No journey to the Super Bowl is ever linear. Ever since the Miami Dolphins achieved football perfection in 1972, every team that has climbed the mountain has had to experience some kind of bump in the road, and any team that harbours ambitions of adding their name to the list must show an ability to win in different ways and prevail when one side of the ball misfires.
The 2022 San Francisco 49ers have hit several bumps in the road. From a Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears in a monsoon, to losing the anointed quarterback of the future, Trey Lance, to a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 and suffering back-to-back losses to the Atlanta Falcons and the Kansas City Chiefs, the latter of which saw them ship 44 points, there have been plenty of points this season where belief in the 49ers as the Super Bowl contenders has been tested.
But San Francisco's response to the blowout Week 7 loss to the Chiefs has been emphatic and has reaffirmed the 49ers' status as a heavyweight in the NFC.
The 49ers have reeled off four successive victories to surge to 7-4 and, if the season ended today, would win the NFC West and enter the playoffs as an extremely dangerous third seed.
Two of those four wins have been blowouts, San Francisco marrying devastating offense from a group overflowing with playmakers following the October trade for Christian McCaffrey with tremendous defensive fortitude to destroy a pair of NFC West rivals in the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals on the road.
Even with the level of star talent they have at their disposal, the 49ers' offense has not been consistent. A continuing theme of their recent dominance has been DeMeco Ryans' defense, which reached its 2022 zenith to this point on Sunday with a shutout 13-0 win over the New Orleans Saints.
It was a performance that served as an encapsulation of why Ryans is likely to be the premier head coaching candidate this offseason and one that should serve to raise the question of whether his defense is one that could be among the select few that carries its team to Super Bowl glory.
The numbers point heavily to the 49er defense being of that standard.
San Francisco's shutout was the Niners' first since they beat Washington 9-0 in the 2019 season, and it was the first suffered by the Saints since Week 17 of the 2001 season. The 49ers were the team to dole out the shutout on that occasion in a 38-0 win.
While it was a 20-year low point for the Saints on offense, for the 49ers it was a continuation of an eye-opening run of defensive obduracy. The Niners have now pitched four consecutive shutouts in the second half, also keeping the Rams, Los Angeles Chargers and Cardinals off the board in the final two quarters. Achieving the feat for four quarters against the Saints, they have now not conceded a point in over 94 minutes of game action.
The 49ers' refusal to let the Saints avoid drawing a blank was made more amazing by the fact New Orleans had six plays from inside San Francisco's five-yard line, and the season-long defensive numbers for the Niners paint the picture of the defiance shown by Ryans' group that could well come to define their season.
San Francisco's defense ranks first in points per game allowed, yards per game allowed, rush yards per game allowed, yards per rush allowed, first downs per game allowed and passing touchdowns allowed.
Simply put, this is a defense that can shut down anything an opposing offense does well, and it has multiple means by which it can do so.
The 49ers have the sixth-highest sack rate in the NFL at 7.9 per cent but have a blitz rate of 28.7 per cent that is below the league average of 30.8 per cent, those numbers speaking to San Francisco's long-established ability to get home by only sending four pass rushers from their exceptionally deep defensive line.
Nick Bosa, the star of that front, recorded the fourth-down sack that essentially ensured the Saints would not score in Week 12, taking his tally for the year to 11.5.
Bosa is the fifth player since 2000 to record at least one sack in nine of his first 10 games of a season, joining Hugh Douglas (2000), Everson Griffen (2017), Robert Mathis (2005) and Demarcus Ware (2008).
Yet the Niners have also made a habit of sending successful blitzes at the right time, with linebacker Fred Warner and safety Talanoa Hufanga – who each forced fumbles on Sunday – proving adept at generating pressure when rushing from the second level of the defense.
Hufanga's physicality jarred a fumble from Alvin Kamara at the one-yard line in the first of two fourth-quarter red zone stops against New Orleans, the former fifth-round pick emerging as a star in a secondary that has duplicity to frustrate teams with precise and disciplined zone coverage and facilitate blitzes by succeeding when it pivots to man coverage, with cornerback Charvarius Ward, the 49ers' headline free agency acquisition, excelling in both areas.
As with many defenses around the NFL, the 49ers rely heavily on two-high safety zone coverages; however, they have used Cover 1 man on 13.35 per cent of defensive snaps, well above the league average of 10.64 per cent. When using that coverage, they have given up 5.22 yards per play, over a yard fewer than the league average of 6.58.
In essence, the personnel Ryans has at his disposal allows him to easily switch between the staple of a four-man rush with zone coverage behind it and a more aggressive approach at any point and still have complete confidence his defense will deliver.
Though blitzes are not an overly common feature of the game plan, San Francisco's underpinning defensive philosophy is all about aggression, which is evident throughout when Ryans' players are on the field, their relentless pursuit of the football critical to the 49ers' incredible success against the run – opponents have gained only 3.1 yards per play on the ground versus San Francisco – and game-sealing turnovers such as Kamara's goal-line fumble.
That defensive violence ensured San Francisco did not follow the 49ers' offensive fireshow against the Cardinals in Mexico City with a letdown even as that attack sputtered in comparison to its efforts at Estadio Azteca.
Fast, physical, disciplined and diverse with the players at every level to consistently dominate, the 2022 49ers defense has all the ingredients of a championship unit and proved it can carry the load in ensuring San Francisco won in a very different way in Week 12 following the blowout of Week 11.
With Jimmy Garoppolo playing some of the best football of his career, after sticking around to back up Lance in a prescient move by both player and franchise, and blessed with a skill-position group that features McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle, the hope will be the defense will not have to shoulder the burden on a regular basis. But this four-game stretch has proven unequivocally that it can do so, and that is an excellent insurance policy for the 49ers as they plot a path to a second Super Bowl appearance in four seasons.
Thibaut Courtois insists "too many lies are spread" as the Belgium goalkeeper dismissed reports of a rift in the Red Devils' camp.
The 2022 World Cup is regarded as the last shot at glory for Belgium's 'Golden Generation', who must avoid defeat against Croatia to stand any chance of reaching the last 16.
Following their shock 2-0 defeat to Morocco, Jan Vertonghen appeared to take a swipe at Kevin De Bruyne, who suggested the ageing Red Devils were "too old" to launch a genuine challenge in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Eden Hazard stated his belief Roberto Martinez's side had "greater chances" of glory in Russia four years ago, when they were narrowly beaten 1-0 by France in the semi-finals.
"I guess we attack badly because we are also too old up front," Vertonghen told reporters in the mixed zone after the loss against the Atlas Lions.
Courtois, who will earn his 100th cap should he play against Croatia, revealed there had been a discussion among the group on Monday, and that the rumours have spurred his team-mates on.
"The problem is that too many lies are spread," he said. "A situation is described that doesn't exist. As a group, we need to avoid that negativity.
"Everything was clarified yesterday. Everyone has openly expressed their opinion. Now, we have to take action on the field. It's good that we had a group conversation. We said what we thought to each other.
"We have to be honest with each other and fight for each other on the pitch."
Hazard also denied there was a confrontation in the dressing-room after the Morocco defeat, but the Red Devils captain admitted he had held a conversation with De Bruyne about his comments.
"Nothing happened in the dressing-room," he said. "Only the coach spoke. I spoke to Kevin De Bruyne, he does believe in the group.
"We had a good talk among the players. A lot has been said. We talked for an hour about good things and less good things. Now, we want to win against Croatia. We have to be ready."
C.J. Gardner-Johnson will be sidelined for the next few weeks after suffering a lacerated kidney at the weekend.
The Philadelphia Eagles safety was carted off the field in the first quarter of Sunday's 40-33 win against the Green Bay Packers, appearing to be in considerable pain.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Tuesday that Gardner-Johnson sustained a lacerated kidney in the game, which will not require surgery and is "not expected to be season-ending", but will keep him out "indefinitely".
The 24-year-old has played a big role in the Eagles' 10-1 campaign so far, leading the NFL in interceptions with six, while he has also made 55 tackles.
Gardner-Johnson was traded to Philadelphia from the New Orleans Saints in August along with a seventh-round draft pick for 2025 in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick in 2024 and the latter of the Eagles' two sixth-round draft picks in the same year.
Undrafted rookie Reed Blankenship replaced him on Sunday, and could be the man to come in again when the Eagles host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
The Netherlands have been officially confirmed as hosts for the 2023 Nations League Finals.
The Oranje were widely expected to welcome their rivals to face them on home soil, as only them and Group A4 opponents Belgium, Poland and Wales expressed an interest in staging the knockout finale.
Having seen off the trio to qualify as group winners, the Netherlands will now welcome Croatia, Italy and Spain next year for the climax to the 2022-23 edition.
In the absence of the Johan Cruyff Arena and Philips Stadion due to concerts, the matches will be played instead at Feyenoord's De Kuip and De Grolsch Veste - the home of FC Twente.
The tournament commences with the semi-finals on June 14 and June 15, while the final and third-place play-off will take place on June 18.
The draw to determine the last-four pairings will be made at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon next January.
Neymar has been ruled out of Brazil's final World Cup group match against Cameroon, while Alex Sandro has joined the superstar forward and Danilo on the injury list.
Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar hobbled off in the 80th minute of Brazil's 2-0 win over Serbia last week with a lateral ligament injury to his right ankle.
The 30-year-old sat out Monday's victory over Switzerland, in which Casemiro scored a late winner, but no official timeframe was given for his recovery.
However, team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar confirmed on Tuesday that Neymar will play no part against Cameroon, with Brazil requiring a point to guarantee top spot in Group G.
Team-mate Danilo, who has a similar ankle problem to Neymar, will also not recover in time for Friday's match at Lusail Stadium, while Alex Sandro is suffering from a hip injury.
"After yesterday's game, Alex Sandro felt pain in his left hip and was unable to continue in the game," Lasmar said.
"This morning he was reassessed. We took him for an MRI test, which showed a muscle injury in the left hip muscle. The player will not be able to participate in the next match.
"But he is still undergoing treatment so that we can recover him as soon as possible.
"Danilo and Neymar are still recovering from ankle injuries. Each with a different treatment because they are different injuries."
Neymar was fouled nine times by Serbia players, which is one shy of Brazil's World Cup record of 10 set against Switzerland in 2018.
He was fouled a leading 44 times across the 2014 and 2018 World Cups combined – once every 21 minutes, more often than any other player impeded on at least 25 occasions.
With their victory over Switzerland, Brazil became the first side in World Cup history to go unbeaten in 17 consecutive group-stage matches in a run stretching back to 1998.
LaLiga has called for UEFA to issue "immediate sport sanctions" against Juventus following the mass resignation of the club's board, including president Andrea Agnelli.
Juve announced after an emergency meeting on Monday that Agnelli, vice-president Pavel Nedved and managing director Maurizio Arrivabene have all quit their roles.
It comes amid an investigation into alleged tax fraud, which Juventus have denied, and on the back of the club registering a record loss of €254.3million for 2021-22.
Now, a statement from LaLiga has called the sport's European governing body to take action in response to the developments.
"Following the resignation of the Juventus board of directors, LaLiga demands immediate sports sanctions to be applied on the club," read a league statement.
"LaLiga filed an official complaint against Juventus with UEFA in April 2022 reporting financial fair play breaches being investigated by Italy´s Guardia di Finanza.
"Specifically, the complaint charges that Juventus accounted for transfers above fair value and under accounted for employee expenses, resulting in a breach of UEFA break even requirements.
"This Monday, in the same statement announcing the resignation of its board, Juventus acknowledges financial accounting irregularities, which are also aimed at misleading UEFA financial fair play authorities, among others.
"LaLiga continues to pursue these complaints against Juventus and demands immediate sporting sanctions to be applied on the club by the relevant authorities."
LaLiga president Javier Tebas has both overseen a strict level of financial discipline among the league's clubs, and has frequently been at odds with the state-owned model of Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.
In addition, he was one of Agnelli's most vocal critics, amid the attempts by Juventus and two of the teams under his watch, Barcelona and Real Madrid, to create the breakaway European Super League.
"LaLiga has long been a major proponent for the implementation, application, and enforcement of strong financial sustainability rules in football," the statement added.
"Financial sustainability is paramount to protecting the business of football. Protect our football."
Defender Lisandro Martinez believes Argentina are a better side for having lost their World Cup opener to Saudi Arabia.
The Copa America winners were stunned 2-1 by the Saudis a week ago but rebounded well by beating Mexico 2-0 on Saturday, thanks largely to Lionel Messi's long-range strike that settled the nerves.
Argentina head into their final Group C game against Poland knowing only a victory will guarantee their progression, although a draw may be enough.
Martinez said: "I think a defeat is when you really learn and you learn things you were not aware of when you are winning and being successful.
"That defeat means the squad is more prepared. That's the good side of defeats, you have to analyse and then take the positives.
"We know we have a big team, big players and have great potential but that doesn't just apply to Argentina. We have to believe in our qualities."
The Manchester United centre-half is aware, however, of the threat that Poland, and star striker Robert Lewandowski in particular, will pose.
He added: "They are a very tough opponent and have top players such as Lewandowski. We have to be well organised so they don’t hit us on the counter.
"Lewandowski moves so well, and is always trying to create goalscoring opportunities, we have be fully focused.
"It all comes down to details. We should not overload ourselves with too much pressure. We have been doing a good job of that and we need to keep working on it.
"We have to show the playing style that we are renown for."
Coach Lionel Scaloni said it should not be a surprise that Argentina have found qualification to the knockout phase so problematic.
"How many teams are competing here? Only three have qualified," he said. "Everyone else is fighting to go through.
"When I spoke beforehand about our group, I said it was going to be challenging and that everything was going to be up in the air until the last game. Even if we'd drawn one and won one, the last game was going to be key.
"Obviously, after the win against Mexico we are feeling better emotionally. We now feel we are on the right path."
Eddie Jones has lost the support of England's fans and may be an example of a world-class coach who has stayed too long in his job, like Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho.
That is the verdict of Ugo Monye, the former England back, who says there is little "tangible evidence" of reasons to be optimistic heading towards next year's Rugby World Cup.
England lost to Argentina and South Africa at Twickenham in November, while beating Japan and fighting back for a draw against New Zealand.
They won just two of their Six Nations matches at the start of the year, and the Rugby Football Union, which governs English rugby, is to review the team's performance. Its chief executive, Bill Sweeney, has already said results are "not where we expect them to be".
This has been England's worst calendar year since 2008 in terms of results, having lost six of their 12 Tests in 2022. World Cup-winning boss Clive Woodward, who oversaw the 2003 triumph, has said Jones should be sacked if England lose to Scotland on February 4 in their Six Nations opener.
A decision could yet come sooner, with Jones seven years into a reign that began in November 2015.
Monye told the BBC's Rugby Union Weekly podcast: "If he goes, I think there will be people saying it should have happened sooner because of the time sensitivity pressure. We've got the Six Nations in two months and then a World Cup in nine months.
"At this point where you've had poor results and poor performances, you need a sense of faith backed by more than just a gut feeling – there needs to be an objectivity to it and something tangible behind it.
"It is hard to find that tangible evidence. The only people that seem to be able to see it are the players in camp because they see more than we'll ever see, and that's fair, but they're emotionally connected and tied to all of it."
Monye believes the RFU may yet choose to give Jones a vote of confidence and stick with him.
"They may just say, 'Eddie's our guy, we back him'," Monye said.
"I don't think anyone is saying Eddie Jones is a bad coach, he's got an incredible proven track record.
"But when I look at football… I look at the likes of Jose Mourinho. He's still a great coach, but that relationship ran its course at Chelsea as well as other clubs.
"I look at [former Tottenham boss Mauricio] Pochettino. I look at Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. He did so many incredible things, the Invincibles, but he was just there too long and he had to go.
"There are so many examples where you're talking about world-class, incredibly well experienced coaches that either stay too long or for some reason there's a disconnect between them and the players or them and the fans.
"If Eddie is to stay, the number one thing he has to fix is the relationship with the fans. I think the fans don't see it any more. I don't think they're buying into it at the moment."
Jones has been adamant England are "moving in the right direction", saying after the South Africa game: "Obviously on results we are not happy, but I feel like we are building a really good base to have a really good go at the World Cup."
Didier Deschamps may opt to rest some of his key players for Wednesday's clash against Tunisia with France already through to the knockout stages of the World Cup.
Wins against Australia and Denmark mean the defending champions are almost guaranteed to finish top of Group D and, with such a packed schedule, Deschamps has the luxury of being able to leave out the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann.
Les Bleus had Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante, Karim Benzema and Christopher Nkunku ruled out before the tournament started while first-choice left-back Lucas Hernandez lasted just 13 minutes of their opening game against the Socceroos before sustaining a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, and Deschamps seems unlikely to risk more of his star men.
Hernandez has been replaced by his brother Theo, although he too may be left out against Tunisia given the lack of depth on the left side of defence.
That could mean Jules Kounde makes the move across from right-back, something the Barcelona defender would be willing to do.
Kounde said: "It's another chance to play in the France team. I've always tried to do my best and play with a lot of desire.
"Left-back would be another position. I think I've played it once, we'll see what the coach decides."
Kounde got the nod at right-back against Denmark in place of Benjamin Pavard, who started France's opener against Australia.
"It's healthy competition," Kounde said of his battle with the Bayern Munich man. "We try to bring the maximum when we play. I have to bring more offensively and improve technically."
Tunisia have taken one point from their two games and have yet to score. The 1-0 defeat to Australia on Saturday was a major blow to their hopes of advancing, and they must beat France to stand any chance.
Coach Jalel Kadri is also considering changes in a bid to improve their creativity.
He said: "We lost a crucial match, but we will give everything we have in the last game.
"We don't change the team for the sake of changing, but we make adjustments to adapt to the way the rival teams play. We will analyse our performance and fix our mistakes."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Tunisia - Youssef Msakni
Although Tunisia were largely disappointing against the Socceroos, Msakni had a fine game. The Al Arabi attacker had six shots against Australia, the most ever by a Tunisia player in a single World Cup match.
If Tunisia are to cause a stunning upset, his partnership with Issam Jebali will be key.
France - Ousmane Dembele
Mbappe and Giroud may have stolen the headlines but Dembele has been a revelation down the right side of France's attack.
Only four players have created more chances over the first two matchdays while only Argentina's Angel Di Maria has made more successful dribbles.
PREDICTION
France are understandably overwhelming favourites to make it three wins from three Group D games. Stats Perform's AI model rates them a 62 per cent chance to take the three points with Tunisia's hopes rated at just 14.5 per cent. A draw is given a 23.5 per cent chance.
Rasmus Kristensen is ready for a tough tussle with Australia, while Denmark team-mate Jesper Lindstrom is confident Kasper Hjulmand's side will go through to the last 16.
Denmark's defeat to France on Saturday, combined with Australia's victory over Tunisia, has left the Euro 2020 semi-finalists in need of a victory to stand a chance of progressing to the knockout stage of the World Cup in Qatar.
With France's progress from Group D already assured, all three of the other sides could clinch second place, which is occupied by Australia heading into the final matchday.
Wednesday's match at Al Janoub Stadium will be the second meeting between Australia and Denmark at the World Cup, following a 1-1 draw in the group stage in 2018, and Kristensen knows it will be a battle.
"For sure we're up for it," the Leeds United defender told reporters. "If fighting is what it takes we're going to do it.
"I know a few [Australia] players. We've seen the first game and we're going to watch a lot of them in the next few days.
"I think the expectations were the last game would always be decisive."
Lindstrom, who almost put Denmark ahead against France before Kylian Mbappe's second goal sealed a 2-1 victory for Les Bleus, has faith his team will get the job done.
"We have confidence, everyone has belief. We have that mentality. We will do our best," said the Eintracht Frankfurt attacker, who believes Denmark played at a much higher level against France than in their opening draw with Tunisia.
"We are really disappointed but we have to look how we can develop, how we can use the situations we created," he added.
"The second half was better than the first but we had 20 minutes where we controlled the game, we scored the goal and we had big chances."
Denmark could qualify for the knockout stage at back-to-back World Cup tournaments for a second time, previously doing so in 1998 and 2002.
The Danes have only failed to qualify from the group stage in one of their previous five appearances at the tournament, while Australia have only made it to the last 16 once in their history back in 2006.
However, should France beat Tunisia as expected in the other Group D's game on Wednesday, then a point would be enough for Australia to go through.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Australia – Mitchell Duke
Mitchell Duke scored Australia's winner against Tunisia, heading home brilliantly. The 31-year-old has scored five goals in his past eight starts for his country, with four of these goals being headers.
Denmark – Jesper Lindstrom
Handed a start against France, Lindstrom felt he had done enough to impress Hjulmand, though he rued been unable to score, with Hugo Lloris making a fine save from the forward's strike.
Denmark have only scored once so far in Qatar, and Lindstrom will be hoping for more luck in front of goal against Australia.
PREDICTION
Australia have lost eight of their 11 World Cup games against European sides (W1 D2), failing to keep a clean sheet in all of those matches, while they have won just one of their four games versus Denmark, winning a friendly match 1-0 in June 2010.
Opta make Denmark – ranked 28 places above Australia by FIFA – as the strong favourites, giving them a 63.2 per cent chance of securing a crucial victory.
The likelihood of a draw is 22 per cent, leaving Australia's chances of coming out on top at 14.8 per cent.
Coach Graham Arnold aims to "put smiles on Australian faces" on Wednesday by emulating the great Socceroos team of 2006 and advancing to the knockout stages of the World Cup.
Australia head into their final Group D game knowing a win against Denmark will be enough to see them reach the round of 16 for just the second time in the nation's history. A draw would also be enough unless Tunisia beat defending champions France.
Arnold was an assistant to Guus Hiddink 16 years ago and he understands the size of the prize on offer.
He said: "That's the whole purpose. My whole goal is to put smiles on Australian faces. It's not about me, it's about the game in Australia.
"If you're not Australian and you don't know, football is probably the fourth or fifth-main sport. To leave a legacy is huge and in 2006, what that generation did... these guys [the current squad] grew up watching them and they were their inspiration.
"Even now at dinner, this generation talk about matching the achievements of 2006 but there is so much more to do."
Midfielder Mathew Leckie added: "It's huge for the sport. I don't know how much it will impact young kids but when they watch it on television and see how big the World Cup is, they may decide to be a footballer rather than, say, an AFL player.
"The World Cup and the Socceroos bring the country together. We can create something special but we haven't done anything yet, without a result on Wednesday it means nothing."
Denmark also have plenty to play for at Al Janoub, a win would likely see them progress at Australia's expense and Arnold is certainly not getting ahead of himself.
"They are a strong team, ranked 10 in the world, but the focus is on ourselves and making sure the players recover well and are ready to go," he said.
"They have been a top team throughout Europe for a long time. We can only do so much worrying about them, the focus has to be on ourselves. They can play two systems, 3-4-3 or a 4-3-3, so we have to be ready for them tactically."
Although a draw may be enough, the Socceroos will play to win the game, said Arnold, who joked throughout his press conference with 2006 goalkeeper-turned journalist Mark Schwarzer in the room.
"One thing Hiddink did was go for the win," Arnold added. "That's what we are going to do. I've never coached to play for a draw. In 2006, we got one win and a draw, we want to go for it and get two wins.
"It's not often you get to go to a World Cup, and I've been saying this to the boys, enjoy the ride. We've gone through some difficult periods over the last four years, through the pandemic, playing four games out of 20 at home...
"It's all about the belief, the energy in the players. I feel relaxed and ready."
Memphis Depay was named in the Netherlands starting XI for the first time at the 2022 World Cup ahead of their final Group A match against Qatar.
The Barcelona forward was battling a hamstring injury heading into the tournament and was initially ruled out of the opener against Senegal, only to appear from the bench in a 2-0 win.
Depay was a substitute again as Louis van Gaal's side drew with Ecuador, and the coach insisted ahead of the meeting with hosts Qatar he would be taking no risks.
However, he said: "We're going to do anything and everything to progress to the next match."
That has led to a recall for talisman Depay – a member of Van Gaal's 2014 World Cup squad in Brazil – who lines up alongside breakout star Cody Gakpo in attack.
Gakpo was a chief beneficiary of Depay's absence, trusted to be the Netherlands' creative force behind a front two of Steven Bergwijn and Vincent Janssen.
The PSV attacker, linked with Manchester United, was moved into the front line against Ecuador and now keeps his place there, linking up with Depay.
Gakpo has scored two of the Oranje's three goals so far.
The Netherlands will be through with a win or a draw and would advance regardless if Ecuador defeated Senegal.
Andre Onana said there was "no will on the other side" to resolve differences after the Inter goalkeeper was suspended by Cameroon team management at the World Cup.
The 26-year-old looks to have had his last involvement at Qatar 2022, with reports indicating he planned to catch a flight out of the country on Tuesday.
Onana issued a statement in the wake of his shock demotion, which Cameroon team officials on Monday put down to undisclosed "disciplinary reasons". For his part, Onana denies behaving against the team's interests.
Coach Rigobert Song left the goalkeeper out against Serbia, preferring Devis Epassy for Monday's thrilling 3-3 World Cup draw.
Reports suggested Onana's omission came after a disagreement with Song over his playing style in the 1-0 loss against Switzerland, when he had the most touches outside the box by a goalkeeper ever recorded in a World Cup match (26).
Onana has denied that was the trigger, telling the Relevo website: "The game with the feet? No, there is nothing."
He issued a statement on Twitter, saying his suspension was tough to understand.
It read: "Yesterday I was not allowed to be on the ground to help Cameroon, as I always do, to achieve the team's goals. l always behaved in a way to lead the team to success in a good manner.
"I have put all my efforts and energy into finding solutions to a situation that a footballer often experiences, but there has been no will on the other side. Some moments are difficult to assimilate.
"However, I always respect and support the decisions of the people in charge of pursuing the success of our team and country. l extend all my strength to my team-mates because we demonstrated that we are capable of going very far in this competition.
"The values that I promote as a person and as a player are the ones that identify me, and that my family has given me since my childhood. Representing Cameroon has always been a privilege. The nation first and forever."
Onana also told Relevo: "I'm fine. If it's fair or not it doesn't matter any more. The most important thing is that the country always wins and I wish them a lot of luck."
Cameroon face Brazil in their last Group G game on Friday, sitting two points behind second-placed Switzerland and needing to win to stand any hope of reaching the next phase.
The protester who halted Portugal and Uruguay's Group H match at the World Cup has been released without charge.
Mario Ferri entered the field five minutes into the second half at Lusail Stadium, forcing a temporary stoppage while security caught and ejected him.
The Italian was carrying a rainblow flag and sported a shirt with the Superman logo alongside the messages "Save Ukraine" and "Respect for Iranian Women".
Ferri confirmed on Tuesday that he had been released, and explained the reasoning behind his protest.
"FIFA banned rainbow captain bands and human rights flags in the stands," he wrote on Instagram. "They blocked everyone but not me. We want a free world that respects all races and all ideas.
"[This is] a message for Iran... where women are not respected. The world must change. We can do it together with strong gestures that come from the heart with courage.
"Save Ukraine. I spent a month at the war in Kyiv as a volunteer and saw how much people are suffering.
"Thank you for all the messages of love that I receive from the world. Breaking the rules if done for a good cause is never a crime."
Ferri is a frequent pitch invader, having previously interrupted matches at South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014.
Portugal went on to win Monday's encounter, sealing their spot in the last 16.
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