelu Lukaku in his pocket, Bonucci provided a gorgeous 50-yard ball over the Belgian backline to set up Emanuele Giaccherini's winning tally.

All in a day's work for the 29-year-old.

Ivan Perisic vs. Spain

Purveyor of persistent stepovers, Ivan Perisic has looked like one of the most threatening attacking players at Euro 2016. Never was that more evident than in the stunning 2-1 victory over Spain, a result that turned the tournament on its head.

The Inter Milan winger, the son of a chicken farmer, roasted Juanfran over the course of the evening, and twisted the right-back into knots before clipping in a perfect ball for Nikola Kalinic's flicked finish. The Hajduk Split academy product then took matters into his own hands, scoring the winning goal in the waning minutes to give Croatia top spot in Group D.

Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Hungary

Haters be damned.

Behind on three separate occasions and in serious danger of an embarrassing group stage exit, vilified superstar Cristiano Ronaldo put his team, and his nation, on his perfectly sculpted shoulders.

A great weighted pass for Nani set up the Selecao's opening goal before Ronaldo rippled the mesh himself, setting a European Championship record with an audacious back-heel flick before thumping home an emphatic header to complete his brace.

Portugal would be watching the rest of the tournament from home without Ronaldo. Instead, a 3-3 draw was enough to reach the knockout stages. The critics, at least for one night, were quiet.