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By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, July 2 (Xinhua) — For German winger Leroy Sane, not every failure is a problem.
With just days to go until this Friday’s exciting clash with Euro 2024 favourites Spain, the Bayern winger entered new territory, playing a friendly against club teammate Jamal Musiala.
Although Sane’s chess skills are still at a beginner level, which led to his loss to Musiala, the 28-year-old could be a key figure in the quarter-finals in Stuttgart.
Despite Spain being one of the better teams in the tournament, Sane said “Spain still offers some room in the way they play”.
The Bayern forward is looking forward to his outstanding performance. He said: “I am in better shape now compared to the previous few months when I was still affected by injuries.”
Sane sees the match between Spain and Germany as a great opportunity to put in a good performance, considering them the strongest teams at Euro 2024. The 2014 world champions’ record is far from satisfactory, as their last victory dates back to 1988, when current sporting director Rudi Völler scored twice in a 2-0 win.
The striker icon is now 63, 36 years to the day after his winning goal. Sane believes that 2008 and 2012 European Championship winners Spain remain one of the toughest opponents to face. “Look at 16-year-olds Ramini Yamal and Nico Williams, they have great dribbling ability and we have to keep an eye on them,” he added.
Sane’s role against the Spaniard is likely to be similar to that of the Spanish youngster. “We play in the same position and try to get deep into the opposition defence,” the German said at the team’s base in Herzogenaurach.
Germany knows Spanish football inside out, with midfielder Toni Kroos, defender Antonio Rudiger (both of Real Madrid), Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Germany captain Ilkay Gundogan all offering valuable advice to Sane.
“Maybe when I get into the starting lineup I can give back to the team. It felt good to get a lot of minutes against Denmark,” said Sane, the son of former Senegal international Souleymane Sane (55 caps) and former German gymnast Regina Weber.
Sane believes that the match against Spain is a evenly matched match, “There is no clear winner in this match.”
When the ball is lost, the forwards providing strong defence at the back could be the key to success. “We all know that it will take a perfect performance against Spain, but we know that a new spirit can take us to the next round.”
Today’s German team cannot change the past, and they still remember the painful experience of the 0-6 defeat in the 2020 National League, “but we can do our best to win the game this Friday.”
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