Football News

OLIVER HOLT - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER IN BLANKENHAIN: England have not won any prizes for style at these Euros. They have not wowed us with free-flowing football. They have not swept teams aside. They have glimpsed doors ajar and, time after time, crept through them like silent assassins. They have become masters at winning ugly and if it is not quite what many were expecting from a team that was acclaimed before it left for Germany as being of all the talents, there is still beauty to be found in their resilience and their cussed, determined, stubborn refusal to lose. In past tournaments when England have struggled to find their fluency, they have been on an early plane home.

The Euro 2024 quarter-finals took place over the weekend and there was plenty of drama as the semi-final clashes were confirmed. Bukayo Saka saved England to redeem himself after the disappointment of Euro 2020 as the Three Lions came from behind to beat Switzerland in dramatic fashion on penalties. Elsewhere, the highest ranked team in Europe, France, scraped through unconvincingly against Portugal as Joao Felix missed his penalty in the shoot-out, surely ending Cristiano Ronaldo's journey in the competition for good.

Anthony Taylor endured a busy evening on Friday as he stepped into the middle of the MHPArena to officiate Spain's crunch Euro 2024 quarter-final clash against Germany. In what was one of the biggest games of the tournament so far, Taylor oversaw two goliaths of European football throwing tooth and nail at each other in front of a roaring crowd. Mikel Merino's 119th-minute winner would send the stadium into meltdown, with Spain progressing through to the semi-final in the most dramatic of circumstances after sealing a late 2-1 win.  But while the spotlight should have perhaps been on what was an enthralling game of football, it was thrust onto several refereeing decisions throughout the match by Taylor and his officiating team, who were blasted by fans and managers from both teams. 

England's quarter-final hero Bukayo Saka shocked his team-mates with his golf skills on Sunday, only to end up falling flat on his face just seconds later. Having scored in normal time and then converted his penalty in England's shootout win over Switzerland on Saturday, Saka joined the rest of the day on a scheduled rest day on the golf course. The players took part in a lighthearted 'North vs South' tournament, with some clearly more capable than others with a club in their hand.

Marcus Rashford's preparations for the new season are underway as he and some of his Man United team-mates returned to Carrington for their first training session after the summer break on Monday. Red Devils stars who were not involved in international tournaments this summer were pictured back at United's training complex as they underwent a light workout on the first day of pre-season. Rashford was joined by the likes of Andre Onana, Casemiro and Aaron Wan-Bissaka as attention turned to the upcoming campaign.

It is only 44 days since he masterminded a pivotal win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley, but plenty has changed since Erik ten Hag last set foot inside Carrington. The Manchester United manager returned for pre-season on Monday morning with a new contract extension and a new backroom team as work begins on a £50million overhaul of the training ground. United's squad is likely to look significantly different as well by the time the transfer window closes on August 30, while Ten Hag needs to address a number of existing issues within the squad. Mail Sport takes a look at his most pressing concerns as he prepares for a third season at Old Trafford.

Pundits from BBC and ITV put their football skills to the test as they went head to head in a game of six-a-side at Euro 2024. The two broadcasters have been covering all the action in Germany, sharing responsibilities and each boasting their own star-studded cast of pundits. ITV kickstarted the tournament in Germany with their coverage of the hosts' thrashing of Scotland in the opening game, whilst the BBC broadcasted England's first two games as Gareth Southgate's side went unbeaten against Serbia and Denmark.

The Three Lions left-back took to the turf for the first time since February when he came on as a 78th-minute substitute in Saturday's quarter-final with Switzerland. The Manchester United star had not played a minute of football for 140 days before he crossed the white line in Dusseldorf. But after gaining valuable minutes across normal time and then extra-time in England's victory over the Swiss, Shaw is now chomping at the bit to be selected from the outset against the Dutch.

CHRIS WHEELER: Ruud van Nistelrooy has been pictured arriving at Manchester United 's training ground ahead of starting work as part of Erik ten Hag 's new backroom staff. The club have yet to confirm the appointments of assistant managers Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake, and goalkeeper coach Jelle ten Rouwelaar, as the three Dutchmen wait for their visas to be granted. But Van Nistelrooy, Hake and Ten Rouwelaar were all at the Carrington training ground on Monday morning when United's first non-international players reported back for pre-season.

The history of the national side has been littered with heartache from 12 yards, with Gareth Southgate himself seeing a penalty saved at Euro 96, but a renewed push to change the mentality in recent years has paid dividends. A team of analysts, led by a sports psychologist, were first drafted in and now, breathing expert Stuart Sandeman (bottom left) has also been hired. Sandeman led a recovery session (bottom right) at the Three Lions' training base in Blankenhain. To help them take control of high-pressure situations surrounding penalties, players have been tasked with taking deep breaths to regain control before shooting. Several players, including Bukayo Saka, visibly inhaled and exhaled (top) during the shootout against the Swiss, which England won 5-3.

Antoine Griezmann has reacted angrily to French media posting videos of Didier Deschamps' team practicing penalties ahead of their clash with Spain. Despite entering Euro 2024 as the pre-tournament favourites, France were far from their all-conquering best in the group stage. A narrow victory over Austria was followed by draws with the Netherlands and Poland that saw them qualify second from Group D to set up a clash with rivals Belgium.

Former England international Ben Foster opened up on what it's like to be on the receiving end of an Ivan Toney penalty. The Brentford striker showed no sign of nerves as he took his incredible record from 12 yards to the international stage in England's penalty shoot-out win over Switzerland on Saturday. Toney was one of five successful takers for the Three Lions, with his effort including his famed two-step run-up while starring only at the goalkeeper.

SOUL OF SPORT: KEVIN QUIGLEY captured all the emotion and drama as England navigated victory , using a Nikon Z9 and Z8 Camera, and 24-70mm, 70-200mm and 400mm lenses. England will now play the Netherlands in Dortmund for Wednesday's semi-final with a chance at a second consecutive shot at eternal European Championship silverware on the line.

Estevao Willian left one rival manager in shock at his sensational footballing ability, as the 17-year-old forward continues to impress ahead of his move to Chelsea this summer. The young forward produced a moment of magic during Palmeiras' 2-0 victory against Bahia on Sunday, giving his side a 1-0 lead in the first half with a sensational left-footed strike. Chelsea officially announced that the Brazilian youngster would be joining the Blues from Palmeiras in June in a £28million deal that will not see the right winger move to the west London club until he turns 18 in April, next year.

Manchester City star Jack Grealish and his girlfriend Sasha Attwood are expecting their first child together, they announced on Sunday. The pair, both 28, are childhood sweethearts and met when they were just 16 years old. Taking to Instagram on Sunday, Jack shared a picture of himself holding Sasha's growing baby bump to reak the news. 'Life's biggest blessing,' the footballer captioned the post.