HERZOGENAURACH, Germany (Reuters) – Germany winger Leroy Sane is still waiting for his one defining tournament moment at Euro 2024 and he said on Tuesday he hoped it would come in Friday’s quarter-final against fellow title contenders Spain.
The 28-year-old, who had raced against the clock to recover from a pubic bone inflammation that had been nagging him for months, and be ready for the tournament, said he also hoped to be in the starting lineup against the Spaniards on Friday.
Sane earned his first start in their round of 16 win over Denmark last week after making only substitute appearances in the group matches.
“I hope that this (tournament moment) will happen and it would help our team as well,” he told a press conference. “That is my task that I want to fulfil and hopefully it will happen in the next game.”
The speedy winger has not been at his best for months, nursing the injury as his club Bayern Munich reached the Champions League last four, and needing days to recover after every game.
He said, however, he was now pain-free.
“I didn’t know how long the injury would last and if I would make the tournament,” Sane said.
“At the end of the day I am here and happy that it worked out and that I could recover and be here for the Euro.”
“It is not yet completely gone but it is much, much better than before. I have no pain any longer and that is very good. Before when I had a game I needed five or six days for the pain to subside. I don’t have that any more.”
The Germans are hoping to at least match their best tournament run in eight years when they made the Euro 2016 last four, and are openly eyeing their first major international title in a decade.
But the three-time European champions will need to get past Spain, a team they have not beaten in a tournament game since 1988, and currently equipped with two fast wingers of their own in 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, and Nico Williams.
“Spain do that very well (high pressing game). Especially when they win possession, they instantly look to play forward. They now have an added weapon with their two very quick wingers,” Sane said.
“What happened in the past against Spain, we just cannot change that. Our goal is to get to the next round and we will do everything we can to achieve that.”
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Alison Williams)
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