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England face Spain in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday at the site of an infamous moment in their football history when the players gave the Nazi salute to the Olympiastadion crowd before the start of their 1938 friendly against Germany in Berlin.

Adolf Hitler was not there that day but Joseph Goebbels, Hermann Goering and Rudolf Hess were in the crowd as England's players raised their arms to give the 'Heil Hitler' salute during Germany's national anthem ahead of the game.

Neville Chamberlain's British government was seeking appeasement with the Nazis, hoping to head off impending war.

The players were instructed before the match to give the Nazi salute, with the order coming from the Foreign Office for the sake of Anglo-German relations.

Photo: Screen grab

England won 6-3 but history has not looked kindly on the incident.

The Olympiastadion then held over 100,000 spectators, having been built for the 1936 Olympics where Black American sprinter Jesse Owens' four gold medals punctured the Nazi myth of Aryan racial superiority.

If Owens' achievements at the Berlin Games won him a place among the great all-time athletes, then Usain Bolt's 9.58 seconds 100 metres world record at the stadium in 2009 at the world athletics championship sets him out as the best ever.

The Jamaican also ran 19.19 seconds in the 200 at the same meeting, a mark that also still stands some 15 years on.

Since World War Two, the Olympiastadion has had several renovations, notably ahead of the 2006 World Cup when a gigantic oval-shaped roof was installed and the stands extended further downwards, so that the crowds are closer to the playing surface.

Berlin hosted the final, another game remembered for a notorious incident rather than the action. Zinedine Zidane's head-butt on the chest of Italy defender Marco Materazzi saw the France midfielder sent off and the Italians won on penalties.

The stadium is home to the German Cup final every season but its regular tenants Hertha Berlin slipped down to the second division last year, and attendances declined. Rivals Union Berlin played their Champions League matches there last season.

England remain unbeaten after five visits to the stadium, the last a 3-2 friendly win over Germany in March 2016.

Spain, whose only previous match at the Olympiastadion was in 1942, started their European Championship campaign at the venue with a 3-0 victory over Croatia that set the tone for their progress to Sunday's final.

Former England defender and football pundit Gary Neville branded the referee's decision to award England a penalty in the first-half of their Euro 2024 semifinal against the Netherlands as an 'absolute disgrace' on Thursday. 

The Dutch took the lead in just seven minutes with Savi Simons scoring a magnificent long-range goal after robbing the ball off England's Declan Rice. However, England responded quickly, with Harry Kane forcing a save from Bart Verbruggen and moments later sent a volley over the bar, and was caught by Denzel Dumfries on the follow-through.

It seemed totally innocuous but German referee Felix Zwayer was summoned to review the images and gave a penalty.

Kane, whose missed spot-kick against France cost England dear in the 2022 World Cup, made no mistake, slotting low into the corner as England drew level.

On ITV, former England defender Neville called the decision a "disgrace" while Roy Keane said Kane helped influence the VAR's decision by staying down in the box.

Neville clashed with fellow pundit Ian Wright, who was adamant it was a penalty. But Neville was incredulous as Wright called Dumfries challenge "reckless".

"Look, as a defender I think it's an absolute disgrace," former England right-back Neville exclaimed on ITV. "I think it's an absolutely disgraceful decision. 

"It's natural to block the shot, it's not a penalty, nowhere near a penalty.

"We're all going mad, we don't know what a penalty is. We've conditioned ourselves in the game to think that's a penalty. Honestly, that is not a penalty. I think in the box, there's a bit of licence to go in and block the shot."

"When you look at the way penalties are given now, it was reckless," Wright said. "That's why it was given. Anywhere else on the pitch, that's a foul."

Neville countered: "That is not a penalty. I think in the box, there's a bit of licence to go in and block the shot."

England took the game home 2-1 as Ollie Watkins struck a stunning injury-time winner to set up a Euro 2024 final showdown with Spain in Berlin.

France and Croatia go into Sunday's World Cup final in Moscow with the same starting line-ups as in their semi-final wins over Belgium and England respectively.

Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann support Olivier Giroud in attack in France's 4-2-3-1 formation, while Ivan Perisic and Ivan Strinic, who had been pre-match injury doubts, have been passed fit for Croatia.

Perisic was the star of Croatia's 2-1 extra-time victory over England at the same Luzhniki Stadium on Wednesday, scoring his country's equaliser and then setting up the winner for Mario Mandzukic.

Croatia are in their first ever final, while France are aiming to win the trophy for the second time, after beating Brazil 3-0 in the final as hosts in 1998.

France beat Belgium 1-0 in the semi-final with a Samuel Umtiti goal in the second half.

Starting line-ups for the World Cup final between France and Croatia at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on Sunday (1500 GMT kick-off):

France (4-3-3)

Hugo Lloris (capt); Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Hernandez; Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante; Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, Blaise Matuidi; Olivier Giroud

Coach: Didier Deschamps (FRA)

Croatia (4-3-3)

Danijel Subasic; Sime Vrsaljko, Dejan Lovren, Domagoj Vida, Ivan Strinic; Luka Modric (capt), Marcelo Brozovic, Ivan Rakitic; Ante Rebic, Mario Mandzukic, Ivan Perisic

Coach: Zlatko Dalic (CRO)

Referee: Nestor Pitana (ARG)

 Joe Root's gritty unbeaten 62 guided England to a five-wicket win in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Set 205 to win, England were faltering at 56-2 when Root came into bat before tea on the fourth day.

But together with Yorkshire team-mate Harry Brook (32) he shared a grinding partnership of 49 in 20 overs -- a far cry from England's 'Bazball' approach of recent years, although a still slow outfield made boundaries hard to come by.

The match, however, was back in the balance when Brook chipped a return catch to Jayasuriya, with England now 119-4 and still needing a further 86 runs to win.

But Jamie Smith, fresh from a maiden Test century in the first innings, gave Root fine support with a brisk 39 during a stand of 64 as England went 1-0 up in a three-match series after finishing on 205-5

It was another sign of the 24-year-old wicketkeeper's admirable big-match temperament, Smith's performances with the bat in Manchester minimising the impact of regular captain Ben Stokes's absence with a series-ending torn hamstring.

That Sri Lanka took this match so deep into the fourth day was a testament to their resilience after they had collapsed to 6-3 on the opening morning.

They continued that fight in the field on Saturday before Smith broke the shackles with successive fours off left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya before later pulling the tiring bowler for six.

By the time he was bowled by Asitha Fernando, England were in sight of victory at 183-5.

Soon afterwards, Root went to fifty before ending the match with just his second four in 128 balls faced when he lofted Jayasuriya down the ground.

Kamindu Mendis in command

Earlier, Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis scored his third hundred in just four Tests as he made 113 in a second-innings total of 326, having come in with his side in trouble at 95-4.

Together with Dinesh Chandimal (79), he shared a seventh-wicket stand of 117 in 30 overs.

England suffered a setback before play started Saturday when express quick Mark Wood was ruled out with a thigh injury suffered while bowling late on Friday.

Sri Lanka resumed on 204-6, just 82 runs ahead, after Smith's 111 had been the cornerstone of England's first-innings 358.

Mendis, dropped on 39, was 56 not out and Chandimal 20 not out.

Mendis was quickly into his stride on Saturday, having missed Sri Lanka's lone warm-up match against the second-string England Lions at Worcester last week after visa problems delayed his entry into the UK,

The 25-year-old left-hander, drove fast bowler Gus Atkinson through the covers and pulled him behind square for fours off successive deliveries.

Chandimal, meanwhile, completed a 73-ball fifty after resuming his innings following a pain-killing injection, having retired hurt on 10 when struck on the thumb by Wood.

After England took the new ball, Mendis's cut off seamer Chris Woakes -- his 12th four in 167 balls also including a six -- saw him to a well-deserved century.

He later struck Atkinson for three fours in the first over after lunch to take Sri Lanka past 300, saving the best for last with a flashing cover drive.

But the Surrey quick had his revenge when, bowling from around the wicket, a ball tha cut away sharply off the pitch took Mendis's outside edge, with Root holding a low catch at slip.

Despite his dismissal, Mendis was still left with a hugely impressive Test batting average of 92.

His exit, however, sparked a collapse that saw Sri Lanka lose their last four wickets for 19 runs.