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• United States 4-1 Germany: Smith and Swanson send Star and Stripes into Olympic quarter-finals

  The United States booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Paris Olympic Games with a match to spare after a commanding 4-1 victory over Germany.

  Sophia Smith netted a first-half double on either side of Mallory Swanson's goal before Lynn Williams wrapped up the points late on.

  Giulia Gwinn had given Germany hope by equalising, but the USA were too strong as they ruthlessly booked a place in the knockout rounds.

  The USA made a quick start, with Smith darting in front of her marker to slot a close-range tap-in past Ann-Katrin Berger, only for Gwinn to cancel it out 11 minutes later with a pinpoint shot into the bottom-left corner.

  Emma Hayes' side soon asserted their dominance though – Swanson reacted quickest to latch onto Smith's saved shot, firing in from an acute angle on the left.

  Smith then got her second just before the break, helped by a huge deflection, as her effort looped over Berger before bouncing over the line off the inside of the far post.

  Jule Brand struck the woodwork just after the hour mark before further misery was piled on the Germans as captain Alexandra Popp was forced off late in the second half with a knee injury that they will be hoping is not too serious. 

  Williams rounded things off by making a quick impact off the bench, finishing off a lightning-quick counter-attack just under four minutes after coming on. 

  Data Debrief: Smith and Swanson on song

  The USA got the job done in the first half, ensuring Hayes became just the second coach to win each of their first two major tournament matches in charge, after Anson Dorrance in the 1991 World Cup.

  Swanson added to her double against Zambia with another goal in Marseille and is just the second player in USA's history to net three times in the group stage of a single Olympics, after Abby Wambach in 2012.

  Before today, the winner of each of the five previous major tournament meetings between the USA and Germany has gone on to win the entire tournament, and Hayes will be hoping that is a good sign of what is to come.

• Varane joins Como on free transfer

  Raphael Varane has joined Como on a free transfer, signing a two-year deal with the option to extend at the newly promoted Serie A side.

  The former Manchester United defender was a free agent following his departure from Old Trafford, where he won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup during his three-year spell.

  Varane is Como's latest major signing, following the likes of Andrea Belotti, Pepe Reina and Alberto Moreno, as new boss Cesc Fabregas looks to bolster his squad ahead of the club's first Serie A campaign in 21 years.

  Upon signing for the club, Varane said: "I am very happy and enthusiastic about this new project, I can't wait to get started and get to know the team and my teammates.

  "At first I was curious to find out what it was all about, and then I realised how special and different this project is to all the others I've been offered, so I wanted to find out more.

  "The more I got into the project, the more interesting it became and that gave me a different perspective on what I wanted to do. Once it became real, it went straight to the top of my list, and we were able to get it done.

  "I'm really happy. There's a lot to do and it's very exciting. I have a lot of experience at the highest level, and now to be able to share that knowledge to help a club build itself to the top is something beautiful."

  A 2018 World Cup winner with France - and four-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid - Varane will bring plenty of quality and experience to Como's backline.

  The centre-half could make his competitive debut for I Lariani when they launch their Serie A season away at Juventus on August 19.

• Duren Merzenich 1-1 Bayern Munich: Kompany's side held by fourth-tier opponents

  Bayern Munich were held to a 1-1 draw by Regionalliga West side Duren Merzenich in the second match of their 2024-25 preseason preparations.

  The Bundesliga giants, who thumped FC Rottach-Egern 14-1 in Vincent Kompany's first game in charge, were unable to make it two wins from two against their German fourth-tier opponents.

  Kompany fielded a starting XI featuring the likes of Leon Goretzka, Kim Min-Jae, Raphael Guerreiro and Eric Dier, but they fell behind to Rafael Garcia's strike five minutes before half-time.

  Bayern made eight changes in the 66th minute and, three minutes later, one of them equalised as 18-year-old Nestory Irankunda brought them back on level terms.

  Next up for Kompany's side is a trip to the Far East, where they will play Premier League side Tottenham in Seoul on Saturday.