It is often said that international tournaments are not about playing the prettiest football, but the most effective, about finding a way to get over the line.

When France – a team that had only scored via a penalty and two own goals as they somehow ground their way through Euro 2024 – took an eighth-minute lead in Tuesday's first semi-final versus Spain, it looked like those old adages might stand.

La Roja, and their wonderkid Lamine Yamal, had other ideas.

The 16-year-old Barcelona winger curled home a magnificent 25-yard strike to become the youngest ever scorer at a World Cup or Euros, before Dani Olmo's fine touch and finish completed the turnaround by the 25th minute.

Spain had to show another side to their game in the second half as they dug in to hold off an improved Bleus side, but they were ultimately deserved winners.

Most who have watched them in Germany would agree they are deserving finalists, and they will surely approach Sunday's Berlin showpiece – against either the Netherlands or England – as favourites. 

Many of Euro 2024's top sides have failed to deliver on the entertainment front, but Spain have done things a different way, led by a teenage sensation in Yamal.

Yamal's historic moment

What were you doing at 16 years old? On second thought, don't answer that.

You certainly were not scoring at a major tournament, because nobody – not even Brazil icon Pele – had netted at a World Cup or European Championships at that age, until now.

Pele had to wait until he reached the grand old age of 17 years and 239 days before making his mark on the big stage, scoring against Wales at the 1958 World Cup.

The fact Pele is considered to this day to have enjoyed the ultimate breakout tournament gives a sense of how monumental Yamal's moment of magic was.

Particularly if La Roja go on to lift the trophy, it will become a byword for a prodigy bursting onto the scene.

The goal was certainly befitting of the history it made. Almost like a mirror image of Kylian Mbappe in an inside-right position, Yamal twisted once, twice… three times to shake off the attentions of Adrien Rabiot, before bending a wonderful strike beyond the reach of Mike Maignan. 

His goal was not a bolt from the blue, either. He was involved in the build-up to Olmo's winner, a clever reverse pass leading to the cross that was eventually half-cleared to the La Roja matchwinner. 

Only Mbappe (four) bettered Yamal's three shots throughout the game, and he was not too far away from a near-identical second goal when he cut inside to rifle over the crossbar in the second half.

He was also the only Spain player to create two chances, while he refused to be cowed by some rough treatment, his six duels won only being matched by Alvaro Morata among Luis de la Fuente's players.

Only team-mate Olmo (three goals, two assists) has now bettered his four goal involvements at this tournament (one goal, three assists), while he ranks joint-first for chances created (16, with Christian Eriksen) and joint-sixth for dribbles completed (13).

Yamal has enjoyed one of the greatest breakout campaigns in memory, and must surely be among the contenders for player of the tournament honours.

He already has the moment of the tournament sewn up.

'Tika-Taka' evolves

Ahead of Tuesday's game, Spain enforcer Rodri discussed the way in which La Roja had "matured" in their approach at this tournament, no longer prioritising possession for possession's sake, but becoming more comfortable in controlling games without the ball.

Spain even had less than 50% of the possession in impressive wins over Croatia and Germany, and though that figure was back up to 58.1% versus France, they showed their adaptability in the second half.

La Roja only recorded one shot – Yamal's long-range strike over the crossbar – after the interval, with France generating six efforts worth 0.57 expected goals (xG).

Yet in the first half, Spain led for shots (five to three), shots on target (two to one) and xG (0.73 to 0.43). Those may not be resounding figures, but they backed up their reputation as the tournament's outstanding team, with Yamal and Olmo producing two pieces of incredible technical quality when it mattered most. 

Spain lead all teams at the tournament for goals (13), xG (11.05), shots (106) and shots on target (38), yet they are no longer blindly committed to 'Tika-Taka', becoming almost as comfortable without the ball as with it.

Mbappe's tournament Bleus

When Mbappe delivered the assist for Randal Kolo Muani's opener – his 11th goal involvement in 12 major tournament knockout games for France – it looked like things may finally have clicked for the Real Madrid man.

His protective mask removed and playing against a 38-year-old Jesus Navas, who was on a booking within 14 minutes, Mbappe looked set to have a decisive say.

However, he did not see a clear sight of goal until the 86th minute, when he blazed comfortably over the crossbar with Spain's defence in a panic.

His Euros ended with just one goal – a group-stage penalty against Poland – from 24 shots worth 2.95 xG, edging out the profligate Cristiano Ronaldo (23) for the most shots taken at the tournament. 

Unsurprisingly, Mbappe's shot conversion rate of 4.17% is the lowest of any player to have scored at this edition of the European Championships.

France may reflect on the broken nose he suffered against Austria in their Group D opener as the main reason for their attacking troubles, but they also suffered from a general lack of imagination in the forward areas.

Excluding own goals, Kolo Muani's opener was their first non-penalty goal at the tournament, from their 87th non-penalty shot.

While France improved in the second half, Spain saw the victory out in relative comfort as their positive approach to the first half was rewarded. 

It was a case of he who dares wins, and the Netherlands and England – both of whom have flattered to deceive thus far – might wish to take note. 

Harry Kane insisted he must still be flexible for England and will continue to drop deep ahead of their Euro 2024 semi-final clash with the Netherlands on Wednesday. 

Kane has been the centre of much criticism during the tournament, having often found himself in midfield to start attacks rather than being a focal point up top.

The England captain has scored twice for Gareth Southgate's side in Germany, netting against Denmark in the group stages and Slovakia in the last 16. 

Having found the back of the net 44 goals in 45 games for Bayern Munich last season, his diminishing influence on the Three Lions' attacking build-up has brought much focus over Kane's performances.

"It's the rhythm of the game," Kane explained at Tuesday's pre-match press conference. "Maybe Jude [Bellingham], or Phil [Foden] might end up in the middle and I might drift out to the left.

"As a striker, you want to try to give as much space as possible to your midfielders and your number 10s and then there are times when you want to drag defenders out into spaces they might want to come to.

"There will be times tomorrow when I need to be more of a focal point and be in the box more and there will be times when I'll drop deep and try to make it uncomfortable for defenders."

Kane had five touches in Switzerland's box before Saturday's penalty shoot-out win in Dusseldorf, a tally bettered by Bukayo Saka (eight) and Jude Bellingham (10). 

The 30-year-old also registered two shots during the encounter with Murat Yakin's side, none of which were on target.

Nevertheless, Kane is preparing for his third semi-final with England, having helped Southgate's side reach the same stage during the 2018 World Cup before going further to reach the Euro 2020 final.

The Bayern striker has captained his nation throughout their most sustained period of success without reward, but is confident that past experiences will aid the Three Lions to achieve a first international trophy in 58 years.  

"I think you just use the past experiences to help you," he said. "We've got a lot of players who have experienced big games at the international level and big games at club level and we'll use all that experience.

"Over the course of your career, you learn how to prepare in the best way possible and to control the nerves and the excitement.

"During the game, you need the experienced players, you lean on the leaders in the team who have been there and done that to help the players who haven't but, ultimately, it's about going out there and taking the opportunity with both hands.

"We have the chance to reach back-to-back finals in the European Championship, which would be an amazing achievement, and we have the opportunity to do that."

Didier Deschamps acknowledged Spain were "superior" as France suffered Euro 2024 elimination following their 2-1 semi-final defeat in Munich.

Les Bleus opened the scoring after just eight minutes through Randal Kolo Muani's header, though Lamine Yamal levelled with a long-range stunner, becoming the youngest scorer in major tournament history at the age of just 16 years and 362 days.

Dani Olmo seized on that momentum swing just four minutes later, dancing through the France defence before finishing past Mike Maignan as Jules Kounde was unable to clear on the line.

Spain held on to move into Sunday's final as France opened the scoring and lost for only the second time in a European Championship game, after a 3-2 defeat to the Netherlands in the 2000 group stages.

Defeat also marked the first time France have been eliminated at the semi-final stage of a major tournament since Euro 1996, though Deschamps admitted his side did not deserve to progress.

"Spain proved tonight that they are a very good team," Deschamps told French outlet TF1 shortly after the full-time whistle on Tuesday. 

"We were lucky enough to open the scoring, but they caused us difficulties because they were superior in their control. Tonight, they showed all their qualities.

"We were a little slow, perhaps a little less fresh. We didn't move [the ball] forward often enough and were slow in our passing."

France, in truth, had failed to live up to their tag as pre-tournament favourites, alongside England – who meet the Netherlands on Wednesday for a place in the final.

Les Bleus only scored their first non-penalty goal at Euro 2024 (excluding own goals) through Kolo Muani's opener, with their 87th shot from such situations.

Yet no team in Germany would have been able to cope with Roja winger Yamal for large parts, with the teenager scoring from 25 yards out to level after beating Adrien Rabiot with ease.

Yamal also became the youngest-ever player to feature in a semi-final at a major tournament, surpassing Brazil's Pele (aged 17 years and 244 days at the 1958 World Cup, against France).

Unsurprisingly, the Barcelona attacker was named as UEFA's Player of the Match for his dominant showing on the right flank.

"I am extremely happy to share this moment with the team, I am savouring the victory," Yamal said, as quoted by UEFA's official media channels.

Yamal will turn 17 on Saturday, the day before the final in Berlin.

Asked what he would like for his birthday, Yamal responded: "To win, win, win. It will be a joy to celebrate my birthday in Germany with the team."

Lamine Yamal etched his name in history with a record-breaking goal before Dani Olmo fired Spain into the Euro 2024 final with a 2-1 victory over France.

Yamal produced a remarkable long-range equaliser shortly after Randal Kolo Muani's ninth-minute opener in Tuesday's first semi-final in Munich, the 16-year-old becoming the youngest scorer at a major tournament in history.

In-form Olmo then delivered the decisive strike midway through the opening half, manufacturing space inside Les Bleus' area before squeezing a low effort home.

Didier Deschamps' side had been unconvincing before this last-four meeting, and though they improved in the second half, they were unable to find a leveller as Spain teed up a meeting with either the Netherlands or England.

Luis de la Fuente's Roja entered this clash as the only team to win all five games at the tournament (including extra time), and another dominant start saw them go close within five minutes.

Yamal was afforded far too much time to clip towards the back post for an unmarked Fabian Ruiz, who could only head over with Mike Maignan's goal at his mercy.

Yet France struck the first blow just three minutes later when the now-unmasked Kylian Mbappe stood up Jesus Navas before delivering from the left for Kolo Muani to head past the helpless Unai Simon.

Yamal single-handedly dragged La Roja back into the contest, however, shifting the ball away from Adrien Rabiot before curling a sumptuous strike into the top-left corner from 25 yards out.

Spurred on by that historic moment, Spain completed the turnaround within four further minutes as Olmo pounced on Navas' half-cleared cross before finishing past Maignan, with Jules Kounde unable to clear on the line.

Maignan was somewhat fortunate moments after the interval, mindlessly racing towards the touchline to challenge Nico Williams, who would have been clean through without the goalkeeper's questionable lunge.

Les Bleus improved from then on, though, with a free Aurelien Tchouameni heading straight at Simon from Ousmane Dembele's right-sided corner after 52 minutes.

Theo Hernandez wasted a gilt-edged opportunity to equalise with 15 minutes remaining, blazing over from the edge of the area before Mbappe followed suit 10 minutes later, as Spain held on to reach their fifth Euros final.

Spain toast new king Yamal

At the age of 16 years and 362 days, Yamal made history by becoming the youngest-ever player to appear in a semi-final at a major international tournament, a record previously held by Brazil's Pele (17 years, 244 days versus France at the 1958 World Cup).

Yet the Barcelona winger was not satisfied with that record, delivering a remarkable leveller to surpass Pele – who found the net aged 17 years and 239 days against Wales at the 1958 World Cup – as the youngest scorer in history at either major tournament.

His teenage brilliance helped inspire Spain to their sixth straight win at the Euros, a feat never achieved by any team previously, while La Roja are also the first side to win six matches in a single European Championship tournament (including extra time, but not penalties).

However, Yamal cannot take all the credit as Olmo – with three goals and two assists – became the first Spain player to manage five-plus goal contributions at a single tournament since David Silva during their victorious Euro 2012 campaign (two goals, three assists).

One French problem solved, another found

Deschamps may have been over the moon to finally see a French player score from open play at the tournament, with Kolo Muani's headed opener Les Bleus' first goal to not come from the penalty spot or an own goal.

That strike came from France's 87th non-penalty attempt at Euro 2024, and somewhat repaid the faith of Deschamps, with Kolo Muani scoring his fourth goal when starting for Les Bleus as opposed to just one strike from the bench.

The joy was short-lived, however, as France then conceded twice within the opening 25 minutes – more goals than they allowed in their first five matches at Euro 2024 combined (one, a penalty against Poland).

A rapid turnaround marked the first time France had taken a 1-0 lead but trailed by half-time in European Championship history, and that first-half collapse proved decisive.

Where did it all go wrong for Brazil at the Copa America?

The Selecao went into the tournament as the second favourites, with the Opta supercomputer rating their chances of lifting the trophy at 23.2%.

Yet the nine-time Copa America champions were instead left licking their wounds after losing 4-2 to in-form Uruguay on penalties in the quarter-finals.

Brazil could have avoided that tie with Marcelo Bielsa's team, and instead have faced Panama, had they shown more in the group stage.

But as it was, an opening 0-0 draw with Costa Rica and a closing 1-1 draw with Colombia, another of the Copa America's most impressive teams, meant a 4-1 win over Paraguay marked the only bright spark in a disappointing campaign.

Dorival Junior, who took over as head coach in January, has asked for time and patience to complete a rebuild, having left several big names out due to a lack of form or fitness. Neymar, of course, was also absent, having missed pretty much all of last season due to injury.

But with Brazil also sixth in the CONMEBOL qualifying standings for the 2026 World Cup, what do the underlying metrics from the Copa America suggest about the Selecao?

Vini the Neymar replacement... Or not?

There was plenty of responsibility placed on Vinicius Junior heading into the tournament, with the Real Madrid winger tasked with being the player to take over the mantle from the absent Neymar, who will be 34 by the time the next World Cup rolls around.

Yet Vinicius could not light this tournament up.

In Brazil's opening match against Costa Rica, Vinicius did not manage to get a shot off, though he did create three chances for his team-mates, registering a respectable expected assists (xA) figure of 0.46. Essentially, there was a 46% chance the opportunities he created could have ended up as a goal.

Vinicius did take centre stage in the second group match, scoring twice in that victory over Paraguay. His double came from three shots with an expected goals (xG) value of 0.81.

The winger attempted 17 dribbles in that match, completing seven of them; it was the second-most dribbles attempted by a Brazil player at the Copa America since Opta began recording such data in 2011, behind Neymar's 19 against Peru in 2015.

Yet that was really the only glimpse of what Vinicius can truly do, and a reckless booking against Colombia in Brazil's third match saw him suspended for the tie with Uruguay.

Without their talisman, and even with a man advantage for the last chunk of the second half, Brazil were limited to just seven shots and only 0.58 xG.

Sure, Raphinha, Rodrygo and Endrick - who is a superstar in the making, though he was unable to make his mark at this tournament - are quality attackers in their own right, but with Vinicius unable to wield the same amount of influence he has at Madrid, there was definitely some cutting-edge missing from Brazil's attack.

Does Dorival deserve time?

Dorival urged Brazilian fans to show his team patience in the wake of their exit.

"We are undergoing a very important renovation or reinvention of this team," he said. "I have only coached this team for eight matches and this is a process that we have to go through.

"We are aware of the difficulties we will come across throughout the path, but we now lost a match in the knockouts and that wasn't what we expected."

But was there really enough promise shown for fans to show that patience?

Brazil scored five goals across their four matches, which is a tally bettered only by five teams, though of course, it has to be noted that four of those came in one match.

What about the xG? Well, Brazil accumulated 6.33 during their stay in the United States, which is the fourth-highest figure in the tournament as it stands.

Yet we must again take that Paraguay game into account, with 3.74 xG coming in that match alone, over half of their total amount.

So, that leaves just 2.59 xG across the other three matches, an average of 0.86 per game. The Selecao have also been held to two goalless draws.

They mustered 50 shots (12.5 per 90), which is less than Ecuador (51), Venezuela (55) and Mexico (58) - who dropped out in the group stage. 

Defensively, Brazil were stingy, conceding only twice, though they did offer up 3.24 xG against.

And even in that game against Paraguay, Alisson made five saves, the most by a Brazilian goalkeeper in a Copa America match since detailed data began being recorded in 2011. 

In midfield, Bruno Guimaeres and Lucas Paqueta were industrious, with the latter winning 12 of 15 attempted tackles, but that area of the pitch is becoming increasingly workmanlike. 

That's not something Dorival can particularly control, with Brazil sides seemingly now less about flair and more about tenacity, but it does not feel like the Selecao without that sprinkling of stardust.

It's definitely not time to call time on the Dorival project just yet, but Brazil did look largely disjointed at times, and that is on the coach to resolve.

Lamine Yamal produced a long-range stunner for Spain against France, becoming the youngest-ever scorer at a major tournament in history.

Aged just 16 years and 362 days, the Roja winger picked out the top-left corner with a remarkable finish from outside the area to achieve the historic feat in Spain's Euro 2024 semi-final.

Yamal surpassed Brazil icon Pele as the youngest to ever find the net at the World Cup or Euros, with the Selecao legend aged 17 years and 239 days when scoring against Wales at the 1958 World Cup.

The Barcelona winger had already broken Pele's record as the youngest player to ever feature in a major tournament semi-final, also against France when the legendary forward was 17 years and 244 days old at the same World Cup.

Yamal's eye-catching strike brought Spain level at 1-1 in Munich after Randal Kolo Muani's early header, before Dani Olmo's strike helped La Roja into the ascendancy.

The Detroit Pistons and former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham have agreed to terms on a five-year, $224million maximum rookie contract extension.

The deal could be worth up to $269million if Cunningham earns All-NBA honours in 2024-25.

Cunningham played one season at Oklahoma State before Detroit selected him No. 1 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft.

He earned First-Team All-Rookie honours in 2021-22 after averaging 17.4 points, 5.6 assists and 5.5 rebounds in 64 games.

Cunningham appeared in Detroit’s first 12 games in 2022-23 before sustaining a stress fracture in his shin that led to season-ending surgery.

The 22-year-old point guard bounced back last season, averaging team highs of 22.7 points and 7.5 assists while adding 4.3 rebounds per game in 62 contests.

The Pistons, though, posted an NBA-worst 14-68 record, and Detroit is last in the league with a .220 winning percentage (54-192) since drafting Cunningham.

In the 138 games Cunningham has played in his career, the Pistons have gone 32-106.

Lamine Yamal has become the youngest-ever player to appear in a major tournament semi-final, aged only 16 years and 362 days old at Euro 2024.

Yamal started Spain's last-four clash against France in Munich on Tuesday.

The Barcelona winger surpasses the record held by Pele, who was 17 years and 244 days old when he represented Brazil in the 1958 World Cup, also against France.

The teenager had already made history at the tournament when he started La Roja's opener against Croatia on June 15, as he became the youngest-ever player to feature at the European Championships (16 years, 338 days).

Yamal has been impressive at the tournament so far, managing three assists, with no Spanish player ever registering more in a single edition of the competition.

His 14 chances created so far are also the most by a teenager at a major tournament on record (since 1966 for the World Cup, 1980 for the Euros).

At the other end of the spectrum, Jesus Navas (38y 231d) became the oldest-ever outfield player to appear in a semi-final at a major international tournament by replacing Dani Carvajal at right-back.

Gareth Southgate says Felix Zwayer's much-discussed appointment for England's Euro 2024 semi-final is "not even a consideration", despite the referee's history with Jude Bellingham.

England midfielder Bellingham, then of Borussia Dortmund, was fined €40,000 for his comments relating to Zwayer's background after a controversial defeat to Bayern Munich in 2021.

"You give a referee that has match-fixed before the biggest game in Germany, what do you expect," Bellingham said, seemingly referring to the German official's six-month ban for match-fixing.

Zwayer was given a six-month ban in 2005 after he was investigated for taking a £250 bribe from official Robert Hoyzer, who was subsequently banned for life.

Southgate has no issues with Zwayer's appointment in an all-German officiating lineup for Wednesday's clash with the Netherlands, however.

"Everybody knows how I deal with referees, with complete respect for every referee," the England manager said at Tuesday's pre-match press conference.

"The two guys at UEFA who have been running the referees programme respect the way we do that.

"I have no concerns about who the referee is, he will be at a very high standard because that is how UEFA makes those decisions. It's not even a consideration."

Bellingham's comments came after Dortmund lost 3-2 to Bayern Munich, with the midfielder then aged 18.

Having left Dortmund for Real Madrid, Bellingham has been integral for England at Euro 2024, scoring in their opener against Serbia before his sensational last-16 leveller against Slovakia in the last minute.

Southgate came under some scrutiny for leaving the likes of Harry Kane and Bellingham on for so long in that unconvincing victory.

With the likes of Ivan Toney, Anthony Gordon and Ollie Watkins waiting for a chance from the bench, Southgate once again reiterated his stance on substitutions.

"There are different reasons for making changes," he added. "We were happy with the way the team were playing in previous games but we have made a sub at half-time, it's not pre-conditioned.

"You are always looking at the freshness of the team and the balance of the team and whether changes are going to make an improvement to the team or not.

"But all of the players go into the game in good condition. The game will take us in a certain direction that will make that decision for us."

As for the threat the Netherlands pose, Southgate is preparing for anything that Oranje boss Ronald Koeman throws at him.

"Dutch teams don't tend to sit in and that's not what we've seen from them, but Ronald Koeman is an experienced coach," Southgate continued. 

"We are prepared for anything, it will be an exciting game with many good players on the pitch.

"We need another step from what we showed in the last game, it's a step up in quality of opponents and we are ready for that."

Gareth Southgate acknowledged heightened England expectations contributed to a drab start at Euro 2024, as he called for a fearless Three Lions in Wednesday's semi-final against the Netherlands.

England were unconvincing en route to topping Group C, scraping past Serbia before back-to-back draws with Denmark and Slovenia.

Southgate's side again needed some fortune in the last 16, levelling through Jude Bellingham's remarkable 95th-minute overhead kick before Harry Kane sealed victory in extra time.

Though a penalty shoot-out victory was required to see off Switzerland in the last eight, where England trailed late one before Bukayo Saka's sumptuous equaliser, Southgate believes that showing was an improvement.

"One of our strengths over the years has been having less fear, showing less inhibition but at the beginning of the tournament the expectation weighed heavily and the noise from outside had never been louder," the England manager said ahead of Wednesday's meeting with the Netherlands in Dortmund.

"We couldn't quite get ourselves in the right place. What was impressive in the end was that we ground it out and found ways to win.

"I thought that shifted against the Swiss, you saw a freer version of us on the ball. The group changed, if not the messaging.

"Now it's about what is possible and not what might go wrong. This is now the chance to make history. We are trying to break new ground and that is not easy but the players have been resilient."

England will be aiming to become just the sixth instance of a side reaching back-to-back Euros finals, having lost in the delayed 2020 edition to Italy.

Though the core of Kane, Declan Rice, John Stones and Jordan Pickford remain from that defeat, the likes of Ivan Toney, Eberechi Eze and Kobbie Mainoo are all new faces for the Three Lions.

"I am very fortunate to have a fabulous group of players, we work as a team and we always have," Southgate added.

"We review what we could do better as a coaching team as well as what the players could do, we are very open about that.

"The way the 26 have bonded in the last few weeks has been special, half of the squad have had no tournament experience. We've got 21 of the players onto the pitch with no dead rubbers and that has made people even more connected."

Another selection decision awaits Southgate, who must choose between recalling Luke Shaw for his first start since mid-February or backing makeshift left-back Kieran Trippier again.

Shaw impressed in a short cameo during the quarter-final against Switzerland, though his fitness remains a concern for England.

"Luke Shaw has been injured for four months, it wasn't a possibility for him to play until the last match where he made a good contribution," Southgate continued.

"We have to decide if he is ready to start but we are very happy to have him back.

"He gives us balance, but Kieran Trippier has done a fantastic job. He has had many important nights with us over the last seven or eight years. He's great around the squad, we are very fortunate to have players like him in our squad."

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz made the Wimbledon semi-finals by beating Tommy Paul in four sets on Centre Court.

Paul produced a spirited display and the momentum was with him when he impressively took the opener, only for Alcaraz to fight back for a 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-2 victory on No.1 Court.

At 21 years and 65 days old, the victory made Alcaraz – who beat Novak Djokovic in an epic final last year – the youngest player to reach the last four of the Wimbledon men's draw in successive editions since fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal in 2006 and 2007 (21 years, 33 days).

He was made to work for the win, though, with Paul taking a 73-minute opener that showcased some terrific rallies, hitting a wonderful passing shot on set point.

With the American starting the second set with a confident hold and an immediate break, Alcaraz was on the ropes.

However, he hit straight back and only dropped two more points on his own serve in the second, unforced errors creeping into Paul's game as Alcaraz levelled the contest.

The third set started with three straight breaks of serve, two of them going Alcaraz's way, and the momentum was with the three-time grand slam champion from there.

The world number three pummelled a forehand winner down the line on set point to go 2-1 up, and it was smooth sailing in the fourth as Paul finally wilted, only winning two points on Alcaraz's serve and giving up back-to-back breaks.

Alcaraz will face Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals after the Russian outlasted top seed Jannik Sinner to win a four-hour classic earlier on Tuesday.

Alcaraz hailed Paul's performance after his victory, saying of his opponent: "He has been playing great tennis on the grass, beating great players, and today was a really difficult match for me. 

"It was like playing on clay, with big rallies – 10 or 15 shots every point. I had to stay strong mentally, and I'm really happy I could find the solutions."

Data Debrief: Alcaraz in fine company

Alcaraz's victory means he now has 16 wins from his first 18 matches at Wimbledon, putting him in good company.

During the Open Era, only Rod Laver and Boris Becker (both 17) have recorded more victories through their first 18 outings at the grass-court slam.

Jasmine Paolini moved into her first Wimbledon semi-final after breezing past Emma Navarro in straight sets on Tuesday.

The seventh seed had never won a WTA main-draw match on grass courts until late last month but progressed into the last four at SW19 after triumphing 6-2 6-1 on Centre Court.

French Open finalist Paolini will fancy her chances of reaching the final as well, with world number 37 Donna Vekic – who overcame Lulu Sun in the quarter-finals – standing in her way of the showpiece.

Having profited from Madison Keys' injury-enforced retirement in the last round, Paolini was slow to get going after Navarro, who stunned Coco Gauff earlier in the competition, broke to seize an early 2-1 lead.

Yet the Italian appeared fuelled by that concession, winning on her opponent's service for three straight games to turn that deficit into a routine first-set triumph in just 27 minutes.

The 23-year-old Navarro struggled to regain her composure in the following set, missing two break-point chances at 1-1 before Paolini followed up by breaking to snatch a 3-1 advantage.

World number seven Paolini hammered home that advantage soon after, cutting through Navarro with ease en route to victory in less than an hour.

Data Debrief: Italian history for Paolini

Paolini is the first Italian women's player to reach the semi-finals at this tournament, having not previously ever won at Wimbledon before this edition.

The 28-year-old is also the oldest player to reach their first semi-finals in two different grand slams during the same season, since Betty Stove in 1977.

The final three matches of Euro 2024 are upon us, and the action kicked off on Tuesday with Spain taking on France.

Les Bleus were one of the pre-tournament favourites, but it is Spain who were more impressive en route to the last four. 

The other semi-final will see England face the Netherlands on Wednesday. 

And here, we round up the best posts from social media across the past few days.

Ice-cool Ivan

Ivan Toney stayed cool from the spot as he slotted his penalty home for England in their 5-3 shoot-out win over Switzerland.

The Brentford man showed the kind of composure he has so often in the Premier League, being widely regarded as one of the best penalty takers in the European game.

Indeed, such is the 28-year-old's confidence from 12 yards, he didn't even need to look at the ball as he stroked it beyond Yann Sommer.

And England's social media team took the chance to show just what Toney can do without even having to look...

MVP

It was hardly a classic between France and Portugal last Friday.

But Les Bleus got the job done on penalties to advance from their quarter-final tie, and substitute Ousmane Dembele was particularly impressive.

He was the player who got all the plaudits from his team-mates at full-time.

Alexander's joy

Scenes of supporters celebrating wildly at fan zones up and down Germany are always popular, but one particular fan captured Spanish hearts last week.

Surrounded by Germany fans as he watched La Roja's extra-time win over the hosts, it is fair to say this man – later identified as Alexander – enjoyed himself. 

Spain rewarded his passion by inviting him to meet members of the squad, posting heart-warming footage of the meet-and-greet on X.

Fussballliebe gets new look

The semi-final stage of a major tournament means one thing: a new look for the ball.

Euro 2024's star, the Fussballliebe, has been decked out in silver ahead of the matches.

It is gold, though, that the four remaining contenders will be targeting in the coming days.

The Oranje wall?

Clad all in orange while bouncing down the streets of host cities, the Netherlands' fans have been one of the highlights of the tournament.

They will descend upon Dortmund for Wednesday's second semi-final, looking to extend England's run of major tournament hurt.

The famous Yellow Wall at Signal Iduna Park could turn Oranje, and the stadium looked resplendent as the Netherlands' social media admin took in the views on Tuesday.

Saka's reward

Saturday was a good day for Bukayo Saka.

Having seen England fall behind to Switzerland in a tense quarter-final clash, the Arsenal winger rescued his country with a terrific 20-yard strike into the bottom-left corner.

He then held his nerve in the subsequent penalty shoot-out, beating Sommer to exorcise the demons of his costly kick in the Euro 2020 final against Italy.

On Tuesday, the tournament's official X account awarded Saka the goal of the round award for the last eight.

Is it too much ask for more of the same on Wednesday? England fans will be hoping not.