Chelsea have agreed to sell full-back for more than £35mDutch international spent last season with Dortmund Aston Villa are hopeful of signing of the versatile Chelsea defender Ian Maatsen, after agreeing terms on a six-year contract. The clubs are thought to have agreed a fee of more than £35m for the full-back, who is with the Netherlands at Euro 2024. Maatsen spent the second half of last season on loan at the Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund. The 22-year-old, who has made 12 league appearances for Chelsea, spent the three previous seasons on loan at Burnley, Coventry and Charlton. The sale of Maatsen would be a major boost for Chelsea’s profitability and sustainability picture. Continue reading...

Underprivileged people from eight nations have gathered in Germany to compete at the Homeless Euro 2024 tournament, which is running parallel to the main championship. The tournament intends to share the joys of football with those who have suffered on the street. Teams from Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Sweden paraded into Hamburg's fan zone at the start of the week-long event organised by local charity Anstoss (Kickoff) and was funded by donations. Unlike the main Euro 2024, the alternative version kicked-off in front of a smattering of people at a small pitch inside the fan zone. Four-person teams of both men and women played games of seven-minute halves Continue reading...

Mbappé to wear mask following collision in Austria winFrance upbeat given captain does not require surgery Kylian Mbappé could miss the rest of the Euro 2024 group stage but France are optimistic about the severity of their captain’s broken nose after early indications suggested he does not require surgery. France will continue to monitor his condition over the next 48 hours. The French Football Federation are sourcing a tailor-made mask for Mbappé, and while he is expected to miss Friday’s match against the Netherlands in Leipzig, they are upbeat about the forward’s diagnosis. France play Poland in Dortmund in their final Group D match next Tuesday. Continue reading...

Striker’s winner against Poland continued strong scoring run but can he displace Depay against France? Nothing Like Oranje is the Netherlands’ strap line and quite frankly there is nobody like Wout Weghorst. When the Dutch team bus departed the Volksparkstadion on the fringes of Hamburg at 6.12pm, victory over Poland safely stowed thanks to his super-sub heroics, there could not have been a more popular passenger on board. Weghorst finished the game very much front and centre. Ronald Koeman’s side got increasingly itchy feet after growing restless in search of a winner but with a single whoosh of the left boot, his first touch two minutes after stepping off the bench, Weghorst earned a 2-1 win to ensure a pitch-perfect start to the tournament. Quite what Koeman does with Weghorst from here is the intriguing bit. About half an hour after Weghorst left the pitch to a sea of orange shirts singing his name, the Netherlands head coach was fielding questions about whether he would promote the striker to his starting lineup against France in Leipzig on Friday. Could Koeman turn to the Burnley striker from the off in the Group D glamour tie? Continue reading...

Thomas Tuchel among those contacted by ownersSays agreeing a new contract ‘isn’t easily done’ Erik ten Hag has admitted that Manchester United contacted other managers about his job and revealed that he is yet to agree a new contract with the club. Ten Hag’s comments, made on a television sports show in the Netherlands on Sunday, confirmed the speculation swirling around the club since they won the FA Cup last month before it emerged last week that the Dutchman was to stay in his post. Continue reading...

Section of Kharkiv stadium will be displayed in MunichRebrov: ‘All players getting messages from our fighters’ Ukraine’s campaign at Euro 2024 will be accompanied by a stark reminder of the destruction inflicted on the country’s football scene after their football association was given permission to display part of a destroyed stadium, used during Euro 2012, in German cities. Sonyachny Stadium in Kharkiv was deployed as a training base for the Netherlands 12 years ago and hosted the 2019-20 Ukraine women’s cup final. It has also served as a facility for the men’s national team. But Kharkiv has been under attack since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and in May 2022 the venue was rendered unusable by heavy shelling. Continue reading...

For all of the concern and conjecture about the Netherlands midfield, it was the absence of a killer instinct in front of goal that had largely eluded them. Cody Gakpo levelled in the first half after Poland took a surprise lead, but failure to make their dominance pay had in effect muted the glorious L-shaped hue of Oranje wrapped around one end of this vast bowl on the edge of town. At least until the 81st minute, when Wout Weghorst replaced Memphis Depay. Wearing his personalised headband, and having been on the pitch for about 90 seconds, the hulking striker swiped in past Wojciech Szczesny with his first touch. When all else fails, call for Weghorst. Cue the Dutch ceaselessly singing the name of their No 9, contracted to Burnley, during the closing stages. Continue reading...

Netherlands forward Wout Weghorst comes on and scores late winner as Dutch beat Poland 2-1 in the opening Group D match at the Volksparkstadion.

Watch as Netherlands forward Wout Weghorst secures a win as they beat Poland 2-1 in the opening Group D match at the Volksparkstadion.

Netherlands supporters turned the streets of Hamburg orange before their opening game against Poland - as they have done for decades.

Hamburg police confirm they shot an individualPoland face Netherlands at Volksparkstadion A man wielding a pickaxe and carrying an incendiary device has been shot by police near a Euro 2024 fan park in Hamburg. The unnamed suspect was said to have been shot in the leg after he emerged out of a kebab shop with a gold tinted pickaxe and started to threaten those around him. He was surrounded by officers who used pepper spray and fired a warning shot but witnesses said the suspect was downed after he sought to run away among the crowds. Witnesses said he also appeared to be carrying a molotov cocktail. Continue reading...

Updates from the 2pm kick-off in HamburgMan with pickaxe shot before gameThe complete guide to all 622 players in Germany Poland captain Robert Lewandowski misses the game with a muscle injury. Technically he’s among the substitutes but I don’t think he has any chance of getting on. Ronald Koeman has chosen Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen in goal ahead of Brentford’s Mark Flekken, while Inter’s Stefan de Vrij is preferred to some more celebrated central defenders. Ronald Koeman is aware his side must play better in Germany to go far. “We really know that we need to improve in a number of areas to compete with the other top countries,” he said after qualification was secured. “It is clear that football can and must be improved.” Continue reading...