Niall McGinn celebrates his team's 2-0 over Ukraine (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

SO, Wales topped Group B after their demolition of Russia while England had to settle for second as they endured a goalless stalemate with Slovakia.

Now, it is Northern Ireland’s turn to see if they can become the third Home Nation to reach the last 16.

The small task in hand – an encounter against Germany at the Parc des Princes in Paris. Elsewhere today, Poland take on Ukraine while Group D concludes with Spain playing Croatia and Turkey and the Czech Republic scrapping for third place.

Can Northern Ireland stun the World Champions?

NORTHERN IRELAND are one of the smallest nations at Euro 2016 as only Iceland has a smaller population. But tonight one of the minnows will attempt to topple one of the giants. Germany stand in the way of the Irish reaching the last 16, which would be a fantastic achievement for Michael O’Neill and his boys.

The Green and White Army came to France to party and savour a potentially once-in-a-lifetime moment for their team, and now they do not want the party to end. Written off before the tournament and certainly after a limp display in their opener against Poland, they bounced back in fantastic style to deservedly beat Ukraine.

Celebrations after victory over Ukraine (Nick Potts/PA Wire)

A win or a draw would be enough to qualify. A narrow defeat would probably be enough too to secure one of the third place spots.

There are lot of teams with better players in France, but few can match the Northern Irish in terms of a team ethic. Led by guys like Gareth McAuley and Steven Davis, everyone knows their role and does their job making the whole much stronger than the sum of the parts. And the romantics amongst their support will wonder if there is a Gerry Armstrong moment in waiting – as toppling Germany would match or even surpass their win over hosts Spain at the 1982 World Cup.

Player of the Day: Thomas Muller

THOMAS MULLER fits the bill for the type of German footballer we love to hate – annoying, arrogant, a little bit smug. But probably the most annoying thing is his habit for scoring the big goal or doing the right thing at the right time. By his high standards, the Bayern Munich player has been a little quiet in the opening two games in France. Muller has plundered ten goals in two World Cups with crucial ones against England, Argentina and Brazil and a hat-trick against Portugal.

Thomas Muller (Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

Amazingly, he is still waiting for his first one in the Euros, having not scored four years ago. Northern Ireland will have to be on their guard against him as Muller’s slightly ungainly style is deceptive. Before you know it, he has pounced inside the area and the ball is in the net. And Germany know that to do well in France, Muller must come to the party.

More flair, no flares please

GROUP D concludes tonight but the first concern will be fan behaviour rather than action on the field. Croatia and Turkey are the nations in the dock, having both been fined for trouble during the second round of matches.

The Croatians supporters’ actions were particularly hard to fathom as while their team was playing well and winning against the Czech Republic, they embarked upon throwing flares onto the pitch and fighting in the stands.

Trouble in the stands (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

The end result – a stoppage in play, a loss of concentration from the Croatian players, an equaliser for the Czechs, and another heavy fine for the Croatian Football Federation.

The Turkish fans were guilty of lighting flares in the stands in the dying stages of their 3-0 defeat to Spain for which their board was also fined. So UEFA are watching both nations carefully. And so is the rest of the world. Croatia and Turkey can light up the Euros with fine football and goals, not the mindless behaviour of their fans because at the moment, that is likely to be the enduring image they leave behind.