The Netherlands and England were to face off in the second semi-final at Euro 2024.
A place in Sunday's showpiece match in Berlin was up for grabs, with Spain the opponents.
La Roja defeated France 2-1 in a thrilling clash on Tuesday.
Here, we round up the best Euro 2024 social media posts from Tuesday and Wednesday.
Dortmund goes Dutch
Dortmund isn't far from the Dutch border, so it was no surprise to see a swathe of Oranje fans head over to western Germany to get a taste of the atmosphere, even if they didn't manage to get a ticket.
As they have been all tournament, the Netherlands supporters were in fantastic voice as they took over the centre of the city.
Apparently, there were around 110,000 Dutch fans who took part in the fan march.
Imagine what it'll be like if they make the final!
Carragher lauds Cody
Cody Gakpo has been hugely impressive at Euro 2024, and has been crucial in the Netherlands' run.
The forward has not always found his best form for club side Liverpool, but Jamie Carragher has been impressed with Gakpo's performances in Germany.
"He's been their number one attacker, and we're waiting for that to transform into a Liverpool shirt. He's done well, but it's not been easy for him," said Carragher.
"He's playing in a position that favours him, out on the left. He's been a revelation, no doubt he's been one of the best in the tournament."
Van Dijk's fan club
Virgil van Dijk is another Dutch star who plies his trade for Liverpool, and the Oranje fans were chanting their captain's name ahead of kick-off.
Here, journalist Chris Chambers shared a taste of the atmosphere in Dortmund.
Boy wonder
Lamine Yamal played a starring role in Spain's victory over France on Tuesday, scoring a sublime equaliser.
That made the 16-year-old the youngest-ever player to net at the Euros.
BBC Sport pundit Gary Lineker eulogised over the Barcelona prodigy on 'The Rest Is Football' podcast.
Mi hermano
Yamal is not the only Spain winger to have dazzled in Germany, with Nico Williams having also caught the eye.
But Williams was more than happy for the limelight to be on his "brother" after Yamal's stunner.
It's worth noting, mind, that Williams does have an actual brother, who he plays alongside at Athletic Bilbao - that's Inaki Williams.
On your marks...
England have hardly been the most impressive of sides at Euro 2024, but they are, nevertheless, in the semi-finals.
And they do not want to go home now.
The Three Lions' squad were sharpening up in training on Monday with some sprints and races, by the looks. Will that have come in handy against the Dutch?
Selfie time
Dortmund is, of course, home to one of Germany's biggest clubs, and one of BVB's star players, Karim Adeyemi, proved to be something of an attraction for a section of Dutch fans who spotted the winger sitting in traffic in the city.
A journalist spotted the fans crowding Adeyemi's car, and filmed the action.
James Anderson took a wicket on the first day of his final Test but England debutant Gus Atkinson was the star of the show at Lord's.
Paceman Atkinson took seven wickets and went for just 45 runs as England dominated the opening day against West Indies, finishing with a lead of 68.
The tourists collapsed from 88-3 to 121 all out on Wednesday, with Atkinson taking three of his seven wickets during a phenomenal 35th over.
Alick Athanaze, Jason Holder and Joshua Da Silva could not cope with the England new boy, who had previously dismissed Kraigg Brathwaite and Kirk McKenzie, with Atkinson following up with two more wickets before Anderson sent Jayden Seales packing.
England subsequently took control with the bat, recovering from the early loss of Ben Duckett, with Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope taking Ben Stokes' team to 123 before the latter succumbed to an edge on 57.
Crawley (76) followed when he was done leg before wicket by Holder, but Joe Root (15 not out) and Harry Brook (25 n.o) ensured there was no further loss before the close, which England reached at 189-3.
Data Debrief: Anderson bowing out, but the future's bright
It is truly the end of an era at Lord's over the coming days, and Anderson at least has the guarantee of one wicket from his farewell Test.
He is now on 701 wickets in the longest format, and 120 of those have come at Lord's.
But Atkinson proved there is life after Anderson. His figures of 7-45 are the second best any bowler has managed on men's Test debut for England, after Dominic Cork's 7-43 at Lord's in 1995.
Didier Deschamps seems set to continue as France coach, with the French Football Federation (FFF) president seeing no reason to replace him.
France lost 2-1 to Spain in Munich on Tuesday, falling short of reaching their fourth major tournament final since Deschamps took charge in 2012.
Les Bleus entered Euro 2024 as one of the favourites, though they ultimately failed to click into gear.
Indeed, Randal Kolo Muani's opener against Spain was the only open-play goal a France player managed all tournament, with Deschamps' team having benefited from own goals and a Kylian Mbappe penalty in previous matches.
But despite their indifferent performances, FFF president Philippe Diallo does not think there is any reason for Deschamps to make way.
Speaking to L'Equipe, Diallo said: "I don't see any reason to question his contract.
"Past results speak in his favour and the objectives have been achieved. Didier will continue his mission.
"We're going to be talking to each other over the next few days to analyse in greater depth what we lacked during this semi-final and what would have enabled us to go further.
"During this month, I've seen a lot of professionalism and a quest for excellence. We need to keep the French team moving in this direction."
Deschamps is under contract through to the 2026 World Cup.
Weeks after parting ways with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Heimir Hallgrimsson secured the top job as the Republic of Ireland's new manager.
The former senior Reggae Boyz coach, who resigned his post following a failed Copa America campaign, was the surprise selection by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to lead the country's football forward. He replaces interim manager John O'Shea, who took charge of the team after Stephen Kenny departed the post last November.
Hallgrimsson, 57, will get a baptism of fire of sorts, as his first assignment with Ireland will be Nations League action against England in September. Ironically, his tenure with the Reggae Boyz started similarly, albeit with a friendly against World Champions Argentina.
Still, the Icelandic coach, who led Iceland when they eliminated England during the 2016 Euro 2016 Championships, seems ready to hit the ground running, with eyes on the 2026 World Cup.
"Ireland is rightly a proud footballing nation which has consistently produced talented players and enjoyed many memorable moments at major international tournaments. We have a young and exciting team that has genuine potential. I am looking forward to working closely with the players to help coach and guide them towards improved performances and results, ensuring we qualify and compete at major tournaments on a regular basis," Hallgrimsson shared.
"We have important and exciting games coming up in the UEFA Nations League later this year and a massive FIFA World Cup qualification campaign coming up next year. It is my responsibility to coach, prepare and develop our team as best as possible to deliver results on the pitch and to make our supporters happy and proud," he added.
Meanwhile, FAI director of football Marc Canham said Hallgrimsson has been on their radar for quite some time.
"Earlier this year, we identified Heimir as our number one candidate whose capabilities and experience aligned with our criteria. Not only does Heimir have significant experience at international level with two different countries, but crucially he also has a track record of qualifying for major international tournaments and taking teams up the FIFA world rankings," Canham said.
Jamaican Fabian Allen had very little to do as South African Rilee Rossouw starred with an unbeaten 108 that lifted Jaffna Kings to a comfortable seven-wicket win over Colombo Strikers in Match 13 of the Lanka Premier League on Wednesday.
After Allen took one wicket for 26 runs to assist in restricting the Strikers to 188-8, Rossouw exploded in the Kings turn at bat, smashing 12 boundaries and six maximums in a 50-ball knock that secured victory at 190-3 with nine balls to spare, at Dambulla.
Scores: Colombo Strikers 188-8 (20 overs); Jaffna Kings 190-3 (18.3 overs)
After electing to bowl first, the Kings made early inroads, as Asitha Fernando removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who made a quick fire 11-ball 27, with the score at 34-1.
Allen took 1-26 from four overs.
Glenn Phillips, with a 32-ball 58, and Angelo Perera, who was left unbeaten on 34, added 86 for the second wicket, before the latter retired hurt. Phillips’ struck six fours and three sixes in his top score, before he fell in the 15th over.
Following his dismissal, the remaining Strikers batsmen struggled to find rhythm, as Fernando (2-38) and Azmatullah Omarzai (2-31) did most damage for the Kings, with Allen getting in on the act.
Meanwhile, the Kings run chase started shakily, as the lost openers Pathum Nissanka (six) and Kusal Mendis (five), with the score at 30-2, before the Rossouw show.
The aggressive left-hander found a useful partner in Avishka Fernando, who made 58 off 35 balls, including seven fours and two sixes. The two put together a record third-wicket partnership of 120 runs, which surpassed the franchise’s previous best of 110 between Shoaib Malik and Avishka Fernando.
Though Fernando fell in the 15th over to Shadab Khan, the damage was already done, and Rossouw pressed on to seal the win, their fourth of the campaign.
With the win, Kings assumed pole position on the league table with eight points, followed by Galle Marvels (six points), with the Strikers, Dambulla Sixers and Kandy Falcons, all on four points each.
Donny van de Beek has confirmed he is leaving Manchester United.
The former Ajax midfielder, who signed for United in 2020, is joining Girona in a cut-price deal reportedly worth only €600,000 (£500,000) prior to add-ons.
Van de Beek was never able to cement a place in United's midfield, and looked set to leave last year, only for a move to Lens to fall through.
While the 27-year-old's departure had not been officially announced by United, Van de Beek shared the news on Instagram on Wednesday.
"Dear Manchester United family. Today is a memorable day as my adventure at the club comes to an end," he wrote.
"I want to thank you all for your support throughout the years. From the moment we arrived at Manchester United, we felt extremely welcome and we are grateful for that.
"Thank you to everyone at the club for making us feel at home. A special thanks to all the fans that made these years unforgettable. Besides the football, the birth of our two children here ensures that Manchester will always have a special place in our hearts. Good luck to everybody, we'll meet again."
Across his four seasons at Old Trafford, Van de Beek – a star of the Ajax team that reached the Champions League semi-finals under Erik ten Hag in 2018-19 – played just 35 Premier League games for United, starting just six of those.
He spent half of the 2021-22 season on loan at Everton, scoring one goal in seven appearances.
Van de Beek joined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan in January, but played only eight times in the Bundesliga.
Girona finished third in LaLiga last season, and will play in the Champions League in the coming campaign.
Rory McIlroy is hoping to learn from his near-miss at the U.S. Open as he looks to get his season back on track following that agonising day at Pinehurst.
McIlroy capitulated late on in the last round at U.S. Open last month, allowing Bryson DeChambeau to capitalise and clinch the title.
It has been a decade since McIlroy won the last of his four majors, but the Northern Irishman will hope to end that run at The Open next week.
First, McIlroy will defend his title at the Scottish Open, and speaking to the press ahead of that tournament, he said he will "learn a lot" from that U.S. Open heartbreak.
"I look back on that day, just like I look back on some of my toughest moments in my career," McIlroy said.
"I'll learn a lot from it and I'll hopefully put that to good use.
"It's something that's been a bit of a theme throughout my career. I've been able to take those tough moments and turn them into great things not very long after that.
"I think the way I've described Pinehurst on Sunday was like it was a great day until it wasn't.
"I did things on that Sunday that I haven't been able to do in the last couple years.
"Yeah, it was a tough day. It was a tough few days after that, obviously.
"But I think as you get further away from it happening, you start to see the positives and you start to see all the good things that you did throughout the week."
McIlroy took a short break away from the game after the U.S. Open, but he is now raring to go.
"I had some good chats with people close to me," he said.
"As you start to think about not just Sunday at Pinehurst but the whole way throughout the week, there was a couple of things that I noticed I wanted to try to work on coming into here and obviously next week at Troon.
"They were hard but at the same time, as each day went by, it became easier to focus on the positives and then to think about the future instead of what had just happened."
Real Madrid have confirmed Kylian Mbappe will wear their famous number nine jersey as they revealed the date for his official unveiling.
Mbappe, who is joining Los Blancos as a free agent after leaving Paris Saint-Germain, will be unveiled as a Madrid player at an event at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday, July 16.
The 25-year-old is fresh from exiting Euro 2024, with France having lost 2-1 to Spain in the semi-finals.
Mbappe failed to score from open play through the tournament, after suffering a broken nose during France's opening match, though he did break his Euros duck by converting a penalty in their final group game against Poland.
Madrid also revealed Mbappe will take the number nine shirt previously worn by Karim Benzema.
There were also new shirt numbers for Edouardo Camavinga, who has taken the number six, while Federico Valverde has taken the number eight, vacated by the retired Toni Kroos.
Aurelien Tchouameni has switched to 14, with Arda Guler, who has starred at the Euros with Turkiye, taking 15.
Guler's stunning goal against Georgia early in the tournament made him the youngest player to score on his debut at a European Championship finals (19 years and 114 days), surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo's previous record of 19 years and 128 days set at Euro 2004.
Elena Rybakina will go up against Barbora Krejcikova in the last four at Wimbledon after a convincing defeat of Elina Svitolina.
Rybakina was broken in the first game of Wednesday's quarter-final, but responded emphatically to overcome her Ukrainian opponent 6-3 6-2.
The world number four, the highest-ranked player left in the women's draw, needed just 61 minutes to complete an emphatic win.
Rybakina is now the player to have reached the joint-most WTA-level semi-finals this season, with seven, which matches Iga Swiatek's total.
Speaking after her victory, Rybakina is wary of being labelled the favourite.
She said: "Of course I have such amazing memories from 2022 and I'm just enjoying every time I step on the court, especially when I play well. It's just really amazing.
"I don't like [to be the favourite] to be honest.
"Of course, I want to go to the end, but [I'm taking it] match by match and I'm happy with the way I'm going and looking forward to the next one."
Her next match will come against 2021 French Open champion Krejcikova, who sent world number 14 Jelena Ostapenko packing.
Krejcikova triumphed 6-4 7-6 (7-4), coming out on top in a thrilling second-set tie-break, to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon for the first time in her career.
"It's an unbelievable moment that I'm experiencing right now in my tennis career," said the Czech, who won only three Tour-level matches between February and June.
Data Debrief: Home away from home
Only Monica Seles (Australian Open 21/21 and French Open 20/21), Margaret Court (US Open 20/21, French Open 20/21 and Australian Open 20/21) and Chris Evert (RG 20/21) have won more from their first 21 matches at a single major than Rybakina at Wimbledon (19/21) during the Open Era.
Krejcikova, meanwhile, has become the player with the most singles grand slam main draw appearances between their first two major semi-finals (13) since Sloane Stephens (16 between the 2013 Australian Open and the US Open in 2017).
Craig Bellamy believes he has been handed a "rare opportunity" as he begins his tenure as Wales manager.
Bellamy was named the new Wales boss on Tuesday following Rob Page's sacking last month, with the country having failed to qualify for Euro 2024.
It is Bellamy's first senior managerial role and the former Wales captain has signed a four-year contract. As a player, he made 78 appearances for the national team, scoring 19 goals.
Bellamy had been named as Burnley's acting head coach following Vincent Kompany's move to Bayern Munich in May, but turned down the opportunity to stay on as a coach following Scott Parker's appointment.
He called taking the Wales position "my ultimate dream" when the deal was agreed and then faced the media for the first time on Wednesday, explaining why he had opted not to remain with Burnley.
"Timing in football, you don’t always get that luxury," Bellamy said. "The last three months it became clear to me I was happy but I needed more.
"I needed to look for a number one spot for me, as a person for my progression and obviously didn't know what that [opportunity] was going to be at that time.
"I just sort of made it clear to myself that this is what it's going to be and this is how I'm going to go about it. Then obviously the situation changed here with Wales.
"Wales has always been really important to me. I've spent a lot of my career away from here as well but I've had certain periods where I've been here and I was born here.
"The opportunity to lead your national team is rare and [it is even more rare] to get it as a first opportunity.
"It became clear to me that if there was an opportunity to do this, this is the one I wanted and I'm grateful."
The first match in charge for ex-Liverpool striker Bellamy, who says he has learned hugely from his time at Burnley, will be at home against Turkiye in the Nations League on September 6.
"Playing wise, I do like front-foot football and I like pressing," he said. "The team comes first so we are going to be difficult to break through. We build from the back. We commit.
"I want to dominate in every aspect and win football matches.
"I just had two seasons, the first winning nearly every week [in the Championship], then going to the Premier League and losing most weeks. I’ve seen the level and how much you learn. You learn more when you’re losing.
"In order to qualify for tournaments, with the detail you have to go into, the work starts now."
Didier Deschamps piled praise on Olivier Giroud after the veteran striker's international career ended in disappointment with defeat in the Euro 2024 semi-final.
France took the lead against Spain through Randal Kolo Muani on Tuesday, but a stunning strike from Lamine Yamal – who became the youngest goalscorer in World Cup or Euros history – got Spain back on level terms.
Dani Olmo then netted in a quickfire turnaround and Spain held on for victory in the second half to book a place in the final against either England or the Netherlands.
France struggled to live up to their tag as joint pre-tournament favourites with England, but still ground their way through to the last four, only to come unstuck in Munich.
Kylian Mbappe admitted after the match that both he and France failed at the Euros. Les Bleus lost a major tournament semi-final for the first time since Euro 1996, with the new Real Madrid forward wasting one good opportunity late on.
Mbappe ended the tournament with no non-penalty goals from 23 such shots. Since records began in 1980, only Deco in 2004 (24) has ever had more non-penalty shots without netting at a single edition of the European Championships.
And the goal from Kolo Muani, which was set up by Mbappe, meant France had finally scored their first non-penalty goal at Euro 2024 (excluding own goals), with their 87th shot from such situations.
The international career of France's top scorer Giroud came to an end in the match, as he made a late substitute appearance.
Giroud played 137 times and scored 57 goals – more than any other player for France – and won the World Cup in 2018.
But he spent most of his last tournament on the bench, tallying just 56 minutes of game time in four outings.
Giroud, 37, announced his retirement from international football prior to the Euros, having secured a move to Los Angeles FC from AC Milan.
"He had a lot of good moments, but also some more difficult ones," coach Deschamps said about Giroud's France career after the Spain loss.
"He is an example of longevity, seriousness and professionalism. Even though he had less playing time at this Euro, he was fully with the squad.
"He is one of the leaders. I want to say well done and thank you."
Giroud also helped France to reach the final at Euro 2016 and World Cup 2022.
As well as Mbappe and Giroud, it was a tough tournament for Antoine Griezmann, who set a record against Spain when he came on as a second-half substitute to play his 36th match at the Euros and World Cup combined.
While there has been speculation over the 33-year-old’s international future, the Atletico Madrid forward vowed to get back to his best following criticism of his form.
He made six appearances but did not register a goal or an assist and had lost his place in the France starting line-up by the time of their elimination.
"I started the tournament badly but I felt better and better, even if I ended up on the bench," said Griezmann.
"I’ll be back. I tried to give everything, in different positions too, I had to adapt. This is the life of a footballer. Others didn't play a minute, so it's not me who is going to complain."
Novak Djokovic is through to the last four at Wimbledon after his quarter-final opponent Alex De Minaur was forced to withdraw from the tournament ahead of their match on Wednesday with a hip injury.
Seven-time Wimbledon winner Djokovic had been due to face ninth seed De Minaur on Centre Court.
But the Australian will be unable to play, meaning second seed Djokovic progresses to the semi-finals where he will take on either Lorenzo Musetti or Taylor Fritz.
Daniil Medvedev and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will contest the other semi on Friday.
De Minaur had beaten Arthur Fils in four sets to book his last-eight clash with Djokovic, producing a strong tournament after also reaching the quarters at the French Open.
But that Fils win also saw him sustain an injury problem which the 25-year-old has been unable to recover from in time.
"Obviously not an announcement I wanted to make by any means," read a statement from De Minaur.
"I am devastated to pull out due to a hip injury, a little tear of the fibre cartilage that kind of is at the end of or connects to the adductor.
"I felt a loud crack during the last three points of my match against Fils and got a scan [on Tuesday] and it confirmed that this was the injury and with a high risk of making it worse if I was to step on court."
The development means the match between Musetti and Fritz on Court One is the only men's singles contest that will take place on Wednesday.
Lionel Scaloni has not ruled out trying to "convince" Angel Di María to reverse his Argentina retirement decision after the 2024 Copa America.
The 36-year-old announced in November that the tournament in the United States would mark the last time he represents his country.
Di Maria earned his 144th cap for Argentina in Tuesday's 2-0 win over Canada as La Albiceleste reached a sixth Copa final in eight editions.
And having played in four of Argentina's five games en route to this latest final, starting three of those, Di Maria continues to show his importance to the world champions.
Ahead of what is scheduled to be Di Maria's final Argentina game on Sunday, against either Colombia or Uruguay, Scaloni told reporters: "You know how I feel about Angel.
"We don't want to retire him earlier than needed. We don't want to feel melancholy. We have to let him play, and then we'll see if we can convince him or not to stay with us.
"But so far, he's here, and he has to be allowed to enjoy this moment."
Nicolas Otamendi is also set to bow out of the international scene after next weekend's final, while uncertainty surrounds whether Lionel Messi will stay on.
All three played a part as Argentina saw off Canada at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to remain on course for a third major title in three years.
Canada had the better of the early exchanges, but Julian Alvarez's 22nd-minute opener was added to by Messi from close range early in the second half.
"It is extremely tough to reach another final," Scaloni said. "It is tough because we know how hard it is to get there.
"The bar has been set very high. Everyone thought it was going to be a bed of roses and it wasn't like that at all. Canada proved it by being a very difficult opponent."
Luis de la Fuente is hopeful the freak injury suffered by captain Alvaro Morata after Spain's Euro 2024 semi-final win over France is "nothing".
Morata held his knee and limped down the tunnel after a security guard slipped and slid into him in the aftermath of Tuesday's 2-1 victory in Munich.
The security guard was trying to apprehend a pitch invader who ran in the direction of the celebrating Spain players at the Allianz Arena.
While the full extent of the damage to Morata's knee is still unknown, De la Fuente is hoping to have the striker available for Sunday's final.
"Alvaro... We have to wait and see tomorrow," he told reporters. "We believe it's nothing. It hurts, but we think it's nothing."
Morata played 76 minutes for Spain as quickfire goals from Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo cancelled out Randal Kolo Muani's early opener.
Yamal's superb strike from range made him the youngest player to ever score in a European Championship finals at 16 years and 362 days.
The Barcelona youngster has been one of the stars of Spain's run to the final, where either England or the Netherlands await in Berlin.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Yamal said: "I'm very happy to have made it to the final. Now the most important thing is to win it.
"We were in a difficult moment early on; you wouldn't expect a goal so soon. I wanted to put it in where it went in, and I'm very happy.
"I try not to think too much, enjoy it and help the team and if it works out like this, I'm happy and content with the victory."
Yamal, who turns 17 on Saturday, added: "I want to win, win and win. I'll celebrate my birthday here in Germany with my team."
Spain will now have a close eye on Wednesday's second semi-final as they prepare for their first major tournament final since Euro 2012.
Experienced defender Nacho, who made his Spain debut the year after that tournament win, said: "I'm happy and exhausted after that match.
"It's emotional for all the country. We showed lots of character and how you grow with adversity."
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