RUSSIA 0-3 GERMANY CROATIA 3-0 DENMARK

STORY OF THE DAY “Ooh, they look good.” Some 50,000 spectators at Old Trafford (bomb, what bomb?) and millions more watching on the idiot’s lantern realise Germany are decent.

The previous summer, Berti Vogts’ charges were believed to have been knocked off their perch, having lost their USA 94 quarter-final to Bulgaria and then seen the same team streak away from them during Euro 96 qualifying. But then they’d won their last four qualifiers to top the group, and now look: they’re demolishing Russia. Returning captain Jurgen Klinsmann, familiar in these parts following his 1994-95 Spurs season, bags a brace after Russia have a man sent off. Croatia also look quite handy... THE GOOD Of all the ‘new’ football nations from east of the torn Curtain, Croatia are the neutral’s darlings. At Hillsborough, they knock boring old Denmark into a cocked hat. Davor Suker is unplayable even before he chips Peter Schmeichel, but the Vatreni bristle with class: Zvonimir Boban, Robert Prosinecki, Slaven Bilic, Goran Vlaovic… How far can they go?

THE BAD Another rest day is looming just as Euro 96 is getting going – first the upsets, then the derbies, now the goals. At least that gives us a chance to peruse the tables before each group’s simultaneous final games, and it’s all to play for, Jimmy: only three teams are out (Romania, Russia and Turkey), only Croatia are through (which itself is A Good Thing) and the entire quarter-final line-up is still up for grabs. THEY SAID WHAT?! “Dennis is such a nice man, such a tremendous gentleman, with such a lovely family – it’s going to be very hard for me to kick him” – England captain Tony Adams on his Arsenal team-mate, Bergkamp.

THE MEDIA ‘Pure Gascoigne, Pure Genius’: The Sunday Times sets the tone as Fleet Street resounds to the squeal of handbrake turns.

IN OTHER NEWS... The UK has a brand new tabloid paper, The Planet on Sunday, focusing on environmental issues. It saves a lot of trees by closing after one issue.