Frank de Boer is demanding a high-scoring victory when the Netherlands face Gibraltar in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday.
Having started their campaign with a 4-2 defeat to Turkey, the Oranje responded with a 2-0 win over Latvia on Saturday courtesy of goals from Steven Berghuis and Luuk de Jong.
Head coach De Boer was disappointed his side did not win by a greater margin, though, given they had 76.5 per cent of the possession and 36 shots, with Latvia goalkeeper Roberts Ozols making eight saves.
With Gibraltar having conceded seven goals in their opening two qualifying games against Norway and Montenegro, De Boer wants a more clinical performance from his players and insists loading his starting line-up with forwards is not necessarily the correct approach.
"More players up front doesn't necessarily make the job easier," he said on Monday. "The spaces might be even more tight that way.
"We want to try to bait the opponents to leave their defensive positions, so we can profit from the open spaces through quick combinations. I don't believe that more attackers equals more opportunities.
"Look, a 2-0 victory against Latvia isn't good, especially if you look at the way we played. We should have scored at least seven times, looking at the chances we had. The same goes against Gibraltar: if you create that many chances, you need to score that many times.
"It all depends on how sharp we are. Norway have beaten them 3-0; Gibraltar lost their most recent away match 4-1.
"We need to make sure the tempo stays high. We can't let them breathe. We need to score at least five times, but preferably more."
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong believes a resounding win could help to boost morale within the Netherlands squad as they look to build on a run of three wins in their previous four matches.
"It's always fun to be playing for your country," he said. "In these games, you can have fun too: if all goes well, you score a lot, you can make some nice combinations.
"I think it could give us a good feeling."
Robert Lewandowski has returned to Bayern Munich to receive treatment on a knee injury, Poland have confirmed.
The striker sustained damage to the collateral ligament of his right knee during the 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Andorra, in which he scored twice.
Poland issued a statement on Monday to confirm Lewandowski will miss their match with England on Wednesday in order to avoid the risk of aggravating the injury.
The 32-year-old will instead return to Germany for further treatment, which is expected to last from five to 10 days.
The news will be of concern to Bayern coach Hansi Flick ahead of a tough run of fixtures for the Bundesliga leaders.
Bayern face RB Leipzig on April 3, four days before the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain.
The German champions then host Union Berlin on April 10 ahead of the return leg away to PSG on April 13.
Lewandowski has scored 42 goals and provided eight assists in 36 appearances in all competitions for Bayern this season.
The former Borussia Dortmund star has at least 10 more direct goal involvements in 2020-21 than any other Bundesliga player.
New signing Aaron Gordon says "there's no stopping" the Denver Nuggets as "we have all the pieces that we need" following his arrival.
Gordon, linked with a host of rival teams, was signed a via a trade with the Orlando Magic ahead of the deadline on Thursday.
The forward headed to Denver with Gary Clark in exchange for Gary Harris, R.J. Hampton and the Nuggets' protected 2025 first-round pick.
Gordon went straight into the starting five on Sunday, forming an exciting lineup alongside Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Will Barton in a dominant 126-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Gordon scored 13 points, making six of nine field goal attempts, and had a positive plus/minus of 17 in an effective debut.
Victory moved Denver to 28-18 in fifth in the West, still 6.5 games back but, according to Gordon, seeing "no limits".
"I see no limits for this team," he said. "It looks like we have all the pieces that we need.
"We have the depth. It's like we are covered in a lot of different spots offensively, defensively.
"As long as we are all working together, there's no stopping us."
MVP candidate Jokic, who had 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, was impressed with the way Gordon adapted to his new team on both sides ends of the floor.
The 25-year-old's usage rate with Orlando this season had been 23.6 per cent but dipped to 18.9, while he showed his versatility as he switched on defense.
"The main thing and the best thing that he did is that he accepted the role," Jokic said.
"He knows why he came here, he knows what he can do and he knows how he can help and he is doing that. Defense or offense, it doesn't matter, he accepts it and is embracing it.
"I think he kind of saw how we played, and he didn't try to do too much. He saw that if he's open, the ball is going to find him. Really good debut for him."
Frank Vogel feels NBA champions the Los Angeles Lakers "got a lot better" with the signing of Andre Drummond, who will provide "a big lift" while LeBron James and Anthony Davis remain out.
The Lakers' title defence wobbled this month as James went down with a high ankle sprain, joining Davis (calf) on the sidelines at the start of a four-game losing run.
In a competitive Western Conference, a slump amid the continued absence of their All-Stars prompted concerns LA could slip into the play-in round.
But the Lakers have bounced back to win their past two games against the Cleveland Cavaliers and, on Sunday, the Orlando Magic to restore a 5.0 game gap to seventh place and the San Antonio Spurs.
They were also boosted shortly before tip-off in the Magic game as Drummond's arrival was confirmed after he cleared waivers, having agreed a buyout with the Cavs.
Drummond is one of 20 players in league history to record more than 9,000 career points, 8,500 rebounds, 850 steals and 950 blocks.
He is also the NBA's all-time leader in seasons with at least 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 100 steals and 100 blocks, having accomplished the feat four times.
Although Vogel was unsure when the center would be available, he expected a much-needed immediate impact.
"We're thrilled, we're all thrilled," the head coach said after the win over Orlando. "Andre Drummond, a player of his calibre coming to our team.
"He's one of the best centers in the league, someone that every defensive coordinator is going to have to account for, to figure out how to handle him while trying to slow down AD and Bron and our guards.
"He's going to give us a big lift in the immediate future and obviously when we get going.
"He's just one of those guys who can dominate the game on both sides of the ball. His physicality is something you have to account for."
The Lakers have only once scored above their seasonal average of 110.7 points since James went down, missing their leading two scorers (James 25.4 points per game, Davis 22.5).
But Drummond had 17.5 points up until February 12, when Cleveland agreed he would be shut down, which would put him third on that list.
"He's one of the most dominant rollers, lob catchers, post players, offensive rebounders in the game, screeners," Vogel said.
"The list is long for how he's going to contribute to our group. I do think he's going to have an impact on our group right away offensively."
Vogel revealed he had held positive discussions with Drummond, adding: "I have talked to him personally. He's really excited about this situation.
"I don't want to go too far into the nature of those conversations other than to say he's really excited, probably as excited as we are. I think our team got a lot better."
Pressed further on their talks, Vogel replied: "Private conversations. I sold him on what we are competing for, how he fits – I believe in the vision of him fitting alongside AD and LeBron.
"I'm not going to go into that [any further]. I apologise; I could be [Bill] Belichick up here and give you 'yes' and 'no'."
Drummond bolsters the five, a position where the Lakers already have Montrezl Harrell and Marc Gasol, two offseason recruits.
Harrell has played 25.3 minutes over 47 games, while Gasol has played 19.8 over 38.
It is not immediately clear how Drummond's 28.9 minutes will fit in, while Davis can also play the role, but Vogel believes he needs the depth.
"All I can say is we're going to need them all," he said. "There's no doubt in my mind we need all three of them for this playoff push we're about to endure with a really condensed second half of the season.
"Every playoff series is different. I think we saw the flexibility that we have as a coaching staff; from playoff series to playoff series, different guys' skillsets match different opponents.
"I really think we're going to need all three of those guys and I expect to use all three of them."
Devin Booker led the way as the high-flying Phoenix Suns took down the Charlotte Hornets 101-97 in overtime.
Booker posted 35 points to fuel the Suns, who outlasted the Hornets in Charlotte in Sunday's NBA action.
Chris Paul scored 16 points for the Suns and team-mate DeAndre Ayton added 14 points and 14 rebounds.
The Suns, who have won three of their last four games, are second in the Western Conference.
Charlotte had their three-game winning streak snapped, despite big performances from Devonte' Graham (30 points), Terry Rozier (22 points and 10 rebounds) and Miles Bridges (18 points and 12 rebounds).
Lakers build momentum
On the day the Lakers acquired Andre Drummond after he cleared waivers, the NBA champions topped the struggling Orlando Magic 96-93 in the absence of injured superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Lakers have now won back-to-back games, having dropped four straight. Dennis Schroder put up 24 points, while Kyle Kuzma contributed 21 points and 11 rebounds. There were also double-doubles for Montrezl Harrell (18 points and 11 rebounds) and Markieff Morris (12 points and 11 rebounds).
Trent struggles in Raptors debut
After being traded by the Portland Trail Blazers to the Toronto Raptors on Thursday's deadline, Gary Trent Jr. made his debut against his former team. Trent, however, was just two-of-10 from the field and one-of-five from three-point range for six points in Toronto's 122-117 loss to Portland.
P.J. Washington endured a rough night for the Hornets. While he collected 12 rebounds in 44 minutes, the power forward was scoreless. Washington finished 0-of-seven from the field, while he missed all four of his efforts from beyond the arc.
Gordon slam!
Acquired from the Magic prior to the deadline, Aaron Gordon connected with Nikola Jokic for his first dunk for the Denver Nuggets in the opening quarter. Denver beat the Atlanta Hawks 126-102.
Sunday's results
Los Angeles Lakers 96-93 Orlando Magic
Phoenix Suns 101-97 Charlotte Hornets (OT)
Denver Nuggets 126-102 Atlanta Hawks
Portland Trail Blazers 122-117 Toronto Raptors
Bucks at Clippers
The slumping Milwaukee Bucks (29-16) will visit the in-form Los Angeles Clippers (31-16) on Monday. Milwaukee have dropped back-to-back games, while the Clippers have won five in a row.
Naomi Osaka did not raise a sweat en route to the Miami Open last 16 as Garbine Muguruza moved through but Sofia Kenin and Karolina Pliskova bowed out.
Australian Open champion and second seed Osaka benefited from a walkover after qualifier Nina Stojanovic withdrew ahead of Sunday's clash due to a right thigh injury.
Elise Mertens will face Osaka following the 16th seed's 6-2 0-6 6-2 win against Anett Kontaveit.
Two-time grand slam winner Muguruza rallied past Russian wildcard Anna Kalinskaya at the WTA Premier event.
However, fourth seed Kenin was sent packing as sixth seed Pliskova was tamed by nemesis Jessica Pegula in Miami.
MUGURUZA STAYS HOT
Spanish star Muguruza dug deep to earn her tour-leading 20th win of the season.
Former world number one Muguruza – the 12th seed – prevailed 4-6 6-3 6-4 against Kalinskaya, having trailed 3-0 in the final set.
"I brought my fighting spirit and I could match the level of fighting against Anna, and very happy to go through these tough matches," Muguruza said following two hours, 41 minutes on court.
"Doesn't matter if you play pretty or you play ugly, but you stay strong and you go through these rounds. That gives me an opportunity to feel better and to have another chance."
Muguruza – who has the most final appearances this season with three, having won the Dubai Tennis Championships and finished runner-up at the Qatar Open and Yarra Valley Classic – will next face eighth seed Bianca Andreescu.
Former US Open champion Andreescu overcame fellow seed Amanda Anisimova 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (2-7) 6-4.
KENIN'S WOES CONTINUE
It has been a rough 2021 for American star Kenin.
Stunned in the second round of the Australian Open – in her title defence – Kenin then crashed out of the Phillip Island Trophy at the first hurdle.
Kenin rallied to beat Andrea Petkovic first-up in Miami, but the 22-year-old was beaten 6-4 4-6 6-4 by 27th seed Ons Jabeur.
Jabeur and Sara Sorribes Tormo – who shocked 21st seed Elena Rybakina 6-1 3-6 6-2 – will meet for a spot in the quarter-finals.
PLISKOVA FALLS TO PEGULA… AGAIN
For the third time this past month, 2019 Miami Open runner-up Pliskova went down 6-1 4-6 6-4 to 29th seed Pegula.
Australian Open quarter-finalist Pegula conquered Pliskova in Doha and Dubai before repeating the feat in Miami on Sunday.
"I played her a lot the last three weeks, three tournaments," Pegula said. "I kind of expected her to play well there. Even when I was up I still felt like she could easily come back just because she plays so aggressive and she serves well."
After reeling off the final four games, Pegula set up a last-16 showdown with 23rd seed Maria Sakkari, who dismantled qualifier Liudmila Samsonova 6-0 6-1.
Andre Drummond has joined the Los Angeles Lakers, the NBA champions announced on Sunday.
Drummond was planning to team up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis in Los Angeles after clearing waivers.
Two-time All-Star Drummond agreed to a contract buyout on the remainder of his $27.9million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.
"Andre Drummond gives us powerful, anchor-point skills on both ends of the court," Lakers vice-president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said.
"We feel extremely fortunate to add a player of his calibre and magnitude to our core group at this stage of our journey to defend the NBA title."
It is a boost for the Lakers (29-17), who are fourth in the Western Conference as superstar duo James (ankle) and Davis (calf) are sidelined.
Drummond has not played since February 12 after he and the Cavaliers agreed he would be shut down until a trade or buyout was completed, following the arrival of younger center Jarrett Allen.
The 27-year-old Drummond – who has led the league in rebounding four times – has averaged 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds in 25 starts this season.
Drummond is one of 20 players in league history to record more than 9,000 career points, 8,500 rebounds, 850 steals and 950 blocks.
He is also the NBA's all-time leader in seasons with at least 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 100 steals and 100 blocks, having accomplished the feat four times.
Drummond spent eight seasons with the Detroit Pistons, earning two All-Star selections, before being traded to the Cavaliers last year.
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is listed as questionable for Monday's game against the Chicago Bulls after missing time due to a tailbone bruise.
Curry has not played since suffering a bruised tailbone in the Warriors' win over the lowly Houston Rockets in the NBA on March 17.
However, the two-time MVP is a chance to return when the Warriors face the Bulls, having practiced fully on Sunday.
"We scrimmaged some just now and he's getting some extra work in, so we want to see how he responds to that," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said afterwards.
"And then it's a discussion with [Warriors director of sports medicine and performance] Rick [Celebrini] and the training staff. We'll see where it all goes."
Curry is averaging 29.0 points, 6.2 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game for the Warriors this season.
The Warriors (22-24) have lost four straight games to sit 10th in the Western Conference, adrift of the playoff positions.
"It's always great to have a guy like him around," Warriors forward Juan Toscano-Anderson said. "Just based on his presence. On the floor, off the floor, who he is, the energy he brings.
"Today there was a turnover in practice and he got upset and it was like, 'OK, our leader's back, our guy's back,' so it's exciting.
"Obviously we're a much better team with him on the floor. So super excited to have him back whenever that is. Hopefully, sooner the better."
The Brooklyn Nets announced the signing of LaMarcus Aldridge in a further boost to their star-studded roster on Sunday.
Aldridge's agent Jeff Schwartz on Saturday revealed the seven-time All-Star had agreed to join the Nets for the rest of the NBA season.
The 35-year-old Aldridge agreed to a contract buyout with the San Antonio Spurs earlier this month.
Aldridge will now join forces with James Harden, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Blake Griffin in Brooklyn as the Nets eye their first NBA championship.
Averaging 19.4 points and 8.3 rebounds in his 15 NBA seasons, including nine with the Portland Trail Blazers, Aldridge has not played since March 1.
Aldridge is averaging 13.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in 2020-21.
Among active NBA players, Aldridge currently ranks third in field goals made (8,034), fifth in rebounds (8,454), sixth in points (19,887), eighth in blocks (1,129) and ninth in games played (1,024).
Aldridge, who helped the Spurs to the 2017 Western Conference Finals, has a postseason average of 20.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 blocks in 37.1 minutes per game.
Steve Nash's Nets (31-15) are second in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the Philadelphia 76ers (32-14).
Billy Horschel held off Scottie Scheffler to win the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play for the first time in his career.
Horschel was the last man standing in Austin, where the American outlasted 2020 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Scheffler in Sunday's final 2 and 1.
It was a Horschel and Scheffler showdown after the former had beaten Victor Perez 3 and 2 in the semis, while the latter advanced 1up against 2013 champion Matt Kuchar.
Horschel – the 32nd seed – secured his sixth PGA Tour title at the 17th hole following almost four hours on the course, with the final only featuring two birdies between the pair.
Kuchar, meanwhile, clinched third place by beating Perez 2 and 1 in the play-off.
"I got lucky that I had two guys that were like me, that didn't have their A game today or even maybe their B game," Horschel said. "We didn't hit very good golf shots this morning or even this afternoon and that allowed me to just be smart and not have to be aggressive and try and make birdies.
"Now, if Scottie would have got hot with some iron shots and started making birdies that puts a little bit of pressure on me. But it was just a tough day with this wind, trying to get close to some of these pins and the greens firming up as we played.
"So I'm fortunate. I had two guys today that missed some putts from inside 10 feet that they probably would make the majority of the time and that's obviously why I'm standing here as a champion."
Scheffler – the 30th seed – added: "I'm proud of the way I fought all week. My game was trending in the right direction pretty much the entire time, and this afternoon was really the first time I didn't play my best.
"I think this afternoon was probably my worst round out of the last four. So I grinded it out. I fought really hard and I just wasn't able to make the putts this afternoon."
Andre Drummond plans to join reigning NBA champions the Los Angeles Lakers after clearing waivers.
Drummond agreed to a contract buyout on the remainder of his $27.9million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.
The two-time All-Star is now set to team up with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the injury-hit Lakers, his agent Jeff Schwartz told ESPN.
While the team are yet to announce the deal, Drummond posted a picture to Instagram with him in a Lakers jersey, captioned "Back to work" on Sunday.
Superstar duo James (ankle) and Davis (calf) are both sidelined through injury in Los Angeles, where the Lakers (29-17) are fourth in the Western Conference.
Drummond has not played since February 12 after he and the Cavaliers agreed he would be shut down until a trade or buyout was completed, following the arrival of younger center Jarrett Allen.
The 27-year-old Drummond has averaged 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds in 25 starts this season.
Drummond spent eight seasons with the Detroit Pistons, earning two All-Star selections, before being traded to the Cavaliers last year.
Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash said while Kevin Durant "looks great", the former MVP is likely to miss another week as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.
Durant has been sidelined since February 13 due to a hamstring strain, which forced him to sit out the NBA All-Star Game this month.
As the star-studded Nets prepare to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, Nash provided an update on Durant.
"There's still steps for him to take, although he looks great, is progressing and will definitely be back with us," Nash said.
"It's just, I don't think this week is likely."
Durant is averaging 29.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game for the Nets this season.
Nash added: "[He] still needs to be monitored and still needs to get a certain amount of markers under his belt."
The Nets, though, will welcome back star Kyrie Irving following a three-game absence due to a family issue.
Irving is averaging a career-high 28.1 points, 5.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game for the Nets in 2020-21.
The seven-time All-Star's field-goal percentage this season (52.0) is also a career-high.
Brooklyn (31-15) – who have recruited veteran All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge – are second in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the Philadelphia 76ers (32-14).
Italy were far from at their best against Bulgaria on Sunday, but Roberto Mancini did not expect anything different from his side.
Mancini's unbeaten run as Italy boss was extended to 24 games – one shy of Marcello Lippi's longest streak and just six off the all-time record, set by Vittorio Pozzo in the 1930s – as goals from Andrea Belotti and Manuel Locatelli sealed a 2-0 win in World Cup qualifying.
The victory took Italy, who beat Northern Ireland in their opening fixture, level on points with Switzerland at the top of Group C.
A much-changed Italy team dominated possession (67.6 per cent), and had 22 attempts, albeit 12 of these were blocked and only six were on target.
Indeed, the tight nature of the game is reflected by the fact that Federico Bernardeschi – who came on as a 76th-minute substitute – registered a game-high three chances, having entered the fray when the match was more of an open contest.
It was 1-0 at that stage, with Belotti's first-half penalty having opened the scoring. Locatelli was then on hand to curl in his first Italy goal – four of the last seven goals scored by the Azzurri have now been netted by Sassuolo players – and put the result beyond all doubt.
While they may have faulted at times in attack, Italy were rock solid in defence, keeping a sixth straight clean sheet on the road, which is their longest run.
In no mood to pick fault with his side, Mancini told RAI Sport: "All games are difficult, especially against teams like Bulgaria who put everyone behind the ball and just wait for the counter-attack.
"Until you find the breakthrough, there are no spaces and it makes life difficult.
"We are at a moment of the season where the players are a little tired. We didn't allow a single chance in the first half, and we only did in the second after we wasted numerous opportunities to extend our lead.
"As I said, there is no such thing as an easy match. The other teams don't give you space and instead just try to neutralise you. Until you get the opening goal, that's at a deadlock.
"I still think we put in a very good performance in the circumstances. We tried after the second goal tonight to score a third, which is what we should've done against Northern Ireland.
"I don’t see other sides winning 7-0 or 8-0 either this week. We know goal difference is important, but the points mean even more and we hope to beat Switzerland."
Germany head coach Joachim Low bemoaned his side's wastefulness in front of goal during their slender 1-0 World Cup qualifying win against Romania on Sunday.
Serge Gnabry scored the only goal of the game in the 16th minute, with the Bayern Munich forward, Leroy Sane and Timo Werner going on to squander opportunities to extend Die Mannschaft's advantage.
That almost came back to haunt Germany in the closing stages as the hosts went close through George Puscas and Nicolae Stanciu.
Germany – the 2014 world champions – ultimately held on, though, to follow up Thursday's opening Group J win over Iceland with another three points.
Low was largely pleased with Germany's display, but acknowledged they should have added to Gnabry's early goal.
"Romania were definitely the better team than Iceland in terms of football," he said. "We worked very well against the ball today and won some battles.
"We could have made the game easier for ourselves if we had made it 2-0. If there's something to complain about, it's the big opportunities.
"The goalkeeper saved very well several times, but we could have been ice cold and more concentrated in front of goal.
"When the opponent has nothing more to lose, they throw everything forward. We had several chances in which we could have finished more cleanly, but we have three points."
Germany made just one substitution before stoppage time – Werner replacing Kai Havertz in the 77th minute – and Low said he stuck with his starting XI for so long as the game was under control.
"It's important to get used to it," he added. "But I didn't switch because the game was under control for a long time.
"We were doing well, the midfield did a good job. The opponent had no chances for a long time, so it wasn't absolutely necessary for a long time."
Joshua Kimmich, who struck the crossbar in the first half with a deflected half-volley, agreed with Low's assessment that Germany made life unnecessarily difficult for themselves.
The Bayern Munich midfielder said: "We could have made it easier for ourselves. We were lucky that Romania didn't equalise in the 90th minute; that would've been karma for us not scoring again.
"We have to score earlier then we will have a quieter evening. I think we largely controlled the game, but still we didn't manage to decide it earlier."
Germany will be looking to make it three wins from three Group J games when they host North Macedonia on Wednesday.
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