Louis van Gaal praised the Netherlands' discipline in their 1-0 Nations League victory over Belgium on Sunday despite describing his team as having played "very badly".
Victory over Poland on Thursday meant the Oranje only needed to avoid a heavy defeat to their neighbours at the Johan Cruijff ArenA in Amsterdam to seal top spot in Group A4 and progress to the Nations League Finals next year.
A result of that nature never looked like materialising, with Virgil van Dijk securing three points for the hosts in the 73rd minute – the centre-back's sixth goal for his country, four of those being headers from a corner.
The result extended Oranje's unbeaten run to 15 games (11 wins, four draws) since Van Gaal was reappointed for the third time in August last year, while it also saw Van Gaal move level with Dick Advocaat as the manager with the most wins in charge of the Netherlands (37).
"We lost the ball so much and in simple situations," he told NOS. "Just like against Poland, only now even more.
"That also had to do with Belgium, who put more pressure on the ball, especially in the second half. We certainly didn't play our best game.
"Belgium are very strong in terms of quality. They have a lot of individual quality. [Kevin] De Bruyne and [Eden] Hazard; those are top players. The Belgians did very well from the back. They were the better team today.
"I told the players that we played very badly, but we didn't give away many chances.
"We also had the greatest opportunities, especially at the end. I think [Steven] Bergwijn and [Davy] Klaassen should have scored.
"This is a disciplined victory and that's nice. Although we were second best for 90 minutes, we still continued playing our game and were disciplined."
Marten de Roon replaced the injured Frenkie de Jong in midfield and Van Gaal was pleased with how the Atalanta man contained De Bruyne.
"I thought [De Roon] was one of the better players," he added. "He gave few balls to the opposition and defensively picked up De Bruyne, who walked a little further away from our pit bulls. He did that very well."
One of those "pit bulls", substitute Tyrell Malacia, also received praise from Van Gaal, who said the Manchester United man also did well in shackling De Bruyne.
"I put him on the left of the central defence because De Bruyne played a lot on that side," Van Gaal explained. "It's better to have a pit bull like that instead of someone like [Daley] Blind who tries to solve it tactically.
"I had already discussed this with him the day before yesterday. The defensive work he did very well."
A pair of NFC North running backs were injured in their team’s Week 3 wins, including superstar Minnesota Vikings rusher Dalvin Cook.
Cook injured his shoulder late in the third quarter in the Minnesota Vikings' 28-24 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday, while David Montgomery hurt his right knee and ankle in the first quarter of the Chicago Bears' 23-20 last-second win over the Houston Texans.
Neither injury is believed to be particularly serious at this point and both running backs will be considered day-to-day, according to their coaches.
Cook was enjoying his best game of the young season before getting hurt on a play where he fumbled on a first-down run near midfield in the final minute of the third quarter.
He lost control of the ball when he ran into the back of his left guard Ezra Cleveland and the Lions recovered. It was uncertain if he got hurt when he collided with Cleveland or in the ensuing scrum while trying to recover the fumble.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said during the postgame press conference that Cook will have some tests done. A shoulder injury last season forced Cook to miss one game.
Prior to the injury, Cook scored his first touchdown of the season and finished the day with a season-high 96 rushing yards.
Montgomery was coming off one of his best games of his career, rushing for 122 yards on just 15 carries in last Sunday’s 27-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers, but he carried the ball just three times for 11 yards against the Texans before exiting.
He was injured when his right leg got rolled up under him when he was blocking on a pass play. He was able to walk off the field under his own power.
After the game, Bears coach Matt Eberflus said it appears Montgomery avoided anything serious.
Second-year backup Khalil Herbert stepped up in Montgomery’s absence, rushing for 157 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.
The Bears finished with 281 rushing yards – their most in a game since September 30, 1984, when they ran for 283 yards, including 155 from Hall-of-Famer Walter Payton – in a 23-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Pop superstar Rihanna will play the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show, it was revealed on Sunday.
The announcement came from the singer herself, the NFL and Rihanna's management team Roc Nation.
Rihanna, 34, will perform the coveted 15-minute slot at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, in what Rolling Stone magazine said would be her first live performance in over five years.
The coup by the NFL follows the show this year that saw Dr Dre joined on stage by Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige.
It also sees Rihanna play a slot she has previously turned down.
In 2019, she indicated in a Vogue interview she had refused to play the Halftime Show in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. The quarterback found himself without a team in the wake of being criticised for kneeling during the national anthem, as he protested against racial injustice
At that time, she said of the prospect of playing the show: "I couldn't dare do that. For what? Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn't be a sellout. I couldn't be an enabler. There's things within that organisation that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way."
Now Rihanna has accepted the opportunity to perform at the sporting spectacle, which has a huge global audience.
NFL head of music Seth Dudowsky said the league was "thrilled" to have the Barbadian performer on board.
He said: "Rihanna is a once-in-a-generation artist who has been a cultural force throughout her career. We look forward to collaborating with Rihanna, Roc Nation and Apple Music to bring fans another historic Halftime Show performance."
The Miami Dolphins moved to 3-0 for the season and handed the Buffalo Bills their first defeat with a narrow 21-19 victory at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.
The Bills had lived up to their pre-season Super Bowl favourites tag after outscoring their opponents 72-17 in their first two outings, but they came unstuck in Florida.
Two touchdowns from Chase Edmonds propelled the Dolphins to a first win in eight against the Dolphins and gave them sole possession of top spot in the AFC East.
The Dolphins came out on top despite being outgained 497-212 in total yards, with Buffalo picking up 31 first downs to their opponents' 15.
Josh Allen has often been a menace against the Dolphins and completed a career-high 42 passes from 63 attempts for 400 yards and two touchdowns, but it was not enough for the Bills.
Miami took the lead with 10 minutes remaining through the second of Edmonds' touchdowns, and held on despite punter Thomas Morstead bizarrely kicking one into his own teammates' rear end and out of bounds for a safety.
Allen drove the Bills as far as Miami's 41-yard line on a completion to Isaiah McKenzie, but he was unable to get out of bounds and the clock struck zero before Allen could spike the ball for a potential game-winning field goal.
Jackson's five inspires Ravens
Lamar Jackson's five touchdowns inflicted a 37-26 loss on the New England Patriots and moved the Baltimore Ravens 2-1 in the AFC North.
Jackson became the first player in NFL history to register three-plus pass touchdowns and 100+ rushing yards twice in the same season, doing so in back-to-back games.
Mac Jones matched Jackson with a rushing touchdown and threw for 323 yards, but the Pats' offense ultimately self-destructed in a disappointing defeat at Gillette Stadium, with Jones limping off at the end to add insult to injury.
Mahomes interception proves costly
Rodney McLeod picked off Patrick Mahomes with eight seconds left for the latter's first interception of the season as the Indianapolis Colts beat the Kansas City Chiefs 20-17.
Mahomes finished the game 20 for 35 for 262 yards, one touchdown and that costly interception that saw the Chiefs fall to 2-1 for the year.
The Colts only took the lead with 24 seconds left in the fourth quarter as Matt Ryan and Jelani Woods hooked up for the second time with a 12-yard touchdown.
Denmark threw down a gauntlet for the Qatar 2022 World Cup with a 2-0 win over France, only to narrowly miss out on the Nations League Finals.
First-half goals for Kasper Dolberg and Andreas Skov Olsen put the Danes firmly in the frame to reach next year's final four, only for rivals Croatia to net twice in the second half to beat Austria and finish top of Group A1.
Nevertheless, an assured victory over World Cup holders France in Copenhagen offered a sharp reminder of Denmark's dark horse credentials for Qatar, after also reaching the Euro 2020 semi-finals.
Austria's defeat ensured Les Bleus dodged relegation to the second tier, but for Didier Deschamps, alarm bells may be ringing after a lacklustre campaign.
With the risk of the drop breathing down their necks, it was the visitors who started sharpest, with Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann delivering early tests for Kasper Schmeichel.
Yet Denmark steadily gained ground, and when Dolberg lunged by the left post to meet Mikkel Damsgaard's cross and bobble a finish over Alphonse Areola in the 34th minute, their lead was not an unworthy one.
Olsen's rocket of a volley through a crowded box after a poorly fielded corner was a fine finish too, five minutes later, and it was France who went into the sheds on the back foot.
Attempts to fight back after the interval were frequent, if speculative, with Mbappe almost catching Schmeichel out twice, but Denmark's game management proved too shrewd to be broken, seeing them through for a famous win.
The Netherlands booked their place in the Nations League Finals as Virgil van Dijk's second-half header sealed a 1-0 win over Belgium on Sunday.
Victory over Poland on Thursday meant the Oranje only needed to avoid a heavy defeat to their neighbours at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam to seal top spot in Group A4.
Belgium never looked like they had the firepower to pull off such a result, with Liverpool defender Van Dijk securing three points for the hosts by scoring in the 73rd minute.
The result meant the Netherlands topped their group with 16 points, with Roberto Martinez's Red Devils six points behind in second.
Belgium looked bright in the early stages, with Eden Hazard blazing over from a promising position and Michy Batshuayi firing at Remko Pasveer after being played in by Kevin De Bruyne.
At the other end, Denzel Dumfries cracked wide from 12 yards after fine work down the left from Vincent Janssen, which was the closest the hosts came in a first half that saw them fail to have an attempt on target.
Dumfries again went close at the start of the second period, while Belgium's Amadou Onana was denied by a smart stop from Pasveer shortly after the hour mark.
Steven Bergwijn powered a shot straight at Thibaut Courtois as the Netherlands cranked up the pressure, before Van Dijk handed the hosts victory with a close-range header from Cody Gakpo's corner.
Courtois did well to deny Davy Klaassen and Bergwijn in the closing stages, while Belgium substitute Dodi Lukebakio struck the post with a sensational overhead kick with almost the last kick of the game.
Italy boss Roberto Mancini says he is "pleased" to see Hungary thriving under former team-mate Marco Rossi, as the pair face off for a winner-takes-all Nations League clash.
The two sides meet in their final match in Group A3 on Monday, with the Azzurri needing victory in order to leapfrog their hosts into next year's finals in Budapest.
In a group that also included 2014 World Cup winners Germany and Euro 2020 finalists England, Hungary had been written off as easy pickings for relegation from the A tier of the Nations League.
But wins over both nations has catapulted them to top spot, and Mancini said he is delighted to see former Sampdoria team-mate Rossi showcasing his skill, stating that he is under no illusion of the task at hand.
"Playing in Hungary is never easy, but I am pleased that they have done so well in the Nations League, especially as their coach is my former team-mate," he stated.
"I see it as 50-50, because they can also count on a draw to go through. The fact we are here challenging for first place with 90 minutes to go is already pleasing, so we'll give it our all."
Italy will be without Ciro Immobile for the trip despite the striker making the journey to the airport, only to be left behind when the squad flew to Hungary.
Reports that Lazio's president Claudio Loitio ordered him to remain behind owing to a slight thigh issue were not commented on by Mancini, though he admitted the forward was not worth the risk.
"We tried and Immobile did everything right in trying to stay with us, but this morning we decided it wasn’t worth the risk," he added.
"It was disappointing for him and for us. Ciro would happily have stayed, and he did during the first game, but it was too dangerous to risk it.
"He wasn't in awful shape, but hasn't trained with us for three days. We met up when arriving in Milan, but his absence had already been discussed."
Mohammad Rizwan and Haris Rauf starred as Pakistan clinched a three-run victory over England to level their T20I series at 2-2 after a stunning match in Karachi.
Captain Babar Azam and Rizwan combined for an opening partnership of 97 as Pakistan posted 166-4, setting a target that England would have fancied chasing down.
Yet the visitors were unable to get there, despite a determined rally from Liam Dawson, leaving Pakistan to celebrate victory in what was their 200th T20I.
Rauf picked up three prized wickets, including that of Dawson, to take the player of the match award.
After both made just eight in the third match, Babar and Rizwan this time rekindled the form they showed in the second contest of this series when Pakistan swept to a 10-wicket win.
Babar made a handy 36 before being caught by Ben Duckett off Dawson's bowling, but Rizwan ploughed on to reach 88, eventually falling to Reece Topley in the final over.
Shan Masood made 21 and Asif Ali clattered two late sixes in 13no from three balls, as Pakistan pushed up their score.
The home team had work to do with the ball but came out firing, taking early wickets to dismiss Phil Salt (8), Alex Hales (5) and Will Jacks (0) in the first two overs of England's reply, as Mohammad Nawaz and Mohammad Hasnain made inroads.
England found batting rhythm through Duckett, striking three consecutive boundaries, although Nawaz put down a sitter to drop Harry Brook before he dismissed Duckett lbw for 33 in the eighth over.
Captain Moeen Ali made 29 and Brook fell for 34, before Dawson looked like winning it with a gallant effort for England. He reached 34 at breakneck speed, but a brilliant over from Rauf (3-32) halted the fightback as he had Dawson caught before bowling Olly Stone with the next delivery.
It meant England went from 162-7 to 162-9, and Masood ran out Topley in the final over to finish the contest, with three matches remaining in the series as the teams head for Lahore.
Rizwan and Babar set record
Pakistan's opening pair of Babar and Rizwan became the first batting duo to register 2,000 runs as partners in men's T20I cricket, coming into the day with 1,946 and smashing their way through the landmark figure.
The duo also equalled Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul's record of 14 partnerships scoring above 50 in T20Is.
Dawson drives recovery
England looked to be down and out heading into the final few overs, but Dawson's blistering display with the bat took advantage of some lacklustre bowling to briefly change the tide of the game.
His runs came from just 17 balls and contained five fours and a six, providing a glimpse of a comeback, but he was unable to finish the job.
Jamal Musiala has no regrets and is "very happy" with his decision to represent Germany over England ahead of Monday's Nations League clash at Wembley.
Born in Stuttgart, Musiala spent a significant part of his childhood in England and was with Chelsea from 2011 until 2019, while he also captained the Three Lions at youth level.
However, he returned to Germany in 2019 to join Bayern Munich and elected to represent Hansi Flick's side last year.
Musiala will now face off against the side he could have represented on Monday and made it clear he has no regrets about the decision on his international allegiance.
"I feel good to be here in England. I am very motivated. England are a very strong team and my past makes me want to play even more," he said.
"I don't know exactly how many times I've played at Wembley. I've been to school tournaments here before and made it to a final there twice. The atmosphere at Wembley is always great.
"It wasn't an easy decision and I thought about it for a long time. In the end it was a decision I made with my family and I'm very happy with. Some England fans are definitely not happy with my decision but that shows that I play well."
Flick has confirmed Musiala will start for Germany in their Nations League dead rubber at Wembley and heaped praise upon the 19-year-old.
"When he trained for the first time, you immediately noticed what a talent he is. His development is fantastic," he declared.
"He can hold his own well in a small space and has a strong feeling for the space. He is also very strong at dribbling, which is why he can solve situations for us.
"In addition, he is very skilled defensively and has many ball wins. I'm glad he's playing for Germany."
Andy Murray insists he is not thinking about retirement following Roger Federer's emotional farewell, and declared he would not deserve anything on a similar scale.
The Briton was on hand for the 20-time grand slam champion's final bow at the Laver Cup on Friday, with both men competing as part of Team Europe.
Federer exited with a doubles defeat, partnering old rival Rafael Nadal, while Novak Djokovic also featured, to mark a tournament reunion for the one-time 'Big Four' of men's tennis.
Injuries and slowing form for Murray saw that moniker slip to the 'Big Three' as Murray faded, and the former world number one says he certainly does not feel worthy of the acclaim afforded to the 41-year-old Federer.
"I certainly won't and don't deserve to have a send-off like that," Murray said, after he and Matteo Berrettini lost their doubles clash to Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jack Sock on Sunday.
"Roger did deserve that night. I'm not going to have a farewell match like that. I probably would announce when I'm going to play my last event, but when that is, I don't know."
Murray was adamant he would not be bowing out just yet, however, stating that Federer's retirement had not got him mulling over whether it is time to hang up the racket too.
"I'm really not thinking about that right now," Murray said. "I'm still playing competitive tennis and physically feeling good against top players.
"I just need to start really turning some of these tight losses and close matches into wins. It's as simple as that."
A three-time grand slam winner, Murray is the only men's singles player in history to have two Olympic gold medals, having won titles at London 2012 and Rio 2016 – the latter in the year he also won the ATP Tour Finals as well as Wimbledon for a second time.
Felix Auger-Aliassime and Frances Tiafoe played starring roles as Team World won three matches on the spin on Sunday to claim a first Laver Cup triumph over Team Europe.
Team World went into the final day of action at the O2 Arena in London sitting four points behind their opponents, but they produced a stirring fightback to claim the trophy at the fifth time of asking.
Central to their success was Canadian Auger-Aliassime, who beat Novak Djokovic in singles after successfully teaming up with Jack Sock in the doubles.
Holding an 8-4 lead from Saturday, many expected Team Europe to breeze it from there, but John McEnroe's World team had other ideas and earned a 13-8 victory.
Up first in the doubles were Auger-Aliassime and Sock, who lost the first set to Team Europe's Andy Murray and Matteo Berrettini.
However, the World duo roared back to deliver three points for their team by claiming a 2-6 6-3 10-8 victory.
Djokovic won two matches for Team Europe on Saturday, yet he was powerless to stop Auger-Aliassime in their singles clash. The 22-year-old Canadian landed a 6-3 7-6 (7-3) over the Wimbledon champion.
That moved Team World 10-8 ahead in the overall contest, setting the stage for a decisive clash between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Frances Tiafoe, with a further three points at stake.
Greek Tsitsipas won the first set, but 24-year-old American Tiafoe stormed back to win an epic tie-break in the second on his way to a 1-6 7-6 (13-11) 10-8 success.
Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav were decisive with the bat as India dramatically sealed a series win over Australia with one ball to spare.
Australia were put into bat first by the hosts and they looked to be in a decent position when reaching 186-7.
India's response did not start impressively but the 104-run stand of Kohli and Yadav put Rohit Sharma's men back on track, eventually sealing victory – and the series – right at the end as their T20 World Cup preparations continued positively.
Cameron Green (52) was crucial to Australia's blazing start, though he did not get much support as Aaron Finch (7), Steven Smith (9) and Glenn Maxwell (6) all failed to even reach double digits.
Axar Patel (3-33) more than played his part with the ball, taking Finch, Maxwell and then Josh Inglis (24), who did at least contribute to providing a little more stability for Australia.
Tim David (54) top scored and Daniel Sams (28 not out) aided a late flurry, with their total looking unlikely to be toppled at the beginning of India's chase as KL Rahul (1) and Sharma (17) fell without making much of an impact.
But Kohli and Yadav soon took over as India made a massive dent in the deficit.
Sams (2-33) and Josh Hazlewood (1-40) eventually claimed their respective scalps, but Hardik Pandya (25) came in to see India over the line, with a thick edge off Sams ensuring they got the job done with a ball left.
India wield the Axar
Patel is surely in contention to be player of the series, with this another very impressive bowling performance.
His efforts ruined Australia's middle-order momentum and you can make a case for that being ultimately decisive on the day.
Yadav powers India into the ascendancy
This was a brutal showing with the bat. Yadav's 69 was off just 36 balls and came at a time when India desperately needed an injection of bravery.
Kohli definitely played his part, but Yadav attacked with even greater emphasis.
A superb 62 for Guido Migliozzi on the final day saw the Italian take victory in the Open de France to land a third DP World Tour title.
Migliozzi, who was 13 strokes off the halfway lead, was bogey free on Sunday, with a nine-under-par round taking him to 16 under for the tournament.
It was enough to topple Rasmus Hojgaard from the top of the leaderboard, after the Dane led overnight despite having a quintuple bogey in his third round.
Hojgaard closed out his week with a 68 to finish at 15 under, making a birdie two at the second hole, where his shocking eight came on Saturday.
Migliozzi put himself on course for victory with five consecutive birdies from the sixth, including one from 35 feet at the seventh, and three more in succession from the 13th, with another gain on the par-four 18th giving him the outright lead.
His score on Sunday matched the course record at Le Golf National, which had also been tied by Hojgaard in the first round.
Hojgaard's failure to produce a chip-in birdie on the last handed victory to Migliozzi, who earns €510,000 for the win.
Thomas Pieters, George Coetzee and Paul Barjon finished five strokes behind the champion in a share of third, ahead of Jamie Donaldson.
Boxing could lose its place at the Olympic Games after the sport's world governing body for amateurs threw its support behind president Umar Kremlev.
The Russian survived a special congress vote of the International Boxing Association (IBA) over whether a fresh leadership challenge should take place, with delegates in the Armenian capital of Yerevan voting 106 votes to 36 against the idea.
It meant Dutchman Boris van der Vorst was prevented from challenging Kremlev, as he was in May when he was ruled ineligible after being found to have broken campaign rules, in a decision that was later overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
With boxing having been dropped from the initial list of sports for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, the latest development appears to signal its likely post-Paris 2024 departure from the Olympic programme.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) originally suspended its recognition for IBA, under its previous guise of AIBA, in 2019 over a series of varying concerns.
Reacting to Sunday's news, the IOC pointed to "disturbing developments" that would be examined at its next meeting.
Kremlev said after the vote that guarantees him a four-year term: "I thank national federations for their trust. This is the full stop in all governance issues within IBA, congress showed its will clearly in a transparent manner.
"I respect the decision of our national federations and will do everything possible to support them, as well as our athletes and coaches. I want to send a clear message today. IBA is an independent and strong organisation. Our congress has proved today that we are on a right track."
The Kremlev-led IBA said on Friday it had suspended the Ukrainian Boxing Federation, citing "interference of the government in the work of the national federation".
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