Ruud van Nistelrooy and the Netherlands breezed through the first round, surprising fans and critics alike. (Paul Ellis/Getty Images)

Great goals, stunning saves and countless questions about Cristiano Ronaldo's future — the first round of the Euro 2008 provided plenty of talking points for fans of the beautiful game.

Here are just some of the highlights:

Pallea or fish and chips? Ronaldo's not saying: Cristiano Ronaldo is keeping quiet about whether he plans to leave Manchester United for Real Madrid. Speculation over the future of the 23-year-old Ronaldo has hit an all-time high the past few weeks, with the Portuguese star hinting that he wants to play for the Spanish club. But on Tuesday, the Manchester United star brushed off questions about his club future, and said he is focused on playing in Portugal's quarter-final match against Germany. "I don't want to talk about my future because I'm focused on the match against Germany," Ronaldo told reporters. "I'll only talk about it after the Euro."

Tough luck for the co-hosts: Tournament co-hosts Austria, competing at its first European Championship, and Switzerland failed to impress, winning just one game between them. Austria finished tied for last place in Group B with Poland (also making its Euro debut) with one point apiece after losing to Croatia and Germany. The Swiss lost to Turkey and the Czech Republic in Group A before salvaging some pride with a 2-0 win over Portugal in a meaningless game. Austria and Switzerland join Belgium (in 2000) as the only host nations to fail to make it to the knockout stage in the tournament's history.

Biggest surprise: Few gave the Netherlands any chance of advancing from the Group of Death, In fact some critics even thought the Dutch would finish in fourth place. Instead, the Dutch won Group C in stunning fashion, thrashing world champion Italy 3-0 and following that win up with a 4-1 destruction job of France. After dismantling the finalists from the 2006 World Cup, the Dutch made nine lineup changes for its final (meaningless) game, but still managed to whip Romania 2-0.

Best team: See above.

Best player: David Villa is making Spanish fans forget all about Raul. Spanish manager Luis Aragones was criticized in the lead-up to the tournament for not naming Raul to his squad, even though the Real Madrid striker is Spain's all-time leading scorer and was coming off his best season in years. But Villa is making Aragones look like a genius, having scored a hat trick in Spain's opening 4-1 win over Russia and then notching the winner in injury time in a dramatic 2-1 win over Sweden.

Best game: It'll go down as one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the European Championships. Down 2-0 in the second half and facing elimination, Turkey scored three goals in the final 15 minutes of regulation time to post a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Czech Republic and earn a quarter-final berth at Euro 2008. Turkish forward Nihat Kahveci broke the hearts of the devastated Czechs, scoring in the 87th and 89th minute to propel Turkey to the most improbable of victories.

Best goal: Has to be Michael Ballack's free kick effort against Austria. The game was tied 0-0 after a dull and lifeless first half, and in desperate need of a moment of inspiration. Ballack stepped forward in the 49th minute when he scored on a screamer of free kick from 25 yards, the ball nearly bursting through the back of the net after being struck with such venom and power.

Best save: Let's be clear — Italy would have been eliminated and boarding an early plane home if not for Gianluigi Buffon's heroic efforts against Romania. With the game tied 1-1, the Romanians were awarded a penalty shot at the 80-minute mark. Up stepped Adrian Mutu who could have sealed the victory if he managed to convert from the spot, but Buffon made a sensational save to deny the Romanian and keep the Italians alive.

Low point: France scoring one goal in three games? Petr Cech's fumble which led to the Turkish comeback? Nope. Greece bowing out of the tournament after being shut out in its first two games. The reigning European champions were expected to at least put up a fight in Group D. Instead, they went home in disgrace.