Dusan Vlahovic says he finds it "easier" to play in Serbia's tactical approach than at Juventus.

The striker has started all 16 games since Thiago Motta took over this season, scoring nine goals in all competitions, with six of those coming in Serie A.

His recent form saw him recalled to Serbia's squad for the Nations League matches this international break, and he got an assist for their equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Switzerland on Saturday.

Overall, Vlahovic has racked up 50 goals at Juve since his move from Fiorentina in January 2022, but he seemingly suggested his game would improve in a different system.

Motta favours a 4-2-3-1 system, with Vlahovic playing as a lone striker, whereas on international duty, he plays as part of a front two, most recently alongside Aleksandar Mitrovic.

"It is a bit easier for me when there is another striker because Mitrovic holds up the ball and engages in aerial duels, so I can make more of my own characteristics and qualities," Vlahovic told RSI when asked the differences between playing for Serbia and Juventus.

"The coach also does not require many defensive duties from me, so that makes it easier too.

"With my physicality, I can't really run that much and am not as fresh in my finishing when I've been working so hard."

Alvaro Morata expressed his excitement about the future of the Spanish national team after they confirmed their place in the Nations League quarter-finals on Tuesday. 

Morata netted Spain's second goal in their 3-0 win over Serbia, having missed a penalty 11 minutes earlier, with Aymeric Laporte and Alex Baena also on target for La Roja. 

Luis de la Fuente's side have now won 12 of their 15 matches in all competitions this year (D2 L1), equalling their most victories in a single calendar year since 2013. 

Despite missing seven of their regular first-team players, including the likes of Lamine Yamal, Rodri and Dani Olmo, Spain made light work of Dragan Stojkovic's side in Cordoba.

And their latest victory has captain Morata looking forward to the future, with the Milan striker confident of building on their Euro 2024 success. 

"We are in another final stage of a major tournament and that is something to be proud of," captain Morata told Spanish public television TVE.

"It seems easy because we are always there in the final stages but sure it isn't so we have to understand how special it is and give it the proper value it has.

"We have several injured players, we missed them but we have to look at the positives that are young players stepping up.

"What we have created is special, and we have to keep going forward. Spain has an incredible future."

De la Fuente, however, was more measured in his assessment of proceedings. 

The Spain manager watched on as his side registered 30 shots, 10 of which were on target, ending the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.92. 

They also restricted Serbia to just one attempt throughout, though De la Fuente insisted he still wants to see improvements from his players.

"Blessed problem. God willing that it continues like this for a long time. When you have a lot of winning streaks you are closer to losing than winning," De la Fuente said. 

"We are not satisfied. This team is insatiable sportingly, it wants more and more. We do it with so much joy, we already enjoy it so much that it is difficult not to be like that.

"Let's try to see how far we go. When it is not achieved, one day it will not be achieved, because we will have to understand that this is how sport is.

"We will begin another cycle. Whoever wants to beat us will have to do very well."

Spain cruised into the Nations League quarter-finals after Tuesday's comfortable 3-0 victory over Serbia.

Luis de la Fuente's side eased to a routine win in Cordoba, qualifying for the knockout stages with two games to spare after Switzerland's 2-2 draw with Denmark guaranteed Spain a top-two spot in their group.

Aymeric Laporte opened the scoring after just five minutes, heading into the far corner after a well-worked corner routine allowed Pedro Porro space to deliver.

Mikel Merino's header from Alex Baena's cross was denied by the post soon after, before Spain missed a glorious chance to extend their lead after the interval.

Porro's vicious shot was adjudged to have been handled by Veljko Birmancevic, but Alvaro Morata blazed over with a disappointing 54th-minute penalty.

Captain Morata made amends just 11 minutes later, however, finishing with ease into the bottom corner after Fabian Ruiz profited on Serbia's slack attempts to play out from defence.

Further misery followed for Serbia as Strahinja Pavlovic's last-man challenge on Mikel Oyarzabal was upgraded to a red card following a VAR review, before Baena curled the resulting free-kick past Predrag Rajkovic to seal another Roja win.

Data Debrief: Unbeaten run continues for rampant Roja

De la Fuente masterminded Spain's Euro 2024 triumph, with the best team deservedly triumphing at the tournament in Germany, but La Roja's impressive run started well before that.

Spain are now unbeaten in their last 19 matches across all competitions (W17 D2), excluding friendlies, their best such streak since a 29-game run between June 2010 and June 2013 (W24 D5).

This was a typically dominant performance from the hosts, who accumulated 2.9 expected goals (xG) compared to Serbia's meagre 0.37, as the away side struggled throughout.

Spain took a giant leap to securing Nations League quarter-final progression after Tuesday's comfortable 3-0 victory over Serbia.

Luis de la Fuente's side will need just a point from their last two games in the competition next month after a routine win in Cordoba.

Aymeric Laporte opened the scoring after just five minutes, heading into the far corner after a well-worked corner routine allowed Pedro Porro space to deliver.

Mikel Merino's header from Alex Baena's cross was denied by the post soon after, before Spain missed a glorious chance to extend their lead after the interval.

Porro's vicious shot was adjudged to have been handled by Veljko Birmancevic, but Alvaro Morata blazed over with a disappointing 54th-minute penalty.

Captain Morata made amends just 11 minutes later, however, finishing with ease into the bottom corner after Fabian Ruiz profited on Serbia's slack attempts to play out from defence.

Further misery followed for Serbia as Strahinja Pavlovic's last-man challenge on Mikel Oyarzabal was upgraded to a red card following a VAR review, before Baena curled the resulting free-kick past Predrag Rajkovic to seal another Roja win.

Data Debrief: Unbeaten run continues for rampant Roja

De la Fuente masterminded Spain's Euro 2024 triumph, with the best team deservedly triumphing at the tournament in Germany, but La Roja's impressive run started well before that.

Spain are now unbeaten in their last 19 matches across all competitions (W17 D2), excluding friendlies, their best such streak since a 29-game run between June 2010 and June 2013 (W24 D5).

This was a typically dominant performance from the hosts, who accumulated 2.9 expected goals (xG) compared to Serbia's meagre 0.37, as the away side struggled throughout.

Luis de la Fuente backed his Spain side to step-up in their Nations League clash against Serbia, despite being without a plethora of their "irreplaceable" players.

Spain know a victory over Tuesday's opponents will put them within touching distance of qualification, having taken seven points from their first three games. 

However, De la Fuente will be without Barcelona's Lamine Yamal for the clash in Cordoba, with the 17-year-old the latest name to withdraw from La Roja's ranks. 

Yamal limped off in the 93rd minute of their Nations League win over Denmark before returning to Barcelona to undergo further tests, revealing he suffered a hamstring strain.

"(Yamal) is irreplaceable," De la Fuente told a press conference on Monday. "(But) we have to play eleven and whoever replaces him will want to make a statement.

"Lamine is fantastic, but... you have to understand that, in this life, nobody gives anything away for free. Whoever has to replace him, I'm sure they will do it very well."

Yamal has since been replaced in the squad by Atletico Madrid's Rodrigo Riquelme, who will be hoping to make an impact against Serbia. 

Yamal's absence only added to Spain's injury woes, with the European champions now without seven key players for the visit of Dragan Stojkovic's side.

Nico Williams, Unai Simon, Dani Carvajal, Robin Le Normand, Rodri and Dani Olmo, who all starred in their Euro 2024 success, are all also unavailable due to injury. 

"They are (too) irreplaceable, each one brings different things to the table. But we are lucky that this is a national team and the best players come here," De la Fuente said.

"I never miss anyone, because those who are playing are (also) very good.

"Obviously, we don't work with closed blocks as it happens at club level, but we also have players who have been here for a long time and internalise the messages.

"In a club you have much more time to do many more things than we do."

Lamine Yamal will miss Spain's Nations League clash against Serbia after sustaining a muscle injury during their 1-0 win over Denmark on Saturday.

Yamal was replaced by Sergio Gomez in the 93rd minute of their encounter at the Estadio Nueva Condomina and was seen limping after the game.

He had endured multiple tackles during the contest, raising concerns over his fitness. Despite the precautionary exit, the Spanish medical team found no significant injury.

The 17-year-old has since been replaced in Luis de la Fuente's squad by Atletico Madrid's Rodrigo Riquelme for the match against Serbia in Cordoba.

"The tests did not reveal any structural injury, and the medical staff of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) confirmed it is a case of muscle strain," the Spain national team said in a statement on Sunday.

"Prioritising the player's health and to avoid any risk of injury ahead of the upcoming match against Serbia, it has been decided to withdraw him from the squad."

Yamal has continued his impressive form from Euro 2024 into the current LaLiga season for Barcelona, scoring five goals in 11 appearances in all competitions. 

Only Sevilla's Chidera Ejuke (28) has completed more dribbles in the league than Yamal (27), with his 18 chances created for Hansi Flick's side, a total only bettered by Raphinha (32) in Barcelona's ranks. 

Yamal announced himself on the international stage during Spain's European Championship success earlier this year, notching four assists and one goal at the tournament. 

While only in the infancy of his promising career, Spain head coach De la Fuente believes the treatment Yamal is currently experiencing is something he must get used to.

"The referee has to protect these talented players, but Lamine has to get used to it. I would love it to be a bed of roses, Flower Power, but this sport is like that," De la Fuente said.

"Lamine displayed an exceptional attitude and generated a lot for us from the right flank. He has a special talent.

"I had a teammate who used to say: 'What do you want, kisses (from the opponents)?' Teams will use the weapons they can within the rules."

Luis de la Fuente says he is "not worried" by Spain's 0-0 draw with Serbia in their opening Nations League match, comparing it to a pre-season game.

In their first match as European champions, Spain struggled to break down a resolute Serbia side, with Lamine Yamal coming the closest for them as he missed two great chances in the second half.

La Roja had 21 shots throughout the game, creating 1.39 expected goals (xG), but only tested Predrag Rajkovic five times as the goalkeeper resolutely defended his clean sheet.

Despite an underwhelming start to their Nations League defence, having won the tournament in 2022-23, De la Fuente insisted there was no need to be concerned about the result.

"We lacked mostly everything in the first half," Spain coach Luis de la Fuente told reporters.

"In the second half, we were better and much improved but lacked effectively up front. We could have done better, players were a little tired, the heat was excruciating, and we ran out of gas.

"I'm not worried, it's almost a pre-season game for us due to the circumstances, still early in the season and the calendar is busy for the players. It's a process, and we will move forward."

De la Fuente named almost the same team from their Euro 2024 final triumph, with only Rodri and Alvaro Morata missing from Thursday's line-up.

However, the head coach believes their extended tournament may have had some effect on the result, with players not having as much game time before returning to the international fold.

"At this stage of the season, there are players who participate more and others less. In October, when they have accumulated more games, we will talk about other things," De la Fuente added.

"In September there is a lack of rhythm, it's harder to recover. It's a complicated time. We have to value Serbia, who, defensively, had a lot of energy, and we lacked accuracy."

Spain’s next Nations League game in Group A4 is away to Switzerland on Sunday.

Spain were frustrated on their first outing as European Champions as their Nations League Group A4 campaign began with a goalless draw with Serbia in Belgrade.

Luis de la Fuente's side, who also won the last edition of the Nations League in 2022-23, dominated for long spells and twice saw Lamine Yamal go close in the second half, but were unable to find a way past Al-Ittihad goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic.

Playing in the top tier of the Nations League for the first time after clinching promotion two years ago, Serbia made a solid start and should have gone ahead after 34 minutes. 

Andrija Zivkovic slipped a delightful ball in behind the Spanish backline for former Real Madrid striker Luka Jovic, but he somehow blasted his effort wide of the left-hand post with only David Raya to beat.

Dani Carvajal volleyed over as Spain upped the ante after the break, but still the Serbian clean sheet remained intact, with Rajkovic called upon to claw Alejandro Grimaldo's dipping free-kick away from the top-right corner.

Yamal curled an effort agonisingly wide just seconds later, and the Barcelona winger would have one final chance to win it with 15 minutes left, jinking into the area and firing goalwards only to see Rajkovic push his effort to safety.

Data Debrief: Serbia stand firm

It was all hands on deck for Serbia at times on Thursday, as every single Spain outfield starter – with the exception of Ayoze Perez – created at least one chance.

Given La Roja racked up 21 shots, however, they will be disappointed with their total expected goals (xG) figure of 1.37, compared to 1.16 from just eight shots for Serbia.

Spain's failure to add penetration to their patient build-up play ensured their nine-match winning run (including one extra-time triumph over Germany at Euro 2024) came to a halt.

Nikola Jokic played a starring role as Serbia put their Olympic semifinal disappointment behind them to clinch the bronze medal with a 93-83 win over Germany.

Serbia gave up a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter against the United States on Thursday as they narrowly missed out on a place in the final, but they responded strongly to ensure they did not leave Paris empty-handed.

Jokic was dominant in that game, and he provided the spark once more on Saturday as he finished with a triple-double, getting 19 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.

Vasilije Micic matched Jokic's tally of 19, while Bogan Bogdanovic, the program's all-time leading scorer, added 16.

After a promising start to the Olympics by Germany, they have trailed off in recent matches, and they struggled to match the early pace set by Serbia as they fell 30-21 behind in the first quarter.

Though they matched Serbia evenly in the second quarter, any hopes of getting their hands on their first Olympic basketball medal soon faded in the third, with the 19-point gap proving too much for them to turn over.

Serbia claimed their first medal in the Olympic event since earning silver in Rio 2016.

Stephen Curry praised the United States' "no quit" attitude after proving the hero in their thrilling comeback victory over Serbia in the Olympics semi-final.

Serbia entered the fourth quarter of the game with a 13-point lead, but a stunning late comeback from the USA, who have won gold in each of the last four Olympics, instead saw them prevail 95-91.

Curry starred for Team USA, scoring 36 points, the second-highest scoring game by an individual in the team's Olympic history, and his two free throws in the dying seconds ensured Serbia were unable to force any more drama.

And Curry explained how the lure of a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal spurred them to avoid the shock defeat.

"We talked about it the whole way, all summer," he said. "No matter how it looked, we were going to be challenged at some point.

"Outside of the exhibition series we had a pretty smooth road. Serbia are tough. They're a great team.

"Playing them three times, it's always hard to beat a team that many times, so to come back the way we did was amazing.

"We have no quit, and we know how much this means to win a gold medal with this group and the moment we have in front of us.

"Obviously, I hit the big three, but our defence carried us. Defence wins games in any league, especially in FIBA, so it was pretty special."

Serbia at one point held a 17-point lead in the first half, with NBA MVP Nikola Jokic getting 17 points and 11 assists, though they floundered in the closing stages.

While Curry took most of the headlines, LeBron James made his mark too, tying the game at 84-84 with four minutes remaining.

He got 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to finish with a triple-double, becoming the first player ever to complete the feat twice at the Olympics.

He echoed Curry's sentiments on Serbia's strength, noting how that helped to get the best out of the USA.

"Give a lot of credit to Serbia," James said. "They gave us everything they had.

"It's a great team. They played exceptionally well. They tested us and we needed that."

The USA will face hosts France in the gold-medal match on Saturday.

The United States launched a thrilling comeback to reach the basketball gold medal match at the Paris Olympics with a 95-91 win over Serbia, as Stephen Curry starred with 36 points.

Team USA – who have won gold at the last four editions of the Olympics – looked set to miss out on Saturday's final when Serbia entered the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead.

NBA MVP Nikola Jokic had 17 points and 11 assists for Serbia, who led by as many as 17 points at one stage in the first half.

Bogdan Bogdanovic had 20 points for Serbia while Aleksa Avramovic had 15, but Serbia were unable to hold on and avenge their 110-84 loss to the USA in the group stage.

Golden State Warriors star Curry carried the USA's offense for most of the game, though it was LeBron James' driving layup that tied the contest at 84-84 with under four minutes remaining.

The USA struggled defensively for long periods but finally began to put real pressure on Serbia late in the fourth quarter, and a missed 3-pointer from Ognjen Dobric with Serbia 86-84 up proved decisive.

Curry put the USA ahead with a 3-point jumper on a James assist with two minutes and 24 seconds left, then layups from both players stretched their lead as Serbia wilted. 

Twice Serbia drew within two points in the final minute, only for two Curry free throws to seal the USA's victory with eight seconds on the clock.

They will face hosts France – led by NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama – in Saturday's gold medal match, after Serbia face Germany for bronze.

James added 12 rebounds and 10 assists to his 16 points to finish with a triple-double, while USA team-mate Joel Embiid brought up 19 points.

Steve Kerr warned the United States must not "get lulled to sleep" by the fact they have already beaten Serbia twice recently.

The USA cruised past Brazil to reach the semi-finals of the Olympics, and Nikola Jokic's Serbia are next up.

Serbia have already faced the USA in the group stage, with the four-time reigning Olympic champions winning 110-84.

The USA also beat Serbia by 26 points in a warm-up match prior to the Games, but Kerr is taking nothing for granted ahead of Thursday's clash.

He said: "We can't get lulled to sleep because we beat them twice.

"We have to be prepared for their best effort. We've got to think about what they are going to do differently.

"Jokic, I guess he could play 40 minutes. What else do they have up their sleeve?"

It was a sentiment echoed by LeBron James.

"Every game is its own test. No matter what happened in the first two, it's about what goes down Thursday night," he said.

"So we need to lock in our film session, lock in during the day on Thursday, and then come out and be ready to go."

Jokic inspired Serbia to an Olympic-record comeback against Australia in the quarters.

How Serbia plan to manage Jokic's minutes is an intriguing question, but Joel Embiid is setting himself up to face the reigning NBA MVP for over 40 minutes.

"I guess we'll be ready for that," said Embiid.

"If that's what they think they have to do to try to beat us, then they won't hesitate to do that."

The United States continued their quest for a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal after securing their spot in the quarter-finals with a comfortable win over South Sudan. 

Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo starred for the 16-time champions, registering a team-high 18 points and seven rebounds in their 103-86 triumph at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium.

The USA led from the first quarter and never looked back, with 14 of Adebayo's points coming before half-time as their star-studded bench maintained their advantage. 

For South Sudan, Nuni Omot led the way with a game-high 24 points, but with a team boasting 12 NBA All-Stars, four NBA MVPs and six NBA champions, it proved too much for the Bright Stars. 

Kevin Durant (14), Anthony Edwards (13), LeBron James (12), Devin Booker (10) and Derrick White all finished in double figures to ensure there was no repeat of their close encounter with their opponents prior to the Games. 

South Sudan led the United States by 16 points in their pre-tournament fixture, but narrowly avoided a huge upset in London as they emerged 101-100 victors. 

The United States will face winless Puerto Rico in their final group game this Saturday. 

Meanwhile, in the other Group C fixture, Nikola Jokic made Olympic history as he helped Serbia ease to their biggest win at the Games following a 107-66 triumph over Puerto Rico. 

Jokic finished with 14 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists, becoming the first player in Olympic history to record at least 10 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists in a single game.

Filip Petrusev also played his part in the victory, with Serbia knowing they must beat South Sudan in their final group game to qualify for the knockout stages.

Anthony Davis says Team USA "expect nothing less" after Kevin Durant starred on his return from injury in a 110-84 win against Serbia at the Olympic Games.

Durant did not play any of the pre-Olympic warm-up games due to a calf injury and was only cleared to play for the USA an hour before their opener started.

However, he made a huge impact in just 17 minutes, nailing his first eight shots, including five 3-pointers, as he scored 23 points.

After being touch-and-go for the tournament, with coach Steve Kerr reluctant to rush him back too early, Davis says the team knew he would be ready when called upon.

"We expect nothing less," he said. "We know what he can do when the ball is in his hand, and he got hot. It was fun to watch his first time, second time, 12th.

"To see and be a fan and actually get a chance to cheer for him instead of rooting against [him] with his scoring ability – man, it was fun to watch."

Durant was not the only one in fine form, as LeBron James marked his Olympic comeback with a standout performance, getting 21 points, eight rebounds and nine assists as he provided a spark.

James and Durant also became the first USA team-mates to both score over 20 points in an Olympic opener.

The 39-year-old, playing his first contest at the Games since 2012, when he won his second consecutive gold medal, was full of praise for Durant and the team as the USA chase a sixth title in a row.

"I mean [Durant] is just an out-of-this-world talent," he said after the game. "That's the best game we played so far.

"[I'll do] Whatever it takes [to win]. It's going to be somebody different every day. And we have that type of firepower."

Next up for Team USA in Group C is South Sudan, who made history in their Olympic debut earlier on Sunday.

Their basketball federation was only formed in 2011, and they beat Puerto Rico 90-79 for their first win at the Games.

Denmark head coach Kasper Hjulmand is relishing the opportunity of facing Euro 2024 hosts Germany in the knockout stages of the tournament this Saturday. 

The Danes concluded their Group C campaign with a goalless draw against Serbia in Munich, finishing second behind England in the standings.

"The last seven, eight minutes (against Serbia) were just defending, so I think our defence was really good, Hjulmand said after the game.

"We had to fight through the game at the end. But I think we showed character and there are so many things from the game that I'm happy about.

"There are a few things in the attack that we have to tweak in order to succeed but I know that we can we can do that. We have some great players there."

Denmark drew all three of their group games, finishing ahead of Slovenia based on their disciplinary record, ultimately coming down to Milivoje Novakovic, a member of Matjaz Kek's coaching staff, being shown a yellow card against the Danes. 

It sets up a meeting with Germany, a side they have failed to beat in their last four meetings, with their last triumph coming in an international friendly in March 2007.

"I really love football here in Germany and playing against Germany with the Danish team, it can't be better, I can't wait. It's a great team. But we're a great team as well. And when we play the big nations, we always step up," Hjulmand said.