Portugal sealed their place at the 2022 World Cup as Bruno Fernandes double secured a 2-0 win over North Macedonia.
Fresh from their shock defeat of Italy, North Macedonia headed to Porto with another giant killing in their sights, but it is Cristiano Ronaldo and company who will feature in Qatar.
Whereas North Macedonia had kept things tight and took their chance when it came in Palermo last week, a costly mistake from Stefan Ristovski saw them fell behind this time around.
Fernandes took full advantage, opening the scoring in the 32nd minute before doubling his tally after finishing a counter-attack he helped start with a fine 65th-minute half volley to ensure Portugal kept up their record of qualifying for every World Cup since the turn of the century.
Portugal's first opportunity seemed set to result in a goal when Ronaldo burst onto Otavio's pass in the 14th minute, only to drag wide when one-on-one with Stole Dimitrievski.
North Macedonia had otherwise kept Portugal at arm's length, yet Diogo Jota should have done better when he headed over the bar from Fernandes' corner.
It was a mistake, though, that gifted Portugal the lead. Fernandes pounced on Ristovski's poor pass and, having received a neat pass back from Ronaldo, picked out the bottom-left corner.
Jota sliced a close-range effort wide as a chance for 2-0 went begging before half-time, but Fernandes made no such mistake after the hour.
Pepe's superb tackle prevented a North Macedonia attack and started a rapid counter, with Fernandes beating the offside trap to steer in brilliantly from Jota's cross.
That settled any nerves in the crowd, with Fernando Santos' team able to relax as their prolonged qualification quest proved successful.
The only downside for the fans was two late chances going amiss for Ronaldo, who just failed to turn home a Fernandes cross before his path to goal was blocked following an excellent run from Rafael Leao.
What does it mean? Heavyweights book their spot
The draw for Path C of the UEFA qualification play-offs always ensured that at least one giant of European football – and, indeed, one of the previous two Euro winners – would miss out on a place in Qatar.
The likes of Germany, England, Spain, France and the other European nations to already have qualified will have been thrilled to see Italy crash out to North Macedonia, but lightning never looked likely to strike twice for the minnows, who can at least reflect on that famous win over the Azzurri.
Ronaldo set to match World Cup record
Barring missing out through injury, Ronaldo will feature in a fifth World Cup, which equals the record currently shared by Antonio Carbajal, Rafael Marquez, Lothar Matthaus and Gianluigi Buffon, albeit the latter did not actually play in the 1998 tournament despite making Italy's squad.
At 37, this will surely be Ronaldo's final chance to become a world champion on the international stage.
Minnows just don't have enough
Ristovski's error did, of course, prove extremely costly, but ultimately North Macedonia did just not have the guile or quality in attack to frighten Portugal.
In fact, they managed just three shots, with none of them testing home goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
What's next?
Portugal face neighbouring Spain in the Nations League in June, while North Macedonia go up against Bulgaria.
Hansi Flick's 100 per cent start as Germany head coach came to an end as Steven Bergwijn sealed a 1-1 friendly draw for the Netherlands on Tuesday.
Former Bayern Munich boss Flick took over the reins from Joachim Low in May 2021 and the 57-year-old had overseen wins in each of his eight games in charge before the trip to Amsterdam.
It looked like he would make it nine on the spin when Thomas Muller emphatically slammed home his 43rd international goal before the break.
Louis van Gaal's side had the final say, though, with Bergwijn powering home the equaliser midway through the second half.
Germany started brightly and went close in the 11th minute when Leroy Sane drilled into the side netting from a tight angle.
They threatened again 10 minutes later when Timo Werner's header from David Raum's cross crashed back off the underside of Mark Flekken's crossbar.
Donyell Malen then clipped just wide of Manuel Neuer's right-hand post under pressure from Antonio Rudiger in what was a rare sight of goal in the opening period for the hosts.
Germany deservedly went ahead in first-half stoppage time, with Muller lashing a crisp left-footed strike past Flekken after Jamal Musiala's cross had been deflected into his path.
Die Mannschaft's failure to find a second goal was punished in the 68th minute when substitute Bergwijn thundered home from six yards following Denzel Dumfries' downwards header.
The Netherlands were denied the chance to score a winner soon after when referee Craig Pawson overturned his initial penalty decision for Kehler's foul on Depay after viewing the pitch-side monitor.
Australia were unable to finish on a high in the third round of World Cup qualifying as they fell to a 1-0 defeat in a dead rubber against Saudi Arabia in Jeddah.
A 2-0 loss to Japan last Thursday ended the Socceroos' hopes of earning automatic qualification to Qatar 2022 with Salem-Al Dawsari's second-half penalty securing top spot in Group B for the Green Falcons.
Awer Mabil narrowly missed the target from Martin Boyle's cross in the 12th minute and the latter had a goal ruled out following a lengthy VAR review shortly before half-time.
Graham Arnold replaced Bruno Fornaroli with debutant Nicholas D'Agostino at half-time but Saudi Arabia continued to control possession.
The hosts were awarded a penalty when James Jeggo clipped Sami Al Najei and Al Dawsari coolly guided the spot-kick into the bottom-right corner.
Australia did not go close to finding an equaliser – Ajdin Hrustic wasted their best opportunity – and needed Mat Ryan to stop Firas Al Buraikan making it 2-0 in the final 10 minutes.
The Socceroos must now take on the United Arab Emirates for a place in an intercontinental play-off against a South American team, where a place in Qatar will be on the line.
Elina Svitolina is taking a much-needed break from tennis due to physical and mental stress brought on by injuries and Russia's invasion of her native Ukraine.
The world number 20 revealed she had been struggling with a back injury that affected her preparations for tournaments, falling at the first hurdle in each of her past two events.
Svitolina, the 2018 WTA Finals champion, reached the last eight at the Monterrey Open, where she refused to play Anastasia Potapova unless the Russian was classed as a neutral athlete at the start of the month, but she lost in her first match at both Indian Wells and the Miami Open.
Svitolina's sabbatical means she will be absent from Ukraine's Fed Cup clash with the United States next month, and it remains to be seen if she will return in time for the French Open at the end of May.
The 27-year-old posted on Twitter: "It's been an extremely difficult couple of months for me not only mentally, but physically.
"For quite a long time, I've been struggling with my back; the pain didn't let me prepare for the tournaments at my best.
"Meanwhile, observing with unbearable pain in my heart what is happening in my homeland of Ukraine and with how much bravery and courage our Ukrainian people are defending our country, this gave me a huge push to continue and fight on court.
"Now, my body can't handle it anymore and I need to rest, therefore I'm sad to announce that I will be missing the Fed Cup and a few of my favourite tournaments in Europe. But, I'm sure I will see you around soon, thank you for all your support in this challenging period."
Christian Eriksen made a memorable return to Parken by scoring while captaining Denmark to a 3-0 friendly victory over Serbia on Tuesday.
Brentford midfielder Eriksen was playing at the stadium in Copenhagen for the first time since suffering a cardiac arrest there during the Euro 2020 game against Finland last June.
The 30-year-old, who had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator fitted, only returned to competitive action in February and was handed the captain's armband for the game by Kasper Schmeichel.
Eriksen was welcomed to the pitch with a banner that read "Welcome back, Christian" and followed up his goalscoring comeback against the Netherlands last week with a fine curling effort from just outside the box in the 57th minute. It rounded off the win after goals from Joakim Maehle and Jesper Lindstrom.
A rapturous standing ovation met the former Inter and Tottenham playmaker when he was withdrawn by head coach Kasper Hjulmand in the 80th minute, bringing an emotional comeback to a close.
Eriksen began speaking to the media after the final whistle but was pulled away by Schmeichel so he could take part in the celebrations with his team-mates.
"This evening ranks high. And that reception gave me chills. Yes, it's hard to describe," Eriksen said to Discovery, before Schmeichel interrupted the interview so they could enjoy the occasion together.
Sanju Samson hit a powerful fifty in his 100th Indian Premier League appearance for Rajasthan Royals to set up an emphatic 61-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Royals captain Samson marked his milestone game with a fantastic innings, blazing 55 from 27 balls as he hit five of his team's 14 maximums, helping them to 210-6.
The Royals got contributions right down the order at MCA Stadium, with opener Jos Buttler (35) making the most of an early let-off having been caught off a no-ball to set the tone alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal (20).
New signing Devdutt Padikkal added 41 and Shimron Hetmyer's rapid knock (32 from 13) provided a quick finish as Rajasthan set an imposing target.
The Sunrisers reply was over before it really began. Skipper Kane Williamson (2) was the first to go on his return from injury, while Rahul Tripathi and Nicholas Pooran were both dismissed for ducks.
That left them in disarray at 9-3 inside five overs, and while Aiden Markram (57) steadied things and Washington Sundar (40 from 14) showed some flair, the result was long beyond doubt as the Sunrisers ultimately reached 149-7 from their 20 overs.
More misery for Sunrisers
These teams were the bottom two in last season's IPL, but on this early evidence the Royals look much more likely to improve their fortunes.
Sunrisers won only three of their 14 matches last season to finish bottom of the standings and this heavy defeat will do little to inspire confidence of a turnaround.
But Rajasthan, who have been either seventh or eighth in the table for three straight years, produced a complete performance.
Samson, having scored 82 the last time these teams met, was fantastic once more and Yuzvendra Chahal took 3-22 while Prasidh Krishna's first three overs went for just two runs before he finished on 2-16.
Royals first to defend a total
It has been a thrilling start to the 2022 IPL, with the chasing team – sometimes in improbable circumstances – finding a way to win in each of the first four matches this season.
But the Royals ensured that streak came to an end here by becoming the first side to defend a total.
Unlike those contests which came before, it quickly became apparent which way this result was going. The Sunrisers never got themselves back in with a chance after the Royals accelerated to set a high target.
Travis Head and Adam Zampa starred as Australia sealed an 88-run victory in the first ODI of their three-match series against Pakistan.
A depleted Australia batted first in Lahore, and their total of 313-7 proved beyond Pakistan's reach, despite Imam-ul-Haq making 103.
Head was the main Australian aggressor with a brilliant 101 from 72 deliveries that propelled the tourists to 171 by the time he was dismissed in the 25th over, with captain Aaron Finch (23) having played a supporting role in an opening partnership of 110.
Ben McDermott provided support with his maiden ODI half-century, though Australia lost three wickets for 21 runs in the space of seven overs as McDermott (55), Marnus Labuschagne (25) and Alex Carey (four) fell.
A flurry from Cameron Green, who hit four boundaries in a knock of 40 not out from 30 balls, gave Australia a competitive total to defend.
Fakhar Zaman was dismissed for 18 in the fifth over of Pakistan's reply, but Imam and skipper Babar Azam steadied the innings before the latter was trapped lbw by Mitchell Swepson.
Babar's steady 57 from 72 balls summed up Pakistan's issues, though, with the hosts unable to match the required run rate early in the innings.
Quick losses of Saud Shakeel (3), Mohammad Rizwan (10) and Iftikhar Ahmed (2) further damaged Pakistan's chances, despite Imam's fine work in reaching his eighth ODI century.
Imam's ton included nine boundaries, but he was then bowled by Nathan Ellis, shortly after Pakistan passed 200 with just five wickets down.
Zampa bowled Hasan Ali and Mohammad Wasim to bring up 100 ODI wickets and then moved onto 101 when Khushdil Shah lofted to Carey, with Swepson rounding things off.
Travis makes headway
It took Head just 70 deliveries to reach his second century in a 50-over match, which is the eighth-quickest in the format by an Australian batter, and the fastest against Pakistan by an Australian in an ODI.
His stay came to an end when he hit Shah to Iftikhar, while he also contributed to the bowling attack with figures of 2-35.
Zampa gets his ton
Dropped in and out of the attack by Finch, Zampa bowled superbly to finish with four wickets for 38 runs, becoming the 18th Australian bowler to take 100 ODI wickets.
While the pick of the bunch for Pakistan was Haris Rauf (2-44), Zampa spearheaded Australia as the tourists kept Pakistan's big hitters Imam and Babar – who became the second-fastest Pakistan batter to reach 4,000 ODI runs – scoring at a slow pace.
The NFL has approved a change to its playoff overtime rules to ensure both teams are given a chance to possess the ball.
Under the rules that cover the regular season, and before Tuesday's vote applied to the postseason, each team has the opportunity to possess the ball in overtime unless the team that gets it first scores a touchdown on the opening possession.
The equity of the overtime format was called into question following the end of a pulsating AFC Divisional Round clash between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs.
Kansas City managed to send the game to overtime after driving down the field in the final 13 seconds of regulation to set up a game-tying field goal.
The Chiefs subsequently won the toss and Patrick Mahomes connected with Travis Kelce for the game-winning touchdown on the opening possession.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who in a 42-36 defeat threw for 329 yards and four touchdowns in an astonishing display, never had the chance to respond.
The Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles tabled a rule change at this week's NFL owners' meeting, proposing that both teams have the chance to possess the ball in overtime in the postseason, and the motion passed by a 29-3 margin.
Since 2010, 12 postseason games have gone to overtime, with teams that won the coin toss boasting a 10-2 record. Seven of those games were decided on the first overtime possession.
But NFL competition committee member Rich McKay intimated that an unsatisfying end to a classic in Kansas City was the final straw in terms of making a change.
Speaking at a media conference, McKay said: "In the Buffalo game this year, it's potentially the greatest 20-30 minutes of football that I've ever seen and to think that it ended that way definitely brought up the idea of 'hey, is that equitable, does that work for everybody?'.
"So I think that no question started the discussion. What typically happens in these, is they tend to lose momentum as you get further away from the game, and that did not happen in this instance."
Tiger Woods arrived at Augusta National on Tuesday for a practice round as he considers an audacious comeback to professional golf at the Masters, reports in the United States said.
The 15-time major winner, who has triumphed five times at The Masters, has not played on the PGA Tour since November 2020.
His last appearance was at Augusta, with The Masters having been delayed by seven months in that year due to the pandemic.
He underwent back surgery in December 2020, and was then seriously hurt in a February 2021 single-car crash, when he sustained major leg and foot injuries.
Woods has since admitted he was lucky to survive, with the 46-year-old slowly recovering from the physical trauma over the past year.
The 2022 Masters marks 25 years since Woods first won at Augusta, when he sensationally triumphed by 12 strokes for his maiden major title. He last triumphed at the course in 2019, ending an 11-year wait for his 15th major.
Sports Illustrated reported on Tuesday that Woods arrived at the course to see how his body would stand up to the physical demands of the undulations at Augusta.
The report said a source, who did not wish to be named, confirmed Woods arrived with son Charlie, and that world number seven Justin Thomas, a close friend, was also with them.
The Masters runs from April 7-10, and as a former champion Woods benefits from a lifetime exemption.
He took his first steps towards a return by playing at the PNC Championship with his son in December, but that is a light-hearted event where professionals perform alongside a family member, and Woods was able to use a golf cart to get around.
Speaking last month, Woods said he was a "long way off" a return to competitive action, adding he could not commit to returning to the PGA Tour this calendar year.
"You'll see me [again] on the PGA Tour, I just don’t know when," Woods said on CBS during coverage of the Genesis Invitational.
Julen Lopetegui has no current desire to coach any other club as the Sevilla boss shut down suggestions he is a contender to take over at Manchester United.
Former Spain and Real Madrid boss Lopetegui is reportedly on United's shortlist to succeed interim manager Ralf Rangnick at the end of the campaign.
Lopetegui is rumoured to have been added to a list that also includes Mauricio Pochettino, Luis Enrique and favourite Erik ten Hag.
The 55-year-old has rebuilt his reputation with Sevilla since being dismissed by Spain and then Real Madrid, where he lasted just 138 days.
In two full seasons at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, Lopetegui has delivered back-to-back top-four finishes and won the Europa League, beating United en route to that success.
Lopetegui has been linked with other clubs as well in recent times, apparently turning down Tottenham before they hired Nuno Espirito Santo last year, and it would seem he also has little interest in a move to Old Trafford.
"I've said it many times before: I am where I want to be, at Seville," Lopetegui told ABC de Sevilla. "I'm happy. I can develop my work here in the best possible way. I've no doubts.
"In football, no one ever knows where you might go, but I have no doubts. My will is firm. I am where I really want to be."
Sevilla suffered a disappointing Europa League last-16 exit to West Ham earlier this month, but Lopetegui's side are second in LaLiga with nine games to go.
The Spanish club's sporting director Monchi recently backed Lopetegui to stay at the helm for many years to come, and the former goalkeeper appreciates that support.
"I am very grateful for the words of Monchi," he said. "It's a comment that marks the club's intentions, just as I mark mine. But I have to prove all of that with my day-to-day work.
"We have to always be on our toes. We have to give our all and ensure we always live up to expectations by doing a job good. We will continue in this way.
"The confidence I have felt at this club from day one is absolute, something I will always be grateful for. I will try to return that."
Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals are "in a great spot" when it comes to a long-term tie-up, according to coach Kliff Kingsbury.
Murray's agent Erik Burkhardt issued a statement last month in which he called for the quarterback to be shown "a real commitment" by the franchise in his next contract.
In the 2021 season, Murray threw 3,787 yards with 24 touchdown passes and added five rushing TDs, while he had the second-highest completion rate in the NFL of 69.2 per cent.
Burkhardt said Murray required "long-term stability for both the organisation and himself", stating a "detailed contract proposal" had been submitted. He urged the Cardinals to "prioritise" his client's situation, rather than continue "to merely talk about addressing Kyler's long-term future".
For Kingsbury, there is no drama as Arizona look to secure 24-year-old Murray's future.
"We are in a great spot with him," Kingsbury said on Tuesday, quoted by profootballnetwork.com.
"I know that [statement] was what it was, but nothing has changed from our end. We're excited about his future and want to make him an Arizona Cardinal for as long we can.
"I think all of us want to feel wanted. You put so much time and effort working in this game, so that's a big part of it. [Murray] knows how we feel about him, and I'm so excited to see what we can do with him moving forward."
Burkhardt also serves as Kingsbury's agent, but the coach has previously indicated he was unaware of the plans for February's statement about Murray.
Murray was the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and the team have a 22-23-1 record in the games where he has featured.
An 11-6 record in the 2021 season was the team's best for six years.
Murray last week said he was "happy where I am".
"I'm an Arizona Cardinal," Murray said. "I've done nothing but give my all to the Cardinals and will continue to do that. I'm not really too worried about my future as a Cardinal."
Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers did not want to lose Davante Adams, but it was a trade the team had to make.
Superstar wide receiver Adams left the Packers to join the Las Vegas Raiders in a blockbuster trade earlier in March.
The 29-year-old signed a five-year deal worth up to $141million, making him the highest-paid receiver in league history.
Adams has posted combined numbers of 2,927 yards and 29 touchdowns over the past two seasons, leaving a big void for the Packers to fill.
"That was one of those things those decisions are never easy to make," coach LaFleur said during the NFL owners' meetings.
"Unfortunately, it was one that we had to come to. I think a lot of it was driven by Davante, but there's no sense in looking back. We're moving forward. We appreciate everything he's done, obviously.
"It's a lot to replace in terms of production and the type of leader he was for us. But again it was one of those deals you never want to back, but sometimes you have to make.
"Sometimes you got to make some tough decisions. Certainly appreciate everything Davante brought to our team. I mean, he is the best receiver in the National Football League, so that was a tough one for me personally and for our organisation."
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who had 430 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 2021, has also left the Packers, and LaFleur knows his team need replacements.
"Certainly, if you look at our roster right now, we definitely need to get some speed in that room," LaFleur added.
"We need a legit guy that can take off the top of the coverage. We lost a guy that was pretty good at doing that.
"It's like putting a puzzle together, you've got to find those pieces that you're missing and put it all together. How that's going to look in the end? I have no idea right now."
One major boost, at least, for the Packers was the return of Aaron Rodgers, with the back-to-back MVP becoming the highest-paid player in the NFL when averaged out per-year.
"I actually received a text message that confirmed Aaron was coming back," LaFleur said when asked if he knew Rodgers was going to sign a new deal.
"I was in an offensive meeting. I actually darted out right away just to make sure I read it the right way before I let everybody know.
"I would say that I had pretty good feelings about it since the Super Bowl ended up until that point. Until you know, you really don't know."
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay has suggested the team are close to agreeing a deal for Aaron Donald to return for the 2022 season.
The Super Bowl LVI champions had hoped Donald would do so after he hinted he would "run it back" during the victory parade following the win against the Cincinnati Bengals at the NFL's big show in February.
Ahead of the game at SoFi Stadium, it was reported the highly rated defensive tackle could retire if he finally won a championship to go with his individual achievements.
And the three-time Defensive Player of the Year could scarcely have been more influential in the 23-20 Rams win.
Donald held up Joe Burrow and the Bengals on third and one and then fourth and one on their final drive, finishing with two sacks and three quarterback hits – tying the best marks of his playoff career.
The 30-year-old penned a six-year, $135 million extension before the start of the 2018 season, but has now outplayed that deal.
Speaking at a media conference on Tuesday at the annual league meeting, McVay addressed Donald's situation, saying: "It's a huge priority for us. I know that our group is working with [Donald's agent] Todd France and trying to get that figured out.
"[I] feel really good about Aaron's excitement about coming back and continuing to lead the way for us. But that is a piece that we do want to be able to get figured out for him. And I think he's deserving of it.
"We're in the process of working through that right now."
Donald recorded 12.5 sacks for 111 yards and 17 quarterback hits in the 2021 regular season, before adding another 3.5 sacks for 20.5 yards and nine quarterback hits in the postseason.
Saudi Arabia could host Anthony Joshua's rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in late June, according to the Ukrainian's promoter Alexander Krassyuk.
Usyk outclassed Joshua to claim the WBA, WBO and IBF titles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last September, inflicting just a second professional defeat on his opponent.
Joshua activated his rematch clause, but plans for a second bout were thrown into doubt after Usyk returned to Ukraine to defend his homeland following the Russian invasion.
However, the 35-year-old Usyk confirmed last week he has started preparing for the rematch, which may be staged in the Middle East.
"Saudi is the place we are in discussions with at the moment," promoter Krassyuk told BBC Sport. "Late June is the date we are looking at. Nothing has been confirmed on paper. We are working on it."
Joshua has fought in Saudi Arabia once before when regaining his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles in a rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr in Diriyah in December 2019.
Staging the bout in the Gulf kingdom would provoke controversy due to its human rights record, and Krassyuk has not ruled out another country being selected.
"There are other options. We take it step by step," Krassyuk added.
Saudi Arabia has hosted a number of high-profile sporting events in recent years, most recently the second grand prix of this year's Formula One campaign.
Sunday's race went ahead despite a missile attack on an oil depot around nine miles from the track during Friday's practice session.
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