Borussia Dortmund coach Marco Rose explained that Erling Haaland knows he is still missing an edge following his return from injury, but has full confidence in the striker.
Haaland started for the first time since January 22 on Sunday, as Dortmund were held to a 1-1 draw at Cologne to dent their hopes of mounting a Bundesliga title challenge.
It was hardly a vintage display from the 21-year-old, who managed as many touches in his own box as Cologne's (four), while he missed both of Dortmund's best opportunities based on Opta's expected goals (xG) model.
Haaland, who may well be entering his final few months at BVB, drilled wide in the first half when one-on-one with Marvin Schwabe, who stood firm against the forward after the break, denying Dortmund's number nine from close range.
Those opportunities had a combined xG of 0.73. Essentially, Haaland had a 73 per cent chance of getting a goal from those chances
However, with Haaland getting 87 minutes under his belt before making way for Reinier Jesus, Rose has no doubt his star man will return to his best form after the international break.
"I'll start with Erling," Rose told a news conference. "I think the game was important for Erling. You must create chances, which he did once today with a big one.
"He had a good game. I briefly talked to him, and he knows that he's still missing something. But I think we're on a good path and he will score again if he returns healthy from the international break."
Dortmund are unbeaten in their last six Bundesliga games but have dropped valuable points against Augsburg and now Cologne during that run, allowing Bayern Munich – who thrashed Union Berlin 4-0 on Saturday – to move six points clear at the top.
"I just said it in the interview outside, I will play this game with you. If we lose a game, you say 'you screwed up', then we win a game and Bayern drops points and I get asked if we are involved again in the title race," Rose said.
"So, it's almost a running gag now. We like to be up there and want to win games. We didn't win, so we are disappointed. The result of not winning football games is that the gap between Bayern and us is growing.
"But we also already had game days like last week where we got closer. We have seven more games after the international break. We play [RB] Leipzig at home in a sold-out stadium. We want to get the maximum out of this season."
The Rugby Football Union's (RFU) claim England made progress during a tough Six Nations campaign has been criticised by ex-international Ugo Monye, who called their statement "dishonest".
Eddie Jones' side finished a distant third behind Ireland and Grand Slam winners France, managing just two wins from their five games.
It marked a second successive dismal Six Nations, far removed from reaching the final of the 2019 World Cup that marked the high point of the Australian's tenure in charge.
Now, a year-and-a-half out from the 2023 World Cup in France, the RFU has sought to frame their results as stepping stones, but Monye – a 14-time England international – believes such claims are untruthful.
"I want to know who in the RFU thinks that signifies progress and are happy with how things are," Monye told BBC Sport's Rugby Union Daily podcast.
"Fundamentally it's just dishonest. There isn't progress. With the financial backing, the player pool and the coaching staff they have you cannot be winning two out of five games two years in a row.
Lewis Hamilton admitted he does not think Mercedes will be more competitive at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but believes his podium finish in Bahrain has still boosted spirits.
Mercedes struggled with their new W13 car through much of the weekend at Sakhir, but came away with a surprise third-place finish after both Red Bulls failed in the final laps, allowing Hamilton – who had qualified fifth – to capitalise.
While Hamilton has already stated their result was "the best result we could have got" in the circumstances, the seven-time world champion doubts they will be up to the pace in Jeddah.
"No, I don't think so," he said in a news conference. "Of course we've learned a lot from this week. The car was very hard to drive but it could always be worse.
"I’m hoping for the next race we manage to find some improvements but it's a fundamental issue that's going to take a little bit longer I think to fix."
Mercedes previously considered their objective in Bahrain to be damage limitation given their disadvantage, but Hamilton agreed they had been lifted by their unexpected reward.
"I think [it is] incredibly motivating for the whole team," he added. "Everyone’s stayed positive, everyone's just kept their head down and kept working. No one moaned.
"In terms of our processes, in terms of squeezing absolutely everything out of the car, I think that's what we did today. I think that's a true showing of strength within.
"It is such a long season. It's going to be such a hard battle but we love a challenge. I really do enjoy a challenge."
Hamilton would have missed third without the double retirement that hit both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, but the seven-time world champion refused to consider it karma for last year's Abu Dhabi final.
"I don't have a response to it," he added. "I just focused on our job. Obviously it was unfortunate for them today but, yeah, I just focus on positives."
Charles Leclerc and Carlos claimed a Ferrari one-two to emerge as the early pacesetters of the season.
Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has slammed his side claiming that they "gave in and quit" in Sunday's 124-104 loss to the Boston Celtics.
The Nuggets trailed 68-43 at half-time after a 46-21 run to the Celtics, leading to Malone benching several starters for the third quarter, including MVP Nikola Jokic who shot eight-of-23 from the field for his 23 points.
Malone was livid with his side, who slipped to a 42-30 record and seventh spot in the Western Conference.
"To me, it appeared we just kind of gave in and quit. I didn't want to reward that behaviour," Malone told reporters after the game.
"I thought the bench unit was at least going out there and competing and fighting."
Malone added: "If somebody’s kicking our ass and we’re fighting and competing, and they’re better than us, so be it,"
"They’re a very good team, but if we’re getting our butts kicked, and we’re just taking it, possession after possession, heads are dropped, body language giving in, I’m not going to reward that behaviour.
"There’s principles in life, and that goes against every principle inside my body."
Jokic was well down on his usual output with eight rebounds and four assists along with his 23 points, while starters Aaron Gordon (13 points, four rebounds), Monte Morris (seven points, four rebounds and four assists), Will Barton (eight points and five rebounds) and Jeff Green (six points and one rebound) struggled for impact.
"Tonight I can't point to one thing we did well," Malone said.
Jokic added: "Overall, they had a really good defensive game and I had a really bad offensive game."
Jayson Tatum, who was serenaded with "MVP" chants from the Celtics crowd, was joint top scorer with 30 points along with Jaylen Brown.
Boston's win improves their record to 44-28 and fourth in the east, having won three in a row and 10 of their past 12 games.
Barcelona head coach Xavi and captain Sergio Busquets have both not ruled out a remarkable late title push after their stunning 4-0 Clasico victory.
The Blaugrana overwhelmed league-leading Real Madrid with a double from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang along with strikes from Ronald Araujo and Ferran Torres at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The victory means third-placed Barcelona have 54 points from 28 games, but still trail Madrid by 12 points although the Catalans do have a game in hand.
But Barcelona have been buoyed by an exceptional turnaround in form since Xavi's arrival as boss along with their flurry of January transfers which have boosted the side.
The Blaugrana are on a 10-match unbeaten streak in LaLiga while they have won their past five league games.
Barcelona has a record of eight wins and three draws from 11 matches in all competitions since the closure of the January transfer window too, offering them momentum.
"I don't know if we can win the title, we can't rule out anything," Xavi told reporters after the Clasico. "Maybe we're a bit late, but this is a very big win for us.
"We were much better than Real Madrid. We played almost as a home team in the the ground. It's a day to enjoy, not only as a Barca manager but also a fan.
"We could easily have scored five or six. We changed our negative dynamic of losing the last few Clasicos."
Busquets reiterated Xavi's sentiment that Barca retained some title hope, albeit small.
"If we still have a small chance to make a run for the title, we will fight until the end," the 33-year-old midfielder said. "It's very difficult but in football anything can happen. We are Barca."
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said his team needs to appreciate a decreased margin for error with Stephen Curry injured, after their 110-108 home loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Curry is in a race to return to the court before the playoffs begin in April, and the Warriors felt his absence, getting out-shot from long range by the 28-44 Spurs, currently 11th in the Western Conference.
The Warriors have been undermanned all season with their big-man stocks as James Wiseman, the second pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, is yet to make his season debut.
Coach Kerr stressed this point, and pointed out that he did not feel like his team brought the requisite intensity before it was too late.
"We have to understand – and I told the guys this at half-time and after the game – that we're undermanned," he said.
"There's 11 games left now, and we're looking at the playoffs, and there's gotta be a sense of urgency.
"There's gotta be a sense of competitive fight that we take to the other team from the very beginning of the game, and I did not see that until we were really late in the game.
"We were great in that fourth quarter, fighting like crazy, but we need to fight like crazy from the start."
Formula One managing director Ross Brawn is tentatively satisfied by the racing impact of new regulations, following the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday.
Following an era dominated by the Mercedes team, significant regulation changes have been made for the 2022 season, to allow for closer racing.
Brawn, who was tasked with implementing the regulation changes by Formula One, praised the "raceability" of the current cars in comparison to previous years.
"We're delighted," Brawn told Sky Sports F1 post-race. "It is the first race so we have to be careful but all the signs are that we have moved in the direction that we wanted to move in, and the ability of the cars to race each other has improved.
"In the past we have always focused on car safety and performance. Now we should focus on raceability. That should be in there as well, because there's never been any attention paid to it."
Some of the biggest regulation changes for 2022 relate to aerodynamic output and cleaning up the turbulent wake that quickly overheated following cars in recent past, affecting the potential of wheel-to-wheel racing, despite the optimal increase in performance.
Though lap times during winter testing reflect slower overall performance, Charles Leclerc's win at Sakhir on Sunday didn't come until after a closely fought battle with reigning world champion Max Verstappen.
Brawn believes Formula One is on the path to finding balance.
"We could see from previous cars, you could simply see the downforce or the aerodynamic performance of the car that was following degrading hugely when it was behind another car," he said.
"We (Formula One) can't see the data because we're the commercial rights holder, but the FIA will now look at all the data of the cars and from that, put that into the research program to see how we can improve it further.
"I think anecdotally, you could see the cars can race a lot better."
The ascending Boston Celtics added another scalp to their resume, holding reigning MVP Nikola Jokic to his season-worst shooting percentage in a 124-104 win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
In a stunning year-on-year improvement, the Celtics have been the best defence in the NBA this season after finishing 17th in that department this past season.
With new coach Ime Udoka going all-in on a switching defensive system, it was theoretically going to be tested against the best passing big man in league history, and arguably the league's most dominant offensive force.
However, Jokic was bottled up similarly to everyone else the Celtics have played in 2022, going 8-of-23 (34.7 per cent) from the field in the blowout loss.
Jokic, who is shooting 57 per cent from the field for the season, had previously had his worst shooting performance when he went 6-of-17 (35.3 per cent) in an early-December loss against the Chicago Bulls.
Boston's two superstar wings combined for 60 points, as Jayson Tatum posted 30 points (11-of-17 shooting, 6-of-10 from three) with seven assists, while Jaylen Brown had 30 points (12-of-19 shooting, 3-of-6 from three) with six rebounds.
The ascending Boston Celtics added another scalp to their resume, holding reigning MVP Nikola Jokic to his season-worst shooting percentage in a 124-104 win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
In a stunning year-on-year improvement, the Celtics have been the best defence in the NBA this season after finishing 17th in that department this past season.
With new coach Ime Udoka going all-in on a switching defensive system, it was theoretically going to be tested against the best passing big man in league history, and arguably the league's most dominant offensive force.
However, Jokic was bottled up similarly to everyone else the Celtics have played in 2022, going 8-of-23 (34.7 per cent) from the field in the blowout loss.
Jokic, who is shooting 57 per cent from the field for the season, had previously had his worst shooting performance when he went 6-of-17 (35.3 per cent) in an early-December loss against the Chicago Bulls.
Boston's two superstar wings combined for 60 points, as Jayson Tatum posted 30 points (11-of-17 shooting, 6-of-10 from three) with seven assists, while Jaylen Brown had 30 points (12-of-19 shooting, 3-of-6 from three) with six rebounds.
Rafael Nadal is facing new injury concerns, after Taylor Fritz ended his unbeaten streak for 2022 in the Indian Wells Masters final on Sunday.
Having to take a medical timeout during his win in the semi-final against countryman Carlos Alcaraz, the 35-year-old was forced into another injury break against Fritz, before losing 6-3 7-6 (7-5).
Nadal, whose 2021 was halted mid-year due to foot injury after back pain at the start of the season, ultimately rued his inability to fully compete against Fritz.
"I had pain, honestly. I had problems breathing," he said post-match. "I don't know if it's something on the rib, I don't know yet. When I'm breathing, when I'm moving it's like a needle all the time inside. I get dizzy a little bit because it's painful.
"It's a kind of pain that limits me a lot. It's not only about pain, I don't feel very well because [it] affects my breathing."
Nadal's 20-match unbeaten streak for 2022, which saw him claim the Australian Open and Acapulco titles in the process, also came to an end on Sunday. The world number four said the streak ending before coming into the clay season provides particular sadness.
"Honestly, I wanted to make it perfect before clay. [It] has been very, very, very beautiful," Nadal said.
"Honestly, I am sad because the way I was not able to compete. It's tough to have these feelings….but in the final it's very, very ugly. But in sport it's not about talking of the past, we need to talk about today. And today is a difficult day for me. "
Nadal commended Fritz on the victory, however. The 24-year-old claimed his maiden ATP 1000 title despite carrying an ankle injury.
According to the 21-time grand slam winner, it is a sign of things to come from the American, who had to back up from a tough win over Andrey Rublev in the semi-final on Saturday.
"Victories like today help. He played well. He went through some great matches during this week I think, especially yesterday," he said.
"A lot of credit to him on the victory of yesterday. In my opinion, his victory of yesterday is much bigger than his victory of today because he had [a] much tougher opponent in from yesterday.
"He already played great matches in Australia, this year if I'm not wrong, against [Stefanos] Tsitsipas.
"It's obvious that he is improving. With this victory, it's a great start of the season for him. He will have a chance to be very close if not in the top 10 very soon."
Legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is through to the Sweet 16 at his last March Madness before he retires.
'Coach K' is in his 42nd season in charge at the school, and is searching for his sixth national championship.
His Blue Devils took on Michigan State and fellow Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo in the second round on Sunday, pulling away late to win 85-76.
Duke boasts three likely first round picks in this year's NBA Draft, and they showed exactly why, headlined by potential number one overall Paolo Banchero.
Banchero, who stands at six-foot-10, showed his all-round game, hitting tough pull-up jump shots, flashing an advanced interior passing game and defensive mobility to finish with a team-high 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 2-of-5 from long range, and an equal team-high four assists.
Two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry is optimistic he can return from his left foot injury prior to the playoffs.
Curry sprained a ligament in his left foot on March 16 against the Boston Celtics, with the Golden State Warriors stating on Friday that he would be re-evaluated in two weeks.
The Warriors, who held a 47-23 record prior to Sunday's game against the San Antonio Spurs and sit third in the west, will have five regular-season games remaining when Curry is due to be re-evaluated.
The NBA playoffs are due to commence on April 16 and Curry was optimistic about getting in some games prior to that when he spoke to the media on Sunday wearing a boot on his injured foot.
"I think I'll get enough time for that but I'm an optimist," Curry told reporters.
"It was definitely painful at first. But it's getting better by the day. Trying to assess the recovery in real-time, just knowing how much we can push it on a day to day.
"I'm just trying to stay patient and know that it will continue to get better."
Three-time NBA champion Curry has been a key part of the Warriors' success this season, after the side missed the playoffs in 2020 and 2021.
Curry, who broke Ray Allen's all-time NBA record for three-pointers made this season, has scored 25.5 points per game, with 5.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists this season.
Sunday's game against the Spurs will be Golden State's first without Curry since the injury, with the side hoping to hold on to the third seed in the west with the Memphis Grizzlies (49-23) ahead of them, while the Utah Jazz (44-26) and Dallas Mavericks (43-28) are a few games back.
Curry, however, said diligence in recovery was the key with a view to fully recovering from the injury ahead of the playoffs.
"You want to not rush the beginning phases of healing," Curry said. "That's where you can get the most progress so when you put the shoe back on, get back out on the court, you're not dealing with crazy soreness.
"You give yourself a better shot because this is one that if you push it too soon, it can linger and be a real nuisance."
Curry also had no hard feelings towards Celtics guard Marcus Smart who was involved in the incident that led to the injury after head coach Steve Kerr had criticized him for "dangerous play".
"He made the play that he did, but I don't think it was malicious or dirty," Curry said.
Taylor Fritz had never experienced "worse pain in my life before a match" before overcoming an ankle injury to end Rafael Nadal's winning start to the season and win the Indian Wells Masters on Sunday.
The American 20th seed, who has never been further than the fourth round at a major, claimed a breakthrough maiden ATP Masters 1000 title with a 6-3 7-6 (7-5) victory over Nadal in two hours and six minutes.
Fritz, 24, was not sure if he would be able to take his place in Sunday's decider after tweaking his ankle in Saturday's semi-final win over Andrey Rublev which he battled in the lead-up.
The injury was far from ideal preparation coming up against the Spanish fourth seed, who was on a 20-0 run to start 2022 having won January's Australian Open for a record-breaking 21st career major.
"I can't even begin to describe how ridiculous it is that I was able to play how I could play today," Fritz said during his post-match on-court interview. "I've never ever experienced worse pain in my life before a match.
"If I knew it was going to be that bad, I wouldn’t have come out here [beforehand] because I think people saw it. I took a couple of change-of-direction steps and screamed.
"I was trying to act tough as I had cameras on me. It probably looked like I was over-exaggerating the pain with how loud I screamed when I felt it.
"We did a lot of work leading up to the match. I went through a roller-coaster of emotions before the match, from thinking there's no way I could possibly play then to doing so much work on the ankle and going out again hitting on one of the backcourts and being really happy, thinking I can play.
"Really it didn’t affect me out on the court. Unbelievable."
California native Fritz, who reached last year's Indian Wells semi-finals, admitted winning the event was a "childhood dream" and that it did not feel real.
"I'm going to have to hold back tears for every single interview I do and every on-court speech," he said. "This is going to be tough. I'm such a happy crier.
"This is one of those childhood dreams, winning this tournament especially, you never thought would come true. I keep saying 'no way this is real'."
The title is the biggest of Fritz's career to date, triumphing in his first Masters 1000 final, and becoming the first American men's champion at Indian Wells since Andre Agassi in 2001.
Fritz is also the youngest male champion at the event since Novak Djokovic in 2011 and achieved that by ending Nadal's career-best 20-match win streak, denying him a record-tying 37th ATP Masters 1000 title too.
"I've lost these matches against the big guys my whole life," Fritz said. "It's always felt like they're unbeatable. To do it on the biggest stage, there's no other way. To win a big title, I feel like you've got to beat the best."
In just three words, Barcelona centre back Gerard Pique summed up the feelings of Blaugrana die-hards after beating Real Madrid 4-0: "We are back."
It was a stunning display away from home at the Santiago Bernabeu for Xavi's side, netting two goals in each half to spin the Spanish football world on its axis for a night.
Pique played all 90 minutes alongside centre back partner Eric Garcia, marshalling a stout defence to a stylish clean sheet and providing an outlet for the Barcelona midfielders as they retained 60 percent of possession.
Barca are now on a 10-match unbeaten streak in LaLiga, with six wins and four draws, as well as making it through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League, where they will play Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Camp Nou club also has a record of eight wins and three draws from 11 matches in all competitions since the closing of the January transfer window, sporting a goal-difference of plus-21 during that span.
Since Xavi took over in early November, Barcelona have taken 37 points from 16 LaLiga games, while Madrid have claimed 39 from 17 outings, indicating the rivalry may be much closer than this season's table indicates.
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