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Germany v Spain – dissecting Euro 2024’s two best teams

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Spanish football expert Guillem Balague:

“This will be a fascinating encounter. They are both sides who are very similar. They like to build from the back and have an organiser or two in Gundogan and Kroos for Germany and Rodri and Pedri for Spain.

“They both have similar weaknesses with the full-backs going forward and space being left behind, while the centre-back pairings are not the strongest.

“With Spain we have seen a team who have adapted to anything thrown at them, and they have been improving.

“With Williams and Yamal having a youthful approach to games, they don’t mind if they don’t beat defenders, they just keep going.

“In Yamal they have the player of the tournament who has created the most amount of chances.

“There’s not much to be changed in the line-up. The debate is whether it will be Pedri, who was not great against Georgia, or Dani Olmo, who was sharp when he came on.

“There’s another possibility, sometimes Morata starts on the bench and Olmo starts as a false nine, and that could cause problems for Rudiger and whoever partners him in defence because they prefer to face a player with a fixed position.

“Former Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann said Spain look like an under-18s side because of our size but I think he knows we are a team that will be aggressive in the one-on-ones.”

German football expert Constantin Eckner:

“Belief has grown. There wasn’t much hype going into this in Germany for the tournament and for Germany, but that has grown.

“There was good and bad in the games against Switzerland and Denmark. Against Switzerland if they did not score in injury time then they would not win the group, so there is optimism as well as realism.

“Spain have been the team that has impressed the most so far with the way they have played. Germany have scored the most goals but the Scotland game was an outlier.

“One of the key battles will be Joshua Kimmich against Williams. Williams has been one of Spain’s main creator of chances.

“The other key duel will be Gundogan versus Rodri because Rodri is Spain’s controlling hand. He is such a strong counter-pressing player and that is why he needs to be contained and made to work and get in situations he is maybe not comfortable.

“Then of course Musiala will play against Dani Carvajal. The first two battles I mentioned were how Germany can contain Spain, but this one will be about how Spain can contain Germany.”



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PGA Tour: Davis Thompson wins in Illinois to secure Open spot

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American Davis Thompson carded a closing seven-under-par 64 to win the John Deere Classic in Illinois by four strokes.

His maiden win on the PGA Tour secured a debut in The Open later this month for the 25-year-old.

The overnight leader made eight birdies and a single bogey at TPC Deere Run as he finished on 28 under to seal a commanding victory.

“Qualifying for The Open was just an added incentive to this,” said Thompson.

“The goal was to win the golf tournament after getting off to a great start and I was able to finish it off.”

Chinese Taipei’s CT Pan also claimed a spot in The Open at Royal Troon by finishing joint second on 24 under alongside Michael Thorbjornsen and 20-year-old amateur Luke Clanton.

Pan took the second qualifying place that was available from the John Deere Classic courtesy of his higher position in the world ranking.

England’s Aaron Rai, who was in a share of the lead going into the third round, shot a 69 to finish on 21 under.

Compatriot Harry Hall was one shot further back after a final-round 65.



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Olympics 2024: Giannis Antetokounmpo leads Greece to spot in Paris

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Giannis Antetokounmpo will play in the Olympics for the first time after helping Greece beat Croatia to qualify for Paris 2024.

The Milwaukee Bucks superstar hit 23 points as Greece sealed a 80-69 win in front of their home crowd in Piraeus.

Greece have not qualified for the Olympics since the 2008 Games in Beijing.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” said two-time NBA MVP Antetokounmpo, who was in tears after Greece’s victory.

“Since I was a kid I always wanted to play in the Olympic Games.”

The 29-year-old, who led the Bucks to the 2021 NBA title, had not played since picking up a calf injury in April until Greece’s first match of the qualifying tournament on Wednesday.

The Athens-born power forward helped his country beat Dominican Republic before sitting out their second match as Greece defeated Egypt.

Antetokounmpo returned to help Greece beat a Slovenia side featuring Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic in the semi-final to set up the final against Croatia.

In the finals of the other men’s Olympic qualifying tournaments, Brazil beat Latvia 94-69 in Riga and Spain secured a 86-78 win over Bahamas in Valencia.

The last spot at Paris 2024 is between Lithuania and Puerto Rico, who play in San Juan later on Sunday.



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Michael Olise: Bayern Munich sign Crystal Palace winger

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Bayern Munich have signed winger Michael Olise from Crystal Palace on a five-year deal after paying a release clause of about £60m.

The 22-year-old English-born France Under-21 forward made 90 appearances in all competitions over three seasons with Palace.

He joined the Eagles from Reading for £8m in July 2021.

Chelsea and Newcastle United registered their interest in Olise earlier this summer but the winger has chosen to move to Germany, where he will work under Bayern’s new manager Vincent Kompany.

“I’m very happy to now be playing for such a big club – it’s a great challenge and that’s exactly what I was looking for,” said Olise.

“I want to prove myself at this level and play my part in ensuring we win as many titles as possible in the coming years.”

Olise scored 10 goals in 19 Premier League appearances as Palace finished 10th in the table last season.

He has been selected in the France squad for the Olympics that start in Paris later this month.

“We are hugely proud of what Michael has achieved at Crystal Palace, a club where he has developed greatly as a player,” said Eagles chairman Steve Parish.

“We respect his desire to further test himself at the highest level of world football.”

Bayern are also set to complete the signing of Fulham’s Joao Palhinha in a deal worth £42m plus £4m in add-ons.

The 28-year-old Portugal midfielder was close to joining Bayern last summer but a deal collapsed on deadline day.

England defender Eric Dier has also joined the Bundesliga club permanently after playing for them on loan from Tottenham Hotspur since January.

Bayern’s 11-year hold on the German title was ended by Bayer Leverkusen last season.

Check out our dedicated page for a full list of the summer’s transfers.



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