Thierry Henry was delighted to guarantee France a first Olympic medal in the men's football since 1984 after their comeback victory over 10-man Egypt. 

Les Bleus were minutes away from a semi-final exit against the Pharaohs until Jean-Philippe Mateta's 83rd minute equaliser. 

Mateta would grab his fourth of the tournament in the ninth minute of extra-time, with former Crystal Palace teammate Michael Olise confirming the 3-1 win soon after.

Henry had been preparing for this event since taking over in August 2023 and felt the weight of responsibility, having seen his nation perform brilliantly in other events as the hosts.

“I’m living a dream. I don’t want to wake up," Henry said.

"I’ll be honest with you, what’s nice is for Team France because when you see everyone winning medals here and there, you think it’s up to us not to let the guys down.”

Henry endured a torrid time in charge of Monaco over five years ago, winning five of his 20 games in charge (D4, L11), but has since rebuilt his career. 

Firstly, in the MLS with Montreal Impact, leading Montreal to their first playoff berth in four seasons, before returning for a second stint with the Belgium national side as an assistant manager. 

This tournament has seen Henry possibly stake a claim for the France job further down the line, with Didier Deschamps’ contract expiring after the 2026 World Cup. 

However, Philippe Diallo, president of the French Football Federation, did not want to entertain the idea just yet.

Diallo told RMC: “Let’s not rush things. Thierry Henry, when I appointed him to the position, there were some who had doubts given what he had done previously. I had confidence in him and he is proving it.”

France will play Spain at the Parc des Princes on Friday in the showpiece final.

France came from behind to beat 10-man Egypt 3-1 after extra time and reach the Olympic Games final thanks to a brace from Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Mahmoud Saber's goal looked to be sending Egypt through, but Mateta and Michael Olise ensured that would not happen with help from Omar Fayed's sending off in extra time.

Despite Egypt slightly edging the first half, the hosts almost took the lead when Loic Bade's header struck the foot of the post just before half-time.

On the hour mark, Alexandre Lacazette squandered a glorious chance, and just moments later Shehata profited at the other end, rifling his powerful effort into the roof of the net.

France rallied soon after, with Lacazette and Bade hitting the woodwork in quick succession before Hamza Alaa made two brilliant saves to keep out the Les Bleus' captain.

The hosts' pressure finally paid off in the 83rd minute though – Olise raced through midfield before picking out his former Crystal Palace team-mate Mateta, who fired them level.

A lengthy VAR check deep in second-half stoppage time then proved fruitless as the referee stuck with the onfield decision to now award a penalty to France for a handball by Omar Fayed, who received a booking for dissent.

His game then went from bad to worse as he received his marching orders two minutes into extra time for a late tackle on Desire Doue.

Mateta thumped France in front with a close-range free header seven minutes later, and Olise made sure of their progress in the 108th minute, curling a low shot past Alaa before he could react.

Data Debrief: Les Bleus march on

At one point, Thierry Henry had his head in his hands as France wasted chance after chance in front of goal. In the first half they only created an expected goals (xG) of 0.2, but improved that to 2.33 from 17 shots in the second as Egypt eventually caved to the onslaught.

Mateta proved the difference-maker once more, having scored the goal to send them into the semi-finals, he added two more to his tally.

France will play in the final at the Olympics for the first time in 40 years, and they will face Spain in the gold-medal match on Friday.

Oriol Romeu has rejoined Girona on a season-long loan from Barcelona.

The midfielder left Girona last year to join Barca but has now made the move back to the Blanquivermells for the 2024-25 campaign.

Romeu made 28 LaLiga appearances for La Blaugrana last season, playing just 930 minutes, and only making 11 starts.

Barcelona announced last week that he had left their pre-season tour in the United States to "resolve his future".

He was keen to join Girona during the January transfer window, but the move was blocked by Barcelona's sporting director, Deco.

In his last spell at the Catalan club in 2022-23, the Spaniard made 33 LaLiga appearances and scored twice in the competition.

He is the seventh player to move to the club this transfer window, and Michel will be looking to his experience as they embark on their first-ever Champions League campaign. 

Fermin Lopez was proud of how Spain managed a "difficult" Olympic Games semi-final against Morocco as they came from behind to beat them 2-1.

Soufiane Rahimi had given Morocco the lead from the penalty spot in the first half, but an inspired second-half performance from Fermin saw him score before assisting Juanlu Sanchez to earn the victory.

In the process, he became the youngest player (21 years and 86 days) to both score and assist in a men's Olympic tournament knockout match since Neymar against Honduras in 2012.

La Roja are into the Olympics final for the second consecutive tournament, having claimed the silver medal in Tokyo after a 2-1 defeat to Brazil in the final.

And Fermin believes Spain deserved to reach the showpiece after their resilient performance in the second half.

"I'm very happy to be in the final of the Olympics. The team deserved it, now we're thinking about the final," Fermin told AS.

"The game was difficult for us, they were putting a lot of pressure on their fans, it was a nice game and I think we deserved the victory.

"I hope I can play in every game. The most important thing is that we have taken a step forward, and we have achieved victory.

"After the break we were ourselves. I always try to help the team, whatever the manager asks of me. I'm very happy with our football and I hope we can win all the medals possible."

Spain will play either France or Egypt in the gold-medal match at the Parc des Princes on Friday.

Karim Adeyemi says he has no intention of leaving Borussia Dortmund in the transfer window amid speculation over his future.

The German has been linked with a move away from Signal Iduna Park, with both Juventus and Chelsea reportedly interested in his signature.

Adeyemi signed for Dortmund in May 2022 and has since made 66 appearances for them in all competitions, scoring 14 goals and providing eight assists.

He also played a key role in helping the team to the Champions League final last season, playing in all but one of those games, though missed big chances in the showpiece as they lost 2-0 to Real Madrid.

Dortmund were reportedly willing to sell him, but have now backtracked, and Adeyemi confirmed that he is keen to stay at the club.

"My focus is solely on Borussia Dortmund, as it was before these rumours started circulating," Adeyemi told German newspaper BILD.

"I am happy at Borussia Dortmund. I want to stay at this club and my plans have not changed.

"A lot of things were written, but it's not true [that his father directly spoke to Juventus]."

Dortmund have already seen some of their big names leave this transfer window, with Niklas Fullkrug confirming his move to West Ham on Monday, while Marco Reus and Mats Hummels both departed after the Champions League final.

Youssoufa Moukoko is also reportedly set to leave the club to join Marseille. 

Juanlu Sanchez booked Spain a place in the final of the Olympic Games, securing a 2-1 comeback win over Morocco on Monday.

Soufiane Rahimi had given the Atlas Lions the lead with a penalty in the first half before Fermin Lopez restored parity in the second.

Fermin started brightly for Spain, testing Munir Mohamedi with a long-range strike before dragging an effort just wide of the far post after darting in behind.

Shortly after, Spain found themselves behind – Pablo Barrios caught Amir Richardson on the back of the calf with a high tackle in the box and Rahimi made no mistake from the spot to fire Morocco in front.

La Roja dominated the second half as they pushed for an equaliser, and Fermin clawed them level after jinking away from his marker to nestle his low shot into the bottom-right corner after 66 minutes.

Richardson almost restored Morocco's lead moments later, but his first-time effort swerved away from goal and wide of the near post, much to his frustration.

Substitute Sanchez then finished the comeback for Spain from a tight angle, with his shot bouncing in off the inside of the far post.

Abde Ezzalzouli and Richardson gave Arnau Tenas a late scare in goal with two powerful efforts, but luckily for the keeper, they could not find the target. 

Data Debrief: Fermin shines bright

Even in the first half when Spain struggled to make an impact, it felt like Fermin could prove to be the difference for La Roja, and he did just that.

At 21 years and 86 days, he is the youngest player to both score and assist in a men's Olympic tournament knockout round match since Neymar against Honduras in 2012 (20y 181d).

Santiago Sanchez will be hoping he can provide the spark once more in the showpiece game on Friday.

Vivianne Miedema "followed her gut" when she decided to join Manchester City from Arsenal.

Miedema spent seven years with the Gunners, cementing herself as the Women's Super League all-time top scorer in that time, netting 79 goals.

She also set the league record for the most goals scored in a single WSL season (22) and netted 125 goals for Arsenal overall in 179 appearances.

After enduring two injury-hit campaigns in her final two years in North London, Miedema is ready to face a new challenge and is confident City will provide that.

"I've been in the league for a long, long time and my gut feeling told me that I really wanted to stay in England," Miedema said.

"I've spoken to multiple clubs in England and also abroad. Obviously, when I started speaking to City, I got really, really excited, mostly by the way they play but also by how other players actually talk about the club and about how things were going.

"Eventually, I think to myself, I want to challenge myself and I know this wasn't the easy option, obviously moving within England as well.

"But I got really excited about being a part of this City team and that's why, in the end, I followed my gut feeling by going with City."

The Citizens came agonisingly close to winning the WSL title last season, only missing out due to Chelsea's superior goal difference.

They will kick off the new WSL campaign against Miedema's former club Arsenal on September 22.

West Ham have confirmed the signing of striker Niclas Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund.

The Hammers will reportedly pay around £27million (€31.5m) for Fullkrug, who only joined Dortmund from Werder Bremen last year, in a deal worth £12.6m (€14.7m).

Fullkrug scored 12 goals in 29 Bundesliga appearances for BVB last term, also helping the side finish as Champions League runners-up to Real Madrid.  

He also netted twice for Germany as they reached the Euro 2024 quarter-finals on home soil, assuming a role as an impact player as he did not start a game for Julian Nagelsmann's side.

The 31-year-old has penned a four-year deal with the Irons, becoming their fifth signing of a busy transfer window that had already seen Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Luis Guilherme and Wes Foderingham arrive ahead of Julen Lopetegui's first season in charge.

"I think the Premier League is the best league in the world, and for me it is the right time to move over to England and play for a big club like West Ham," Fullkrug told the club's website.

"I have been thinking about West Ham for a long time now. I know the technical director Tim Steidten very well, because we have history at Werder Bremen together, and I have watched some games and seen how much quality there is in the team.

"The chance to play under the head coach is also really exciting. His playing style is important for me, and I am confident that under him I will be able to perform at my best, and score lots of goals.

"I love being close to supporters, and I'm really looking forward to meeting the West Ham fans. 

"I have a very good feeling at the moment – I'm strong, fit and in shape – and I just want to get out there and start playing for them."

Fullkrug averaged a goal every 200 minutes in the Bundesliga last term, boasting a conversion rate of 20.69% from his tally of 58 shots.

Chelsea have been drawn to face Braga or Servette in the Europa Conference League play-off round later this month.

The Blues will feature in UEFA's third-tier club competition in their first season under Enzo Maresca, after Manchester United's FA Cup triumph saw them take England's final Europa League place.

Portuguese side Braga and Swiss Super League outfit Servette face off in the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie on Thursday, with the second leg taking place on August 15.

The loser of that tie will drop into the Conference League and face Chelsea for a spot in the group stage of that competition.

Stamford Bridge will host the first leg of that tie on August 22, with the return fixture taking place one week later.

Meanwhile, Rangers will face either Salzburg or FC Twente in the Champions League play-off round if they beat Dynamo Kyiv in the third qualifying round.

Philippe Clement's men go to Poland for the first leg of that tie on Tuesday, with Hampden Park hosting the second leg next week, due to delays in getting Ibrox ready for the new campaign. 

Paris Saint-Germain have completed the signing of Joao Neves from Benfica.

The 19-year-old joins the Ligue 1 champions in a move worth up to €70million, putting pen to paper on a five-year contract.

He signed for Benfica in 2016, moving through the youth ranks before making his first-team debut in December 2022, helping the team to win the Primera Liga in 2022-23.

Last season, Neves established himself as a first-team regular, making 33 appearances, netting three goals, and creating 25 chances in the Portuguese top-flight.

"I'm very proud to be joining Paris Saint-Germain, a very ambitious club," Neves said.

"I'm going to give my all to help my team-mates, to grow at this fantastic club and to win numerous titles."

Neves is PSG's second signing of the transfer window, after goalkeeper Matvey Safonov's arrival in June.

Rodri deserves to be in contention to win the Ballon d'Or and has revolutionised the way people look at holding midfielders, believes Lucas Leiva.

Rodri enjoyed another magnificent campaign in 2023-24 as Manchester City retained their Premier League crown, then was named Player of the Tournament as Spain won Euro 2024. 

The 28-year-old played 50 matches for City across all competitions last term, with Pep Guardiola's team only losing one of those games – versus Manchester United in May's FA Cup final.

He also contributed eight goals and nine assists in the Premier League last term, both of which represent his best figures in any league campaign. 

At Euro 2024, he ranked seventh among all players for open-play passes (430) and fifth for open-play passes in the opposition half (255) as La Roja won their record-breaking fourth European title.

While former Liverpool midfielder Lucas expects Rodri to face fierce competition from Real Madrid pair Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior, he feels the Spaniard deserves to be considered among the world's finest players. 

"A midfield player, especially a holding midfield player, normally it is not a position that people look at so much. But it is an important role for the team," he told Stats Perform.

"It's a position where you give balance to the team. You allow people to get forward, but you also give protection to the defence. You start everything from that role. 

"So, [Sergio] Busquets and now Rodri are playing a big part with Man City, but also with Spain. We could see that at the Euros. 

"Of course, Rodri is one of the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or, but I would probably say another two players: Bellingham and Vinicius. I think those three will challenge for the Ballon d'Or, and we'll have to wait and see. 

"Of course, Rodri deserves it, but Bellingham and Vinicius deserve it as well for what they've done with Real Madrid and with their national teams, especially Bellingham getting to the [Euros] final. 

"We will have to wait and see. But I'm happy to see a holding midfielder on the shortlist because it's a position that people don't look at too much.

"People are starting to appreciate it a little bit more."

Liverpool boss Arne Slot says acquiring a top-class defensive midfielder is not the Reds' only concern as they continue to await their first signing of the transfer window.

Liverpool are the only club in the Premier League yet to make a signing ahead of Slot's first season at the helm, following close to nine years under Jurgen Klopp. 

Klopp's final season in charge saw the Reds implement a midfield rebuild, with Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch arriving.

However, as Liverpool's title challenge fell away in the final weeks of the season, pundits questioned why they had not replaced Fabinho following his move to Al-Ittihad. 

Klopp's side conceded more goals (41), allowed more expected goals against (46.18 xGA) and faced more shots (414) than eventual champions Manchester City or runners-up Arsenal, and they have continued to be linked with a move for a defensive midfielder.

Slot, however, has pointed out there are several positions in which they are keen to strengthen, saying: "I think Ryan Gravenberch did really well in that position and we have other options as well. 

"The best way to judge it is when we have all the players back and we still haven't.

"But a club like Liverpool always keeps its eye open to see what's available, players that can strengthen the squad and that is what we – [sporting director] Richard [Hughes] mostly –are looking to do but that is not particular to one position. 

"We constantly evaluate the squad, where can we do something and what do we have?"

Trent Alexander-Arnold played a hybrid role for much of Klopp's final season, drifting into a central midfield position from his usual right-back role.

He is one of several players to see their futures questioned since Klopp's departure, but Slot is certain he will play a key role for the Reds in 2024-25.

"We didn't speak about his commitment," Slot says. "We only spoke about the way I wanted him to play and how he could fit into that style. 

"He was mainly focused on the Euros at the moment we spoke and I saw some clips showing me that he looks really fit and sharp. I can't wait to see him train.

"But some others did quite well, so it is interesting to see if the others come back then the level goes up even more.

"We have a good platform to build from and not just because of this tour. Jurgen left this squad in a very good place, I said that before. Now it is up to us to keep performing like Liverpool did for so many years."

Atalanta have confirmed striker Gianluca Scamacca has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee.

Scamacca was substituted 50 minutes into Atalanta's 4-1 friendly defeat to Parma on Sunday, La Dea's penultimate pre-season outing before they face Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup on August 14.

The striker enjoyed a fine season upon his return to Serie A in 2023-24, following a frustrating one-year spell with West Ham.

He scored 19 goals and provided eight assists last term as Atalanta finished fourth in Serie A and won the Europa League. 

In Serie A, Scamacca scored 11 times from chances worth just 6.54 expected goals (xG), with only Lautaro Martinez (+6.36) and Teun Koopmeiners (+5.47) overperforming their underlying figures by a greater margin than him (+5.46).

The Italy international will undergo surgery on Monday ahead of an extended period on the sidelines.

A club statement read: "Following a clinical consultation with Professor Pierpaolo Mariani at the Villa Stuart Clinic in Rome, Gianluca Scamacca underwent diagnostic tests which revealed an anterior cruciate ligament rupture in his left knee.

"This afternoon, Monday, August 5, the footballer will undergo arthroscopic surgery. Professor Mariani himself will carry out the operation."

Xavi Simons will return to RB Leipzig for 2024-25 after the Bundesliga side agreed another season-long loan deal with his parent club Paris Saint-Germain.

Simons enjoyed an impressive campaign on loan at Leipzig in 2023-24, contributing eight goals and 11 assists as Marco Rose's men finished fourth.

Bayer Leverkusen's Alex Grimaldo was the only player in the Bundesliga to better that latter figure, while only Kevin Stoger (127), Franck Honorat (89) and Julian Brandt (80) bettered his 79 chances created.

He was linked with the likes of Manchester United and Bayern Munich after returning to the French capital, but Leipzig have now moved to bring him back to Germany.

A statement from the club read: "Speculation surrounding Xavi's future can finally be put to rest, with the Netherlands international returning to the Red Bulls for the new season. 

"RB Leipzig will loan the 21-year-old from French giants Paris Saint-Germain for another year."

Simons could face his parent club in a pre-season friendly on Saturday, with Leipzig taking on PSG on home soil ahead of their DFB-Pokal clash with Essen one week later.

The Dutchman is the third signing made by Leipzig ahead of the 2024-25 season, following the acquisitions of goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt and midfielder Assan Ouedraogo.

Carlo Ancelotti insisted "nothing changes" for Jude Bellingham despite Kylian Mbappe's arrival at Real Madrid.

Mbappe officially completed his long-awaited move to Madrid in July, after leaving Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent.

However, the 25-year-old's signing has raised some question marks over how Ancelotti fits his star attackers into the side.

One of those doubts is over Bellingham, who thrived in an attacking role at the tip of a midfield diamond last season, scoring 23 goals.

But while Madrid's system may change, Bellingham's importance to the team will not, says Ancelotti.

"Nothing changes for him. Nothing changes," he told reporters.

"The first season, he surprised a lot, because he showed fantastic quality, a really mature guy.

"The next season will not be different. He is going to be one of the best players that we have, supporting the team a lot with his quality."

Bellingham has not yet returned to Madrid's camp following his exploits with England at Euro 2024, with the 21-year-old having scored twice as the Three Lions reached the final, which they lost 2-1 to Spain.

And Ancelotti was surprised that Bellingham, and England in general, came in for some criticism for the performances in Germany.

"This is an opinion but Bellingham played really well at the Euros," said the Italian.

"England played really well, they reached the final and were close to winning it."

Madrid, who lost 2-1 to Barcelona over the weekend, face Chelsea in a pre-season friendly this week.

One Chelsea player who lined up for Madrid last term was goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who joined on loan as cover for the injured Thibaut Courtois.

Ancelotti, though, does not think Arrizabalaga will be returning to the Santiago Bernabeu.

He said: "In that position, we are covered.

"Kepa did really well last season. We were really happy to have him here, but I don't know what’s going to happen this season. We love him."