Euro 2024 social round-up: Andrich debuts new look, Walker turns cheerleader

By Sports Desk July 05, 2024

After two long days without any Euro 2024 action, the quarter-finals got going on Friday.

There were two mouthwatering ties on offer as Spain played Germany, while Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo went head-to-head for France and Portugal.

And what about the action online?

Here is the best of the social media posts from Thursday and Friday at Euro 2024.

 

New look?

The hosts have already caught the eye with their performances en route to the quarter-final.

And now, Robert Andrich has caught attention with a bold new style, possibly inspired by Germany's away kit at the tournament. 

Ultimately, Andrich did not get a chance to debut his new look from the start of Germany's clash with Spain, as he was named on the bench.

Walker the cheerleader

Before starting training for the day, Kyle Walker took some time to check in on how the goalkeepers were preparing for England's tie against Switzerland.

John Stones tagged along with his Manchester City team-mate, and almost got themselves into trouble after getting a little too invested in the session. 

Spanish goalkeepers put to the test

Things can get a little hectic in the penalty area during set-pieces with both teams desperate to get on the ball.

Spain have figured out an impressive way to give their goalkeepers an in-game experience during training.

Although, some of those shirt tugs would likely catch the referee's attention...

The Portuguese take over Hamburg

The Portuguese fans were out in full force before their round of 16 penalty shootout victory in Frankfurt.

They have now taken to the streets in Hamburg, with the hopes that their side can recreate the magic of the Euro 2016 final, when they beat France 1-0 to lift the trophy.

Back to their roots

France's squad is full of household names, with their players spanning the globe for their various clubs.

In a special photo shoot, they instead looked back to their beginnings, each donning the shirt of their first-ever club, and they gave a glimpse behind the scenes to see how it all came together.

The competition heats up

The Netherlands produced their best performance so far at Euro 2024 on Tuesday when they booked a place in the quarter-final with a 3-0 victory over Romania.

And their competitive spirit stretches past the pitch and into the game room at their training base.

While Nathan Ake showed off his interesting technique for a new high score, tensions were on the rise at the ping-pong table.

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    Lina Hurtig's 89th minute winner ensured Arsenal progressed to the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League after edging Juventus 1-0 on Thursday. 

    After being frustrated for large parts of the encounter, Hurtig bundled home from close range after Martina Lenzini's poor clearance to book the Gunners' place in the last eight. 

    Despite Arsenal dominating the early exchanges, it was Juventus who had the first sight of goal, though Eva Schatzer's effort was easy for Daphne van Domselaar to gather.

    In a first half that saw just two shots on target, both coming from the visitors, Renee Slegers' substitutes proved to be the difference for Arsenal. 

    Slegers introduced Beth Mead, Stina Blackstenius and Hurtig late on, with the latter somehow putting Kim Little's cross over the bar from five yards out. 

    However, the Swede would atone for her earlier error, combining with fellow substitute Blackstenius to net against her former club and send them out of the competition with two group games remaining. 

    Meanwhile, in Group D, Barcelona edged closer to the quarter-finals of the competition with a convincing 4-1 victory over St. Polten at the Generali Arena. 

    The reigning champions are still three points behind Manchester City following their 2-1 win over Hammarby, and know a win against the Swedes next month will see them progress.

    Kika Nazareth opened the scoring in the 20th minute after capitalising on a mistake by Kamila Dubcova, notching her second nine minutes later from close range. 

    Barca found themselves three goals up at the break when Vicky Lopez netted her first goal in the competition to put the result beyond doubt. 

    There was also a landmark moment for Alexia Putellas, who netted her 200th goal for the club with a well-taken effort into the far corner. 

    Valentina Madl took some of the shine off an otherwise impressive display from the visitors, who have now taken their tally to 20 goals from their four matches in the competition. 

  • Guardiola agrees two-year contract extension with Man City Guardiola agrees two-year contract extension with Man City

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    The 53-year-old was coming to the end of his City deal, which was due to expire at the end of the current campaign, but he has opted to remain at the Etihad Stadium.

    The deal itself will take Guardiola's tenure at the club to over a decade, making him City's longest-serving manager since Les McDowall in 1963.

    There had been suggestions that he may leave at the end of the season following the announcement that director of football Txiki Begiristain was on his way out.

    Guardiola was strongly linked with the England job after Gareth Southgate resigned in the wake of their Euro 2024 final defeat, but the Football Association appointed Thomas Tuchel last month.

    “Manchester City means so much to me," Guardiola said. “This is my ninth season here; we have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club.  

    “That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.

    “Thank you to everyone for continuing to trust and support me – The Owner, The Chairman Khaldoon, Ferran, Txiki, the players and, of course, the fans… everyone connected to Manchester City. It has always been an honour, a pleasure and a privilege to be here.  

    “I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much.  

    “Hopefully, now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”

     

    Having been appointed in 2016, Guardiola is by some distance Manchester City's most successful manager of all time, having won 18 major trophies during his time at the club.

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    He also boasts a 72.04% win percentage across all competitions, which is unsurprisingly the highest of any full-time City manager in history.

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    Khadija Shaw scored twice as Manchester City beat Hammarby 2-1 to seal their place in the Women's Champions League quarter-finals.

    Gareth Taylor's team entered Thursday's game with a perfect record in Group D, and their fourth win in as many European matches ensured they finished in the top two.

    Shaw—the leading scorer in the Women's Super League this season with eight goals—put them ahead in the 31st minute, driving into the area after taking in Yui Hasegawa's pass before seeing her shot deflect into the top corner.

    Shaw was booked for celebrating in front of the home fans despite appearing to have objects thrown at her from the stands, and Hammarby should have levelled when Julia Blakstad fired wide 10 minutes later.

    The hosts did draw level three minutes into the second half as Ellen Wangerheim tapped home while City's Laura Blindkilde Brown was down appealing for a free-kick. 

    That parity was short-lived, though, as Shaw blasted into the top corner from 25 yards out, taking her overall tally for this season to 12 goals in all competitions.

    In Group C, meanwhile, Bayern Munich lost their perfect record as they played out a 1-1 draw with Valerenga, boosting Arsenal's hopes of topping the pile.

    Jovana Damnjanovic came off the bench to put Bayern ahead 15 minutes from time in Norway, but Elise Thorsnes headed home following an 88th-minute corner to snatch a point for the hosts.

    Arsenal could now move within a point of Bayern when they face Juventus in Group C's other match later on Thursday.

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