Another German national team earns 'Per Mertesacker Ice Baths' after grueling quarterfinal win
To the surprise of literally no one, Bundestrainer Wück expressed his exhaustion in the most German way possible. For the second time in one single summer, it was time for a German national team footballing professional to reference the famous 2014 Per Mertesacker line after a grueling 120 minute victory in a tournament quarterfinal.
'I think we need three days of ice baths and rest,' Wück told ZDF afterwards. 'and then we'll see if we can field eleven players against Spain [in the semi-finals on Wednesday. I'm exhausted.'
Wück declined to comment directly on the Hendrich incident, perhaps wisely so as no one needed any bizarre quotes about the German defender's pull of French captain Griedge Mbock Bathy's ponytail in the box in the 12th-minute. Wück instead merely expressed pride that the team did not concede another goal and that Sjoeke Nüsken was able to pull the equalizer back from a well-rehearsed corner variant ten minutes after France took the lead from the spot.
'That went as planned,' Wück said of Nüsken's 25th-minute equalizer, 'It was precisely the variant we wished to execute.'
Wück not only lost Henrich to a sending off in the 13th, but also injured right back Sarai Linder (who had been off the pitch getting treatment for most of the opening quarter-of-an-hour) to injury shortly thereafter. It was such that he couldn't even contemplate bringing on a sub until deep until the first added period of extra time.
'We wouldn't have made it if just one player had broken down,' Wück emphasized. 'Thankfully, none of them did. That's why I'm so proud of this team.'
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Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Is Jared Goff underrated? Lions embracing their ‘not too flashy' QB as offense shifts out of Ben Johnson's hands
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New York Times
32 minutes ago
- New York Times
Blood, hope and a broken finger: Two weeks on the road with the Tour de France's relegation rivals
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They are one of the most historic squads in France, once home to Lance Armstrong, Frank Vandenbroucke and David Millar — but they are at risk of disappearing from the WorldTour. Bastille Day is the day that French teams target. Cofidis always knew it was a long shot, but have decided to attack the day with three riders — Alex Aranburu, Ion Izagirre, and Dylan Teuns. Emanuel Buchmann will target the general classification. But here they are at Châtel-Guyon — and all three riders but Teuns have been dropped by the main peloton. Eventually, Buchmann climbs back on. Teuns falls away. 'It's difficult to say why we're at this level,' says Gorka Gerrikagoitia. He grips the steering wheel tightly. 'We're doing all we can to improve, and for sure, it's not an ideal situation if we're not in the WorldTour. The sponsor in Cofidis will continue, but not at the same level, not at the same budget.' By the end of the day, Buchmann has lost seven minutes. The WorldTour is not necessarily the be all and end all in the cycling world. Uno-X were founded in 2016, and serve as a conduit for Scandinavian cycling talent — this year's Tour squad is comprised of eight Norwegians and Danish rider Magnus Cort, who has won stages in all three Grand Tours. Since their foundation, Uno-X have pushed for WorldTour status, but as of now, they are a ProTour squad, 20th in the standings, and almost 2000 points and two places away from achieving automatic promotion. Though they have an outside chance of overtaking Cofidis, that would still only place them 19th. Advertisement Back in 2016, the team's founders announced their squad in alphabetical order. 'Jonas Abrahamsen,' were their first words. 'Twenty-one years old.' Nine years later, Abrahamsen is now 20 kilograms (44 pounds) heavier — and a Tour de France stage winner, outsprinting Swiss champions Mauro Schmid on the streets of Toulouse. Their hordes of fans, all in replica jerseys, found propping up the bars of finish towns until the town's beer is finished, have their first moment of real celebration. It is the team's first Grand Tour stage win. Uno-X earns 210 points. The mechanics are crying. Former green jersey Thor Hushovd, now a DS at the team, is crying. Abrahamsen is crying. The Norwegian squad are a team on the up, with big dreams, but at this moment, which of the above means more? Cofidis' Bryan Coquard needs energy to get through the Pyrenees. A sprinter, not a climber, each day in the mountains is a battle to avoid the time-cut and disqualification from the race. With Cofidis' specialist climbers struggling, picking up consistent sprint results may be their best chance of points. The bunch is passing quickly on stage 12 as Coquard grabs the musette holding his lunch. The strap wraps around his fingers. He breaks his fourth finger. That day, he battles to complete the stage in time. On the same day, having already had their bicycles stolen on the second day of the Tour, before they were later rediscovered, the women's squad suffers the same fate. Cofidis are a small team. They cannot afford a loss of at least €100,000, not with the looming threat of relegation. 💪 Despite two fractured fingers at the beginning of the stage, 🇫🇷 @bryancoquard hung in there and finished the stage bravely and on time! 💪 Malgré deux doigts fracturés en début d'étape, 🇫🇷 @bryancoquard s'est accroché et termine l'étape au courage et dans les délais !… — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 17, 2025 'We have a sponsorship deal signed with Cofidis without a WorldTour clause,' says team boss Cédric Vasseur. 'But in reality, it's true that when you lose your place in the first division, you are losing a lot of money from organisers, from sponsors. 'You are weaker than when you are in the first division — and of course when a good rider wants to choose a team, he always chooses the WorldTour. The impact for us of losing a licence is huge.' Further up the road, Onley, too, is in the high mountains and has still not cracked. On the legendary Hautacam, the Picnic-PostNL rider climbs through burning sunshine to finish fifth, ahead of Grand Tour winners Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic. How does he feel? 'Tired.' But the 22-year-old Scotsman is flourishing. Sitting fourth after the Pyrenees, he is just one minute and 25 seconds away from the podium — a result that could net Picnic-PostNL a massive 880 points. It would put them almost 2000 points above Cofidis. The French squad appear doomed. The news breaks in the Belgian press the previous evening. Intermarche-Wanty and Lotto have agreed to a merger. It shows an inherent truth of modern cycling — that for low-budget teams, this sport is a battle for scraps. Lotto were demoted to ProTour status ahead of the 2023 season, while Wanty have desperately struggled for results this season. With Girmay out of form, it is difficult to see where consistent wins will come from. Together, they reason, offers them a better chance of survival. But an unintended consequence? Lotto and Intermarche-Wanty are set to receive WorldTour licences next season. Rather than two, they will now receive one combined licence. It means there is one left free, to be given to the 19th-best team in the UCI rankings. The next morning, sources confirm the story is true. Cofidis have hope. If they protect an 800-point lead over Uno-X, the French squad should be safe. Advertisement Vasseur is sitting on a coolbox at 1600m, waiting for his riders to arrive at the team car from the time trial — a steep 13km climb to Peyragudes. He says the sun is too hot, but remains resolutely away from the shade. There is a lightness to his manner. The relief is clear. His words, however, come with caution. 'Of course, it has not been (formally) confirmed yet,' he says. 'But if it's happening, it's a sign that we can be confident about staying in the first division.' He pauses. 'But just staying in the first division for the sake of staying in the first division makes no sense. You have to be in the first division to be competitive. It is already filled with strong teams, very strong teams, and Lotto and Wanty together will be stronger too. 'We have to think about our model — to see if it's still reliable to keep on going like we are today.' At the summit, the glare is bright from a cloudless sky. Vasseur stands and pulls down his sunglasses. He closes the car boot and walks away, towards his finishing riders, back down the hill.
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sula embarrassment: rivals mock knockouts on social media 😂
Vasco and Bahia were eliminated from the Copa Sudamericana on Tuesday (22). In the case of the Cruzmaltina team, the fall was somewhat predictable after the thrashing suffered in the first leg. Meanwhile, the team led by Rogério Ceni once again failed to score and also said goodbye to the tournament. The rivals in particular took the opportunity to have fun with the situation. Check out some of the reactions to the eliminations of the two teams: Collection of embarrassments? The level is different... Proceeds?! The gringos don't give a break They joined Cruzeiro, Corinthians and Vitória It was almost, huh! It was only Vasco in possession of the ball It's tough... But there are hopes! 👿👿👿👿👿 This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here. 📸 ARISSON MARINHO - AFP or licensors
