Euro 2016 Social Round-Up: Last 16 sides prepare for the knockout rounds

After a frantic group stage, Euro 2016 paused for breath on Thursday, with no matches played.

However, that did not stop players and their teams from going online and keeping fans engaged with a variety of pictures, videos and statistics.

Some sides were resting, others were preparing for the next round, and a few were offering teasing comments ahead of those forthcoming fixtures.

Here, we take a look at some of the highlights seen on social media during the day:

One Direction’s Niall Horan basked in the Republic of Ireland’s progression.

Unbelievable scenes !! Congratulations to @FAIreland .. Very proud to be Irish , have goosebumps as a write this .. COYBIG

— Niall Horan (@NiallOfficial) June 23, 2016

Germany’s Sami Khedira made the most of his rest day.

Relaxing on a beautiful day off! Thx @JB17Official #DefendYourStyle pic.twitter.com/F3i3lliKNf

— Sami Khedira (@SamiKhedira) June 23, 2016

Belgium defender Thomas Meunier revelled in his nation’s victory over Sweden – a match that saw Thibaut Courtois continue his impressive record in goal.

The qualification is obtained! Round of sixteen against Hungary in Toulouse. #belgianreddevils #meunier #TÔTOUTARD pic.twitter.com/IZJHomANTt

— Thomas Meunier (@ThomMills) June 23, 2016

. @thibautcourtois has now 20 clean sheets in 40 caps ! Not bad for a 24 year old  #swebel #tousenfrance #Euro2016 pic.twitter.com/0XHAspC8aK

— BelgianRedDevils (@BelRedDevils) June 23, 2016

Key figures from Iceland’s astonishing win over Austria talked up the magnitude of the nation’s achievement.

“How big a deal is this for Iceland? I would guess we will have to change our national holiday!” #ISL #EURO2016 pic.twitter.com/6Z3BGHBqRt

— UEFA EURO 2016 (@UEFAEURO) June 23, 2016

Kari Árnason, Iceland defender: “I know probably 50% of the crowd – or at least recognise them!” #ISL #EURO2016 pic.twitter.com/MKzelkm3ij

— UEFA EURO 2016 (@UEFAEURO) June 23, 2016

How cool are Iceland? They have qualified for the knockout stages in their first major tournament. #ISL #EURO2016 pic.twitter.com/Fk3bONdfSD

— UEFA EURO 2016 (@UEFAEURO) June 23, 2016

Jonas Hector, Mats Hummels, Mario Gotze and Thomas Muller opted for a different sport on Germany’s day off.

. @KingJames would be proud #DieMannschaft swap for ! It’s #Hector / @matshummels v @esmuellert_ / @MarioGoetze #GER pic.twitter.com/1461N9NNSG

— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) June 23, 2016

Captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, meanwhile, talked up the team spirit within the Germany camp.

Teamwork! #JederFuerJeden pic.twitter.com/cImSS7Ojhx

— Basti Schweinsteiger (@BSchweinsteiger) June 23, 2016

Who will be the next star to net with a free-kick in the tournament?

Dzsudzsák’s goal against Portugal was the fourth direct free-kick scored at #EURO2016 – a competition record. #HUN pic.twitter.com/ZakZOh2Zg6

— UEFA EURO 2016 (@UEFAEURO) June 23, 2016

Meanwhile, as others enjoyed some down time, the prospect of European champions Spain up next forced Italy to continue their hard work on the training ground.

#EURO2016
The #Azzurri have already been hard at work in #Montpellier ahead of #ITA vs. #ESP!#ITAESP pic.twitter.com/EZakmjcYJ0

— Italy (@azzurri) June 23, 2016

Along with the Italians, Croatia have been one of the tournament’s standout teams, and, according to goalkeeper Danijel Subasic, they are confident heading into the knockout stages.

Goalkeeper @SubasicDanijel believes that #Vatreni can be better than #Portugal.#EURO2016 #Croatia #BeProud pic.twitter.com/OSFrq107gN

— HNS | CFF (@HNS_CFF) June 23, 2016

Finally, though slightly less impressive, Northern Ireland, too, have battled their way through to the next round. They are still waiting on a contribution from star man Kyle Lafferty, though…

. @LaffK‘s billboard outside The Lafferty in Kesh! #DareToDream pic.twitter.com/tv7t6F2yov

— Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) June 23, 2016