Toni Kroos after the Euro 2024 quarter-final between Germany and Spain, in Stuttgart, July 5, 2024. FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

Ilkay Gündogan knew it. Every match of the Mannschaft could be the last for his teammate Toni Kroos. But it was not necessary to think about it, said the German captain, on the eve of the quarter-final of Euro 2024 against Spain. Friday, July 5, in Stuttgart, when the Englishman Anthony Taylor whistled the end of the game in the Mercedes-Benz Arena, what was only a possibility materialized. The giant screens showed 1-2 in favor of the Roja, at the end of an intense fight of one hundred and twenty minutes. At that moment, the adventure of the locals in the tournament ended. And with it, the career of its emblematic midfielder.

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Did the public have this fact in mind at kick-off? Hadn’t his name been pronounced with a little more insistence than those of his teammates when the starting eleven of the Mannschaft was revealed? And what about the “Toni, Toni” came down from the stands when the player in question was taking a corner, preparing a free kick, or when he found himself crippled with cramp at the very end of the match? On Friday, Toni Kroos did not play his best match, far from it. But the physical commitment he showed, particularly in defense, demonstrated his determination not to give up until the end.

Unlike the 2006 World Cup, where, before the round of 16 between France and La Roja, the Iberian media had vainly promised to hasten Zinédine Zidane’s international retirement, this time, centre forward Joselu and midfielder Pedri have kept their bet. The epilogue is different, but in many ways, the trajectory of the 34-year-old German is reminiscent of that of his elder. Like the French number 10, he will remain one of the great names of Real Madrid. Like him, he was the playmaker of a selection from which he had, for a time, withdrawn, before returning to the bedside of a group in difficulty. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Return under the impetus of Nagelsmann

For the man born in Greifswald (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) in January 1990, in what was still, for a few months, the German Democratic Republic, this came to fruition in February. Since the summer of 2021 and the elimination of his team in the round of 16 of the European Nations Championship by England, Toni Kroos had chosen not to wear the national jersey. But as soon as he was appointed to the German bench, in the fall of 2023, Julian Nagelsmann had made his return a priority.

The matter took some time. “He wanted to know the direction we wanted to give the team. (…) In one of our first exchanges, he told me that he would only come back if he felt that we could win.”the coach will explain later. “What interests me is to see if I can help Germany have a better tournament at home than what we might imagine based on recent performances.”the player will say for his part.

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2024-07-05 19:33:59
#Toni #Kroos #retire #early #Germanys #defeat #Spain

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Carlos Alcaraz (ATP 3) has reached the next round in Wimbledon with more fight and tension than expected. The 21-year-old Spaniard had to go five sets against his opponent Frances Tiafoe (ATP 29) – he ultimately won in 3 hours and 50 minutes with 5:7, 6:2, 4:6, 7:6 (7:2), 6:2. On Centre Court, with the roof closed, Alcaraz showed a disappointing performance at times and had to make up a set deficit twice.

Tiafoe, on the other hand, was able to read Alcaraz’s hard serves very well and took the first set thanks to a late break to make it 6:5. The 26-year-old American then clearly lost the second set, but continued undeterred. After winning the third set, Tiafoe had the Spaniard on the verge of a bitter disappointment in the fourth set. But Alcaraz made short work of him in the tiebreak.

This was also the case in the fifth and final set, which was the quickest at around 34 minutes. Alcaraz broke Tiafoe early to make it 2-1 and 4-1 and finally won after almost four hours. This means that his second triumph at Wimbledon is still possible. A year ago, Alcaraz impressed with his final victory over the Serbian record Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic.

Sinner doesn’t show any weakness

Much less trouble with declared world number 1 Jannik Sinner with his opponent in the 3rd round. The Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic (ATP 58) could not hold a candle to the reigning Australian Open champion and lost in three sets with 1:6, 4:6, 2:6.

Sinner had won all of the first five games, and winning the first set was then just a formality. In the second set he earned two break points, and he used the second to break his serve to make it 5:4. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

The Italian started the third set with a perfect break. He followed it up with another to make it 4:1. After just 1:38 hours of play, he earned his first match point, which he was able to use to advance to the round of 16.

Rain disrupts program

Alcaraz and Sinner’s two opponents in the round of 16 are not yet known. Due to the bad weather conditions, numerous games, some of which had already started, had to be postponed until Saturday.

2024-07-05 16:49:00
#Wimbledon #Day #Men #Alcaraz #continues #tremble #Tiafoe #Sinner #problems #Sport

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Justin Steele allowed just two singles in a complete game Friday, helping the Chicago Cubs to a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Steele was an All-Star last year, going 16-5 with a 3.06 ERA.

He earned his first win of the campaign on Friday (in his 13th start), also achieving his first complete game in his career.

The left-hander improved his record to 1-3 and his ERA to 2.95.

Steele struck out seven batters and walked two.

Seiya Suzuki hit a two-run homer in the first inning, his fourth home run in nine games.

Miles Mastrobuoni was outstanding at third base in the first, third and eighth innings. On the very first pitch of the game, he set the tone by diving to his right to catch a line drive from Taylor Ward.

He also hit his second double of the season.

The Cubs won their second straight game, following a stretch in which they were beaten eight times in 10 outings.

The Angels dropped a fifth straight game after winning six in a row.

Griffin Canning (3-9) allowed four runs and six hits in four 1-third innings.

Elsewhere in Major League Baseball:

NY Mets – Pittsburgh
NYM:
PIT :

St. Louis – Washington
STL :
WAS : READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Boston – NY Yankees
BOS :
NYY :

White Sox – Miami
CHW :
MIA :

Detroit – Cincinnati
THAT:
CIN :

San Francisco – Cleveland
SF  :
CLE :

Philadelphia – Atlanta
PHI :
ATL :

Tampa Bay – Texas
TB  :
TEX :

Houston – Minnesota
NEW:
MIN :

Kansas City – Colorado
KC :
COL :

Arizona – San Diego
ARI :
SD  :

Baltimore – Oakland
BAL :
OAK :

Toronto – Seattle
TOR :
SEA :

Milwaukee – LA Dodgers
MIL :
LAD :

2024-07-05 22:59:48
#Major #League #Baseball #Game #Recap #Friday #July

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