Ben Davies is confident Wales will prevail should they face a first-ever penalty shoot-out in their Euro 2024 play-off final against Poland.

Wales have never felt the tension of spot-kicks to settle matters at full-time, but that would be the deciding factor should Tuesday’s tie in Cardiff finish level after 120 minutes.

Poland have been involved in two shoot-outs, both at Euro 2016 – overcoming Switzerland in the round of 16 before losing to Portugal at the quarter-final stage.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t get there,” Wales captain Davies said about the possibility of penalties at the Cardiff City Stadium.

“We’ve been practising all week. I don’t know what the line-up is, but we seem to have 11 pretty good ones at the moment.”

Wales do have experience of play-off football, however, having taken this route to beat Austria and Ukraine in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.

Gareth Bale was the difference in both games, scoring all three Wales goals in 2-1 and 1-0 victories, but the Dragons must attempt to qualify now without their retired former captain and talisman.

Tottenham defender Davies said: “It’s been a bit of transition having lost Gareth, who brought so much to this squad.

“If we could get there this time it’s a real team effort and we’d be really proud.

“Most of us played in the game where we got the experience of beating Ukraine in the last play-off.

“It was high stress, the game with the biggest stakes on it, and everyone handled themselves well.

“That’s one thing we pride ourselves on. We’ve got discipline, energy and passion, but overall we’re a proper team.”

Davies is one of four survivors from the current squad that reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016, alongside Aaron Ramsey, Danny Ward and Wayne Hennessey.

It has been a golden era for Welsh football as reaching Germany this summer would mean qualification for a third consecutive European Championship and a fourth major tournament out of five.

Wales did not qualify for a single major tournament between 1958 and 2016.

Davies said: “Welsh football was in a pretty sticky place before Euro 2016.

“We felt that would be our best chance to qualify and it was important to break down that barrier to show it is possible.

“To show that qualification is there in your hands, and we’ve had players stepping up in big moments over and over. To do it four times is something that I never imagined happening.”

Andy Murray is set for an “extended spell” on the sidelines after he suffered a serious ankle injury during his defeat to Tomas Machac at the Miami Open.

Murray lost a marathon encounter to the Czech player by a 5-7 7-5 7-6 (5) score, but has seemingly left America with a more significant issue.

During the 10th game of the final set, Murray collapsed to the floor after he hurt his ankle when racing towards the net, having sealed the point which won the game.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Andy Murray (@andymurray)

A medical time-out was initially called for the three-time major winner, but he picked himself up and continued, only to lose the decider on a tie-breaker.

The 36-year-old, who is set to retire later this year, has now confirmed the severity of his injury with both his Anterior Talo-Fubular ligament (ATFL) and Calcaneofibular ligament (CFL) ruptured.

“Yesterday towards the end of my match in Miami I suffered a full rupture of my ATFL and near full thickness rupture of my CFL,” Murray said on Instagram.

“I will see an ankle specialist when I return home to determine next steps.

“Goes without saying this is a tough one to take and I’ll be out for an extended period.

“But I’ll be back with one hip and no ankle ligaments when the time is right.”

Murray had revealed in February – during the Dubai Open – his intention to retire this year, telling reporters: “I don’t plan on playing much past this summer.”

It followed a string of first-round exits in Australia and France, but Murray has managed to improve his form over the past month.

The double-Wimbledon champion has beaten Denis Shapovalov and David Goffin at recent tournaments before he claimed back-to-back wins in Miami for the first time since August.

Murray defeated Matteo Berrettini in round one and claimed a semblance of revenge over Australian Open conqueror Tomas Martin Etcheverry, but lost after three hours and 27 minutes to Machac on Sunday.

More worrying for the Scot will be the prospect of a lengthy lay-off, especially with Wimbledon only three months away as Murray’s swansong is threatened by this potentially-serious ankle injury.

Declan Rice will have plenty of players – past and present – running through his thoughts when he leads England out as captain for the first time on Tuesday night.

As well as reaching a half-century of caps, Rice will also wear the armband at Wembley in what is England’s final friendly before manager Gareth Southgate names his squad for Euro 2024.

While he has never captained his country, Rice was West Ham skipper as they won the Europa Conference League last season – his final game before a club-record £105million move to Arsenal followed.

He has established himself as one of the best players in the Premier League this season as the Gunners push for the Premier League title and prepare for a Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich.

Rice, 25, follows in the footsteps of England’s World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore – who was at West Ham at the time of the 1966 success – and also pointed to the influence of his former Hammers skipper Mark Noble and current Arsenal leader Martin Odegaard.

“I’ve just got to think about everyone along the way who helped me,” he said. “I’ve had one of the best captains in Mark Noble. He’s already text me and I think he’ll be coming to the game tomorrow night.

“People like that, I’ve learned so much from both as a player and person, captain and leader.

“Then when I come to England, seeing players like Harry Kane and Jordan Henderson and how they are around the group. You pick up little things from everyone. And when I got to captain West Ham, I was growing in confidence and as a leader.

“I still see myself going that way. There is Martin Odegaard at my club. I’m not thinking about it, but if anything were to ever happen to him, I really would love to put the armband on for Arsenal.

“I love leading and being captain. It’s a real honour.”

Asked about the links to Moore, Rice added: “Having 10 years at West Ham has shaped me into the person I am today, no doubt.

“It’s a real honour you know. There’s only been a certain amount of people that have captained England. It’s a one-off game, but to be able to put the armband on, it will be really special.”

Rice admitted giving the pre-match team talk would be the part of the evening he looked forward to the least.

“That’s the worst bit! Harry always speaks, then the other night it was (Kyle) Walker,” he added.

“(Kieran) Trippier before – when he was captain – did a funny speech and messed it up and everyone started laughing so I know there is going to be a bit of pressure on me.

“But I’ll keep it short and sweet before the game…make sure everyone’s on it and make sure everyone knows what’s at stake tomorrow night.

“We obviously lost the other night to Brazil at Wembley but now it’s another chance to go out and win a game of football and you don’t ever want to lose two games in a row, especially as England.

“So it’s going to be a big night, so it’s just about relaying that message. We have to start fast and we have to win the game.”

While Rice will no doubt have his full attention on captaining England, Arsenal travel to Manchester City on Sunday in a game which could go a long way to deciding the destination of the Premier League title.

Rice may be fully aware of the gravity of the Easter Day clash – but it does not seem to have resonated with England team-mate and City defender John Stones.

“The first day I came I saw John Stones and he didn’t even know they were playing us next,” he revealed.

“When he’s away from football he likes to be with his family and switch off and I get that, he likes to take one game at a time.

“I said ‘big game next’ and John said ‘who are you playing’? I said ‘we’ve got you lot’! He said ‘oh yeah’. That tells you how much we speak about it when we’re here.

“With Walks (Kyle Walker) he always has a little bit of banter, he’s a great lad. As lads, we have a bit if banter but inside us we know what a big game it’s going to be, a potential title-decider, it’s going to be really tight.”

Andy Murray faces an “extended” spell on the sidelines after he suffered a serious ankle injury during his defeat to Tomas Machac at the Miami Open.

Murray lost a marathon encounter to the Czech player 5-7 7-5 7-6 (5) but during the 10th game of the final set, hurt his ankle.

The three-time grand slam champion initially dropped to the floor in pain before he picked himself up and continued, but he will visit an ankle specialist when he returns to the UK this week.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Andy Murray (@andymurray)

“Yesterday towards the end of my match in Miami I suffered a full rupture of my ATFL (anterior talo-fibular ligament) and near full thickness rupture of my CFL (calcaneofibular ligament),” Murray said on Instagram.

“I will see an ankle specialist when I return home to determine next steps.

“Goes without saying this is a tough one to take and I’ll be out for an extended period. But I’ll be back with one hip and no ankle ligaments when the time is right.”

British number one Katie Boulter missed out on a place in the Miami Open quarter-finals after she lost in straight sets to Victoria Azarenka.

Boulter had broken new ground with victory over Beatriz Haddad Maia in the previous round to reach the last-16 of the tournament for the first time, but saw her journey in Florida end after she was ground down by her veteran opponent.

A marathon first set went the way of former world number one Azarenka and it proved pivotal with Boulter unable to keep up her level in set two before she lost 7-5 6-1.

Two-time Australian Open champion Azarenka looked on course to cruise past the recent San Diego Open winner when she established a 5-2 lead in the first set.

World number 30 Boulter had already faced a string of break points by this point, but had to save a number of set points in what proved a decisive eighth game.

It spurred Boulter on and she broke back against the Belarusian before she held again to level at 5-5.

However, with a tie-breaker on the horizon, Azarenka showed her experience to claim another break against the Briton before she closed out a 71-minute first set.

The momentum had firmly swung now and Azarenka went on to break Boulter at the start of the second.

Another break followed before another poor service return by Boulter sealed Azarenka’s passage into the last eight where she will face Yulia Putintseva.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Miami Dolphins (@miamidolphins)

World number three Coco Gauff had to dig deep to beat Caroline Garcia in three sets.

Garcia, the 23rd seed, won the first set and restricted Gauff to no break points.

It was a different story afterwards though with Gauff winning 12 of the next 15 games to progress 3-6 6-1 6-2.

Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina joined Gauff at the quarter-final stage with a 6-3 7-5 victory over Madison Keys.

Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann wants to continue the momentum from their victory over France heading into their final match with the Netherlands before the European Championship in June.

Nagelsmann’s side ran out 2-0 winners over France on Saturday to end a run of three games without victory – dating back to October where they beat the United States 3-1 – and will now face the Netherlands in their last dress rehearsal before their home Euros.

The German manager does not want the result over France to be a one off and is keen to build on the performance by naming an unchanged side.

He told a press conference: “It’s about the team believing in itself and this path – even in negative moments in the game.

“We have turned into what we want to continue on the road towards the home European Championship.

“I plan that it will be the same first XI as in France.

“In football, you always have to back up a performance. A one-hit wonder, that can be nice, but we have to continue on our path.”

Germany will be hoping to go further in the upcoming Euro 2024, which will be played in front of their home fans following a disappointing World Cup which saw them head out in the group stage.

Nagelsmann knows the result has made some supporters content and was keen not to undo all their hard work going into the competition.

He added: “The team must be able keep things in perspective. We played a great game. We know it’s a first step, now we need to take another. We can’t just let everything fall apart tomorrow.

“The advantage with such euphoria is that we now feel a little more support from the population. From this point of view, yes, we can rely on it.

“To say that everything is magnificent, no. We just have to continue like this.”

The Netherlands come into the match fresh from their 4-0 victory over Scotland and are currently on a run of four wins on the bounce.

Despite the scoreline, boss Ronald Koeman was not happy with his side’s performance and knows they have to improve if they are to get a result against Germany.

He said: “We will have to do much better in the build-up against Germany, otherwise we will concede goals.

“We also have to play more compactly and communicate better with each other.

“Of course you want to win, swing on the field and score a lot of goals. But if you win a lesser match 4-0, you are not doing badly. And playing better when in possession of the ball does not seem that difficult to me.”

France forward Kylian Mbappe insists they will not panic following their friendly defeat to Germany as they prepare to face Chile on Tuesday.

The World Cup finalists lost to Germany for a second time in the space of seven months as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat thanks to goals in each half from Florian Wirtz and Arsenal forward Kai Havertz.

Didier Deschamps’ side now face Chile at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille and will be hoping to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time since 2015.

Mbappe described the Germany result as “a warning” but said it was important not to read too much into it.

He told a press conference, as reported by L’Equipe: “If we had won 5-0, I would not have said to myself that we were going to win the Euros with our fingers in our noses. I’m not saying to myself that we’re going to be overwhelmed either.

“It’s a warning, but we’re not going to throw everything in the trash for a friendly match, even if there were a lot of lessons for the future.

“Now the match is over, we will have to show a reaction against Chile. We must look ahead and realise that what we have done is not enough.

“It remains a friendly match, but there were a lot of warnings, there were too many things that went wrong to beat a team like Germany.”

The Chile game sees France boss Deschamps return to Marseille, where he spent three years as manager before joining the national side.

He said: “I’m always happy to come back here. I spent eight years in Marseille (five as a player from 1989 to 1994, three as a coach from 2009 to 2012).”

Giannis Antetokounmpo has no time left for excuses after the Milwaukee Bucks put injury struggles to one side in a convincing victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Bucks star Antetokounmpo recorded 30 points and a season-high 19 rebounds, while Khris Middleton registered his second career triple-double in Sunday's 118-93 thrashing of the Thunder.

Middleton had missed 16 straight games with a sprained left ankle, while Antetokounmpo returned for Thursday's victory over the Brooklyn Nets after missing two games due to an issue with his left hamstring.

Indeed, Sunday was the first time Antetokounmpo, Middleton and seven-time All-NBA guard Damian Lillard had shared the court since February 3.

"I just feel this appreciation of having everybody healthy and available to play," Antetokounmpo said.

"When we're not healthy, I think sometimes we play well, sometimes we don't, sometimes we create this excuse in our mind that like, 'OK, when he gets back, we're going to be better.' 

"But now we're all here. There are no more excuses."

Middleton had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his first triple-double since January 2018 and echoed Antetokounmpo's sentiment.

"With a full team out there, we realise what we can do," said Middleton. "We have so many guys, so many weapons that can carry us, or guys that can make a play or just attract a crowd."

In total, Milwaukee had seven players score in double figures as Bobby Portis posted 15 points, Brook Lopez 14, Lillard and Pat Connaughton 11 each and Jae Crowder 10.

"Just having everybody together makes the game easier for everybody,” Antetokounmpo added. "We don't have to force anything. We just keep on playing good basketball, keep on moving the ball.

"There's going to be some nights that it's going to be my night. There's going to be some nights that it's going to be Khris' night. There's going to be some nights that it's going to be Dame's night.

"But we don't have to force anything. Everybody out there is a threat. I think our bench is unbelievable, and they keep on getting better."

Such was Milwaukee's control, Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 12 points – the first time since January 16 he has been held below 20 – and sat out the entire fourth quarter as the Bucks dominated.

"They had him in a crowd for much of the night and made it very difficult for him to get his cracks," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said of Gilgeous-Alexander.

"I thought as a team, just our overall pace and sharpness on offense wasn't where it needed to be."

Harlequins scrum-half Danny Care has retired from international rugby after winning 101 caps in a 15-year England career.

The Leeds-born 37-year-old, who has a record 369 Quins appearances, played in all five of England’s matches during this year’s Guinness Six Nations, including his 100th cap in the 23-22 win over Ireland.

He posted on Instagram: “To play for England once was a dream come true. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d get the opportunity to do it over 100 times.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Danny Care (@dannycare9)

“After a lot of reflection the past few months, the time feels right for myself and the team, to retire from international rugby.

“The past 12 months in this England team have been arguably my favourite, making memories that my family and I will cherish and remember forever.”

Care, whose final international appearance came on March 16 in the thrilling narrow defeat to France in Lyon, is just the sixth player to win 100 caps for the England men’s team.

Steph Curry may have been surprised to not feature more in the Minnesota Timberwolves defeat but Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr insists his side will not solely rely on their star.

That message from Kerr was clear after Sunday's 114-110 loss to the Timberwolves, with the Golden State chief prioritising Curry's fitness over chasing results.

Curry scored 31 points on 9-of-21 shooting in his 30 minutes, including five 3-pointers, despite sitting out 11 straight minutes between the end of the third quarter and the closing stages of the fourth.

"I want to play as many minutes as I'm fresh and able to, so I'm a little bit [surprised] knowing that they were going on a run," said Curry.

Curry acknowledged "our lead was withering away" as the Warriors man was removed with four third-quarter minutes left and not introduced until just over six final minutes remained.

Kerr refuted suggestions Curry should have been reinstated sooner, though, pointing to the fitness load already on his strained shoulders.

"We can't expect to just ride Steph game after game after game," Kerr said. "We've put the burden of this franchise on his shoulders for 15 years.

"We can't expect him to play 35 minutes ... If you want to say that him playing 30 minutes instead of 32 is a difference between a win and a loss, I totally disagree with that.

"We're trying to win the game. And we're trying to keep him fresh, too."

Unlike the Timberwolves defeat, Curry played the entirety of the fourth quarter and 35 minutes overall in Friday's 123-11 loss to the Indiana Pacers.

"I played the whole fourth quarter against Indiana and it didn't work out, this didn't work out [against Minnesota]. We've got to find somewhere in the middle," Curry added.

"The situation will define itself in real-time. Every game matters as we're inching closer to the other end of the standings we never thought we would be in.

"No one is going to wave the white flag and say we are mailing it in. If that means playing more minutes, I'll be ready to do that."

The Warriors are just one game up on the in-form Houston Rockets, hanging on to the no.10 seed in the Western Conference by a slight margin.

Curry had earlier stated there remains no concern as to where Golden State finish in the standings, so long as the Warriors develop a winning habit to regain form for the postseason.

"What Steph is saying is if we don't build the habits, it doesn't matter," Kerr clarified as the final 12 games loom.

"You make the play-in, you don't, if you don't have the habits you're not going anywhere."

Declan Rice is ready for a “pinch me moment” when he captains England for the first time on Tuesday against Belgium.

The Arsenal midfielder, who will win his 50th England cap in the friendly, has been in great form for the Gunners since his club-record £105million move across London from West Ham last summer.

His fine season will continue when he leads his country out as skipper in front of a sold-out Wembley in the final match before manager Gareth Southgate names his 23-man squad for Euro 2024.

“Fifty caps is a pinch me moment,” he said. “It is going to be an honour tomorrow night and I’m really looking forward to it. I think I’ve grown so much as a player and a person since I first came into the group at 19.

“I was probably a bit of a nervous player when I first came into the England squad but as time has gone on, I’ve played more Premier League games, more games at higher levels, big major tournaments.

“I think I’ve grown into it in the side. I’ve enjoyed every single moment of it.”

Asked about Southgate’s decision to name Rice as captain in what will likely be a much-changed side, the former West Ham skipper added: “I was speechless to be honest, absolutely lost for words, when he said to me last night I was going to be captain.

“I gave him a hug, shook his hand, and said ‘thanks very much’. I owe him a lot. Since I first came into the team he’s always made me feel at home.

Fifty caps is a pinch me moment

“I’ve always felt so comfortable playing under him. I’ve really grown in confidence, for my 50th cap to walk out at Wembley in front of my family and friends, it’s an absolute honour, you can see it in my face, a bit speechless to be honest with you.”

Southgate handed Rice his debut in 2019, with the midfielder having already received three senior caps for the Republic of Ireland.

For the Kingston-born Rice, though, Southgate always saw a potential leader even from such a young age.

“Its his 50th cap, he has great leadership experience already at a tender age,” he said.

“No question (he had leadership potential). You get a feel for a human being, and often their family play a big part in that.

“With Dec you could sense that stability, maturity in the decision-making process that he’s going through. And of course he’s led from a very young age at West Ham as well.

“He’s already gained some good experiences and I’m pushing him in that aspect as well. Because it would be easy to take a little step back as we’ve got a lot of older players here, but some of our young ones have got great leadership already.

“They’re more than entitled to be bossing the older ones round a little bit as well, and being demanding of them and of us as a coaching staff, and driving the team, he’s got all those qualities and the respect of everybody to do that.”

Julie Camacho’s Significantly will bid for more handicap riches this season after a productive campaign last year.

The six-year-old ran seven times and never finished far from the action when winning twice and placing second on three occasions.

He was in particularly good form in the latter part of the term, missing out by just a short head when second in the Portland at Doncaster before going on to land the Ayr Gold Cup.

He then ran another fine race to end the season in the Coral Sprint Trophy at York, finishing second again when outdone only by William Haggas’ Montassib.

The latter horse began his campaign in good style when taking the Listed Cammidge Trophy Stakes on Town Moor at the weekend, a nice boost to Significantly’s form from the Knavesmire.

Listed and Group level races could end up on his agenda this season, but there may be more lucrative handicap pots to be targeted before that transition is made.

“He’s in really good shape, he’s forward,” said Steve Brown, Camacho’s husband and assistant.

“He’s a horse that likes cut in the ground so he may start in a fortnight at the Craven meeting in the six-furlong handicap there.

“There are a couple of races we’re keeping an eye on for him but he’s wintered really well.

“He had a positive year last season and he looks every bit as well, he’s on as good terms with himself as he was then.

“We’re in the twilight zone, that grey area where we’re behind the handicapper but it doesn’t quite make sense yet to run in a Listed or Group Three race.

“We’ll keep an eye on them all though, because the one thing we know is that there are a lot less runners in them than in these big-field handicaps.

“It was interesting to see that the horse that beat him at York at the back end of last year won a Listed race quite cosily on Saturday.

“That catches your attention, he’s a horse that might suit a Listed race in Ireland. We’ll keep an open mind and we’re really pleased with his well being, which is the main thing at this time of year.”

Significantly is owned by Niall O’Keeffe, who, alongside the Camacho team, had a good result at Doncaster at the weekend with new purchase Lattam.

The Lope De Vega gelding was bought out of William Haggas’ yard at the end of last season with an Irish Lincolnshire title to his name after he landed that Curragh contest in 2023.

He aimed to add a Lincoln to that title on Saturday and found only one horse too good, finishing second to Mr Professor when having to throw down a challenge from fairly far back in the field.

The run still earnt him over £36,000 and replenished a good chunk of his 50,000 guineas purchase price, with connections hopeful there will be more where that came from as the big mile handicaps will be considered for him throughout the season.

“He’s come out of it fresh and well, he’ll have a quiet week and then I suppose the obvious place to look at is Newbury,” Brown said of the chestnut.

“We know he’s a horse who is ground dependent so we’ll be keen to get another run or two into him in the spring and go from there.

“It was a good, solid start. He could have been a touch closer but I don’t think he’d have beaten the winner, who won well on the day.

“That was pleasing for Niall, these are the sorts of horses he targets to run in the big handicaps and festivals on Saturdays.

“He was thrilled with him, we all were, and we’re looking forward to seeing him run again.”

Lattam is likely to be campaigned in two phases, making the most of the softer spring ground and then lying low in the summer before returning to action in the autumn with Ascot’s Balmoral Handicap in his sights.

Brown said: “The race we’d really love to run him is the Balmoral Handicap, by virtue of him being a soft ground horse, he could go into that race without as much racing as some of them have had at that time of year.

“You’re almost working back from that to a degree, obviously we hope he can strike before then but it would be very much on our minds if you were asking me to name one race for him now.”