The Green Bay Packers have kept the Aaron Rodgers-Davante Adams band together.

On the day that it was confirmed Rodgers would be staying with Green Bay, the Packers also moved to keep hold of his favourite target Adams, franchise tagging him before the deadline on Tuesday.

It means he will at least play 2022 under a one-year franchise tender, and gives the Packers until July 15 to negotiate a long-term deal.

Adams has established himself as arguably the premier wide receiver in the NFL in recent years, topping 1,000 yards in three of the last four seasons.

He racked up a career-high 1,553 yards while also scoring 11 receiving touchdowns in 2021 as the Packers clinched the top seed in the NFC playoffs with a 13-4 record, only to lose in the Divisional Round of the playoffs to the San Francisco 49ers.

Recording a burn, which is when a receiver wins his matchup with a defender on a play where he is targeted, on 65.6 per cent of his targets (the 2021 average for receivers with at least 100 targets was 62), Adams finished the year fifth among wideouts with an average of 3.5 burn yards per target.

In other words, he was again one of the NFL's elite when it came to creating clear separation from defenders, and the Packers will hope they can come to a long-term arrangement that ensures he will be doing so for Green Bay for many years to come.

Simone Inzaghi has "great regrets" following Inter's 2-1 aggregate defeat to Liverpool, but stands by his decision to not substitute Alexis Sanchez prior to the forward's sending off.

Inter trailed 2-0 heading into the Champions League last-16 second leg and were fortunate not to be further behind as Joel Matip and Mohamed Salah hit the frame of the goal.

However, Lautaro Martinez's superb 20-yard strike with just over an hour played changed the mood around Anfield and gave Inter serious hope of salvaging extra time.

Inter's prospects of staying in the competition were badly dented 107 seconds later, though, as Sanchez received a second yellow card for following through on Fabinho.

Former Arsenal and Manchester United forward Sanchez had been yellow carded late in the first half for a similar lunge on Thiago Alcantara.

Inter, who conceded late on to Roberto Firmino and Salah in the first leg, offered little attacking threat with 10 men and were lucky not to concede when Salah again hit the post.

Inzaghi is known for substituting players when they are at risk of being dismissed, but he did not feel the need to bring off Sanchez in what was an at times bad-tempered game.

"Absolutely not," he told Sky Sport Italia after his side's 1-0 win on the night.

"In general I am very careful, but at that moment I needed Sanchez on the field. I was not going to change him on an evening like this."

Sanchez is the first Inter player to see red in the knockout stages of the Champions League since Cristian Chivu against Schalke in 2011.

Inter boss Inzaghi did not comment on whether he felt the red card was harsh as he did not see the second foul, though he felt his side deserved more over the two legs.

“We feel upset about the fact we had a player sent off just when we were getting the upper hand in the game," he said of Sanchez's first dismissal in 64 games in the competition.

"There are certainly great regrets for us as we wanted to reach the last 16.

"But we were up against Liverpool, who along with Manchester City and Bayern Munich are the best team in Europe right now, and we fought them on an even keel.

"We are probably paying the price for the final 15 minutes of the first leg, because I think we had two very good games against an excellent opponent.

"I think the first 75 minutes saw us deserve far more, then we conceded on a corner, which wasn't even a good one, and the second goal really knocked us down.

"During our best period of the game and the worst for them, Alexis Sanchez was sent off, and that was bad timing.

"Over the two legs we showed we are equal to a really strong Liverpool team. We played well and I am more bitter about the game at San Siro than what happened in this game."

Martinez's goal was his first in the Champions League in 11 appearances since netting against Real Madrid in November 2020.

It proved to be nothing more than a consolation over the two legs, though it did earn the Italian champions a first win against Liverpool home or away since the 1964-65 season.

But at the end of 180 minutes, Martinez was left to rue Sanchez's red card at a pivotal moment in the game.

"We did what we wanted to by showing character," he said. "It was a pity to then go down to 10 men because these are the details that make the difference.

"All we can do now is look forward. We are out of the Champions League but still have the Coppa Italia and Serie A. We must learn from these mistakes."

Julian Nagelsmann is keen for Bayern Munich to retain the services of experienced duo Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller. 

The pair accounted for five of Bayern's goals in the 7-1 thrashing of Salzburg in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at Allianz Arena on Thursday. 

After a 1-1 draw in Austria three weeks ago, Bayern stormed into a commanding lead thanks to Lewandowski netting the earliest hat-trick in Champions League history after 23 minutes. 

The Poland international scored a pair of penalties after drawing fouls from Maximilian Wober and used his thigh to prod his third goal home after chasing down a block that hit the post. 

Serge Gnabry extended Bayern's lead further, while Muller struck either side of a consolation goal from Maurits Kjaergaard. 

Leroy Sane completed the drubbing in the closing stages, sending Bayern into the quarter-finals for the 20th time in their history – more than any other club. 

It was the seventh time the Bavarian giants have scored seven times in a single Champions League game, over twice the amount managed by any other club. 

Lewandowski and Muller – who would not be drawn on his future in a post-match interview – will be out of contract at the end of next season and Nagelsmann hopes a deal to keep them at the Allianz Arena can be struck. 

"It's not on the cards for me but it's always on the cards in professional football. I would like to have both continue in the team," said Nagelsmann. 

"They have great synergy and I have a good relationship with them and they work with my ideas, so my job is done. 

"I'm more than happy to keep them here in the team and I hope they think the same." 

Nagelsmann confirmed Gnabry and Kingsley Coman were withdrawn due to minor injury concerns, while he was not overly bothered by Maurits Kjaergaard denying Manuel Neuer a clean sheet. 

Neuer returned from a month out with a knee injury to make his 104th Champions League appearance for Bayern – more than any other goalkeeper in the club's history. 

"That was a statement win. I think we started well and had the penalties and from there it just took off. We're very happy with the performance today," Neuer told Prime Video. 

"I think we showed a different side of ourselves today and didn't concede as many chances on the break. We were also more stable in defence, which obviously gives us hope that things can continue in that vein. 

"[The performance] is up to the entire team. We knew from the start that we wanted to win the game." 

Thomas Muller added: "There wasn't any uncertainty before the game. Tension, sure. Everyone knew about the game and its importance. The 1-1 draw in the first leg was hardly a disaster, but it wasn't a great result. 

"Things went well for us today. Today we had the luck that was completely missing in Salzburg. We could have gone 1-0 down after five minutes. You're always a little dependent on situations like that, but overall we were better." 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have again utilised the franchise tag to keep Chris Godwin on the roster, doing so for the second year in a row.

Godwin was tagged last season following the Buccaneers' victory in Super Bowl LV, with Tampa Bay then unable to reach a long-term deal with the wide receiver.

Despite having his 2021 season curtailed by injury, the Bucs still see Godwin as a key cog as they plot a path to staying competitive following Tom Brady's retirement.

They have, therefore, taken the step of tagging him again, giving Tampa Bay until July 15 to negotiate a long-term deal with Godwin.

The odds of them succeeding in that aim appear better than in 2021, as the Bucs and Godwin's representatives have reportedly already been working on a deal between the two sides.

Godwin will play under a one-year, $19.18million franchise tender if he does not sign a long-term contract with Tampa Bay by the deadline.

Though his 2021 campaign was ended by a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in Week 15 against the New Orleans Saints, Godwin still finished the year with 98 receptions for 1,103 yards - both career highs - and five touchdowns.

According to Stats Perform data, Godwin registered a burn, which is when a receiver wins his matchup with a defender on a play where he is targeted, on 70.4 per cent of his targets. That ratio was third-best in the NFL among wideouts behind team-mate Mike Evans (72.7) and Tyreek Hill (70.8). 

With a multi-year contract potentially on the horizon, the Bucs are banking on Godwin recovering from his injury and maintaining that kind of form in an era where he and Evans may need to elevate whoever is handed the difficult challenge of filling Brady's shoes.

Jurgen Klopp admitted to feeling mixed emotions after Liverpool secured passage to the Champions League quarter-finals despite defeat to Inter.

The Reds moved into the last eight with a 2-1 win on aggregate despite Lautaro Martinez's second-half strike deciding an engrossing second leg at Anfield.

And, though Klopp declared himself 'really happy' to progress further in Europe's elite competition, he also confessed to feeling disappointed by the end of a 15-game unbeaten streak.

He said: "[Assistant boss] Peter Krawietz always says the art of football is to lose the right games. I still hate it. 

"If there was any type of game we could have afforded to lose it was tonight because the main target of this competition is to get through. But it's not that I'm here over the moon. 

"I'm really happy that we went through because when we saw the draw it was like, 'Okay, that's a tough one'. So we went through and I think over the two legs we deserved it, so that's fine. 

"We had some problems in the game tonight for different reasons, one is the quality of the opponent, they are a really good football team. 

"They set up like Leeds under Bielsa, just with much more quality and that makes it really tricky to play against them. 

"It was a bit slapstick how we missed our chances in the end, we still could have won the game. 

"The only thing I am really interested in is that it's fair that we are through against a really strong opponent, now let's carry on."

Martinez's goal could have set up a thrilling final half an hour on Merseyside were it not for teammate Alexis Sanchez being shown a second yellow card almost immediately after.

Klopp had no doubt that the Chilean deserved to be cautioned and also suggested he could have been sent off for a foul on Thiago Alcantara in the first half.

He continued: "I don't understand why we have to discuss that because in football, if you can win the ball only by bringing yourself in a position that you endanger the opponent then you don't win the ball. 

"If Fab goes in with the same intention then both players get injured but he is there because he judged the ball not flying in. 

"Because Sanchez is flying in, he touched the ball but in the end he cannot stop and hit Fab in a really bad way, to be honest. 

"And I think he was really lucky that he didn't get a different colour card in the first half for the foul on Thiago, leg that high. 

"Passion is absolutely good but if it leads to these kinds of things, it just doesn't help."

In the build-up to Liverpool's clash with Inter at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp went to great lengths to spell out the fact that he and his team were taking nothing for granted.

Leading 2-0 from the first leg in Milan, the Reds were the clear favourites for progression in the Champions League last 16.

But, at his pre-match press conference, their manager warned: "The danger everybody knows about. It's 2-0, the lead I think which got turned over most often in the history of football."

And he struck a similar chord in his programme notes, telling supporters: "If anyone has even a tiny percentage of complacency or entitlement, please stay away."

Of course, Klopp would have loved nothing more than for Liverpool to have produced a vintage performance that made his cautious tone seem unnecessary.

Instead, he was proven completely right about the threat posed by Simone Inzaghi's side, who had in truth been rather unfortunate to suffer a two-goal defeat in the first leg.

It is not that Inter came out all guns blazing on Merseyside, of course; this is the Italian champions in European competition we are talking about.

But their ability to play through Liverpool lines was eye-catching from the off, with the impressive Hakan Calhanoglu key to that.

And the calm manner in which the visitors' back three dealt with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane also bred confidence, with Milan Skriniar's game-high nine clearances marking him out.

As such, while Inter's best opportunity of an evenly matched first half saw Calhanoglu test Alisson from a free-kick, they had shown enough to suggest that something special could be in the offing in the second period.

You could clearly see those hopes growing close to the hour mark as Lautaro Martinez struck just wide after a beautiful back-to-front move had played him in on goal.

And so it was no surprise the Argentine made no mistake in firing home a beauty from the edge of the box moments later to bring the tie to life and put the fear into Liverpool.

It was at this point, however, that events brought to mind the popular expression which states it is better to be lucky than good when it comes to sport.

Yes, you could argue that Alexis Sanchez was fortunate to still be on the pitch having clearly caught Thiago Alcantara with a studs-up challenge in the opening 45 minutes.

But he probably did not deserve to see a second yellow for a light nick on Fabinho after winning the ball, under two minutes having passed since the Chile forward had set up Martinez's strike.

Coming so shortly after the opening goal, that blow sucked all momentum out of Inzaghi's men, effectively handing Liverpool passage into the quarter-finals on a platter, with Inter not registering another attempt on goal from that point on.

Still, even if the circumstances were somewhat fortuitous, it is hardly likely to have taken the shine off the result for Klopp, whose team have now reached the Champions League last eight in four of the last five seasons.

He would no doubt have preferred to have witnessed a more convincing performance that struck fear into Liverpool's rivals for European glory this season.

But perhaps what he got was in some ways better: another reminder that this team can see off even elite teams when not at their best. 

As this manager and players are all too aware, you need a combination of quality, mentality and luck to go all in the way in the Champions League, and Liverpool called on all three at various stages of what was a fascinating tie.

Mohamed Salah says Liverpool's 1-0 loss to Inter will act as a wake-up call after the Reds were made to work hard for their place in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Leading 2-0 from the first leg thanks to late goals from Roberto Firmino and Salah, the Reds looked comfortable for the opening hour of Tuesday's second leg at Anfield.

However, Lautaro Martinez's first goal in the competition since November 2020 – a superb swerving shot from 20 yards – gave Inter serious hope of at least forcing extra time.

Alexis Sanchez's red card 107 seconds later proved damaging, though, as Inter failed to create any further clear-cut opportunities against their Premier League opponents.

The defeat is Liverpool's first at Anfield in all competitions since March 7 last year, a run spanning some 28 matches, and marks just the third time they have lost this season.

But with his side having ultimately done enough to advance 2-1 winners on aggregate, Salah is hoping to use the rare setback to Liverpool's advantage.

"They are a tough team," Salah told BT Sport. "Even in the away game they were very good. We struggled in the beginning. We had the ball in the second half more. 

"The most important thing is that we qualified.  The most important thing is the team qualifying. We lost a game but it is a good game for us to take it and learn from it. 

"Maybe we got overconfident. It's always important to win, but tonight we hit the post twice, and missed chances. 

"But that can happen and the good thing is, it’s not in the Premier League and we have qualified. 

"Everyone wants to win the Champions League and the Premier League, so we will fight for both, and let’s see.”

Salah twice hit the frame of the goal, while Joel Matip also sent a header against the crossbar, on what proved to be a frustrating occasion for Jurgen Klopp's side.

He had previously scored eight goals in seven Champions League games this term, but failed to net from an expected goals (xG) return of 0.70 in the second leg.

The Egypt international could afford to laugh off his profligacy as attention instantly turned to Saturday's Premier League contest with Brighton and Hove Albion.

Salah added: "I hit the post twice. It’s OK – maybe I score three next time!"

Liverpool advanced to the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 2-1 aggregate victory over 10-man Inter, despite losing 1-0 in Tuesday's second leg at Anfield.

Late goals from Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah in last month's first leg ensured the Reds were in control of the tie heading into the return fixture.

The hosts hit the frame of the goal through Joel Matip and Salah and looked under no threat until the point Lautaro Martinez fired in a stunning goal for Inter with an hour played.  

Alexis Sanchez was sent off 107 seconds later for a second yellow card, however, and it was Liverpool who went closest to scoring the next goal when Salah struck the post.

Thiago Alcantara and Matip returned to Liverpool's line-up and the latter picked out the crossbar from the best of Liverpool's limited first-half openings.

Milan Skriniar superbly blocked Virgil van Dijk's goal-bound header moments later, while Hakan Calhanoglu tested Alisson at the other end from a low free-kick.

Liverpool slowly started to turn the screw and should have been out of sight in the tie, only for Salah to fire against the upright after Diogo Jota was denied by Samir Handanovic.

Those wasted chances came back to haunt Jurgen Klopp's side when Martinez unleashed a swerving 20-yard shot into the top-right corner.

Sanchez, who received a yellow for a challenge on Thiago late in the first half, was sent off for following through on the same opponent almost immediately after Martinez's goal.

Liverpool were further frustrated as Salah's cushioned volley came back off the upright, but the hosts protected their one-goal aggregate lead to reach the last eight.

Robert Lewandowski scored a record-breaking hat-trick as Bayern Munich thrashed Salzburg 7-1 to advance to the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday. 

After struggling in their 1-1 draw in the first leg three weeks ago, Lewandowski hit the ground running and had a treble by the 23rd minute. That made it the earliest hat-trick in Champions League history. 

It crushed Salzburg after a bright start and Serge Gnabry was on target as Bayern registered four first-half goals in a Champions League knockout game for the fourth time – as many as all other clubs combined. 

Substitute Maurits Kjaergaard pulled one back for Salzburg between a double from Thomas Muller, with Leroy Sane having the final say in a one-sided encounter.

Lewandowski buried a penalty after his excellent turn drew a foul from Maximilian Wober, who then saw a free-kick he gave away following a tackle on the Pole upgraded to a spot-kick following a VAR review. It resulted in another cool finish into the bottom-left corner from the striker. 

The hat-trick was completed when Lewandowski blocked Salzburg goalkeeper Philipp Kohn's clearance and bundled the ball home with his thigh after it came back off the post. 

The onslaught continued as Mohamed Camara was caught in possession on the edge of Salzburg's box by Kingsley Coman and Gnabry drilled home from the Frenchman's pass. 

Muller rifled a fine finish into the bottom-right corner as Bayern continued to dominate after the restart, but Kjaergaard pulled one back for Salzburg nine minutes after replacing Chukwubuike Adamu. 

Sane set up Muller for his second of the game in the 83rd minute and was on target himself two minutes later, steering Lewandowski's flick home at the near post to complete a resounding victory.

What does it mean? Lewandowski back on song in Europe 

After failing to register a single effort on goal in Bayern's two previous Champions League games – the first time that has happened in his career – Lewandowski hit the ground running at the Allianz Arena. 

He took little time to score his fifth hat-trick in the competition, a tally that is only bettered by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi (both eight). 

Neuer returns 

Manuel Neuer made his 104th Champions League appearance for Bayern – surpassing Oliver Kahn as the Bayern goalkeeper with the most appearances in the competition. He was unable to mark the occasion with a clean sheet, though. 

Woeful Wober 

Salzburg were always going to be up against it in Munich, but Wober's clumsy challenges all but ended their hopes of progressing before the midway point of the first half had been reached. 

What's next? 

Bayern have a tricky trip to top-four chasing Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Saturday, while Salzburg are up against Sturm Graz on Sunday. 

Robert Lewandowski made Champions League history with his first-half hat-trick in Bayern Munich's last-16 second leg against Salzburg on Tuesday. 

Poland international Lewandowski scored three goals in the opening 23 minutes. It was the earliest in a Champions League game that a player has registered a hat-trick, surpassing Marco Simone's 24-minute treble for Milan against Rosenborg in 1996. 

The 33-year-old put the Bavarian giants in front from the penalty spot in the 12th minute after drawing a foul from Maximilian Wober. 

He sent a second spot-kick into the bottom-left corner in the 21st minute after another foul from Wober was upgraded from a free-kick to a penalty following a VAR review. 

Lewandowski completed his hat-trick when he bundled home with his thigh after his block of goalkeeper Philipp Kohn's clearance came back off the post. 

It was Lewandowski's fifth treble in the competition – only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi (both eight) have managed more. 

Aaron Rodgers has confirmed he will return to the Green Bay Packers next season but denied signing a contract and refuted the alleged figures involved. 

NFL Network on Tuesday reported that Rodgers had agreed a four-year, $200million deal with Green Bay to make him the highest-paid player in NFL history. 

The quarterback was said to be receiving $153m guaranteed while giving the Packers room in the salary cap, which would have opened the door for the franchise tag to be placed on Davante Adams. 

Reigning MVP Rodgers took to Twitter to confirm he would be back on the field for the Packers next season. However, he claimed the details that had been reported were "inaccurate". 

"Hey everyone, just wanted to clear some things up; YES I will be playing with the @packers next year," Rodgers posted. 

"However, reports about me signing a contract are inaccurate, as are the supposed terms of the contract I 'signed'. 

"I'm very excited to be back. #year18" 

Rodgers was named MVP after throwing for 4,115 yards, 37 touchdowns and just four interceptions in the 2021 season. He ended the campaign ranked first in the NFL in touchdown percentage (7.0), interception percentage (0.8) and passer rating (111.9). 

Poland have been awarded a bye through to the World Cup qualifying play-off final following the postponement of their clash with Russia.

FIFA confirmed the news on Tuesday, though Russia have indicated that they will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against a ban on its national teams from competing.

Should the decision be upheld, Poland will face either Sweden or the Czech Republic – with that semi-final on March 24 still set to go ahead – for a place at Qatar 2022.

That 'Path B' final will be held at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzow on March 29.

FIFA's decision comes on the back of Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic announcing last week they would each refuse to play Russia due to ongoing events in Ukraine.

Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday 24 following weeks of rising political tensions in the region, with more than two million citizens fleeing the country.

Meanwhile, FIFA has also confirmed that Ukraine's 'Path A' semi-final with Scotland at Hampden Park, scheduled for March 24, will now take place in June.

Ukraine requested that the game be pushed back due to "the impossibility of organising both the travel and training of a team under the current circumstances".

The other semi-final in that side of the draw, the clash between Wales and Austria in Cardiff on the same day, will go ahead as planned.

However, the final will be postponed until after the Scotland and Ukraine game is played.

Mike Williams has reportedly agreed a three-year, $60million deal to stay with the Los Angeles Chargers. 

According to ESPN, the wide receiver will sign a contract that includes $40m guaranteed and $28m in the first year. 

Williams, who was drafted seventh overall in 2017 by the Chargers, had been heading for free agency but will be in Los Angeles when he begins his sixth year in the league. 

The wideout had a career-high 1,146 yards on 76 receptions in the 2021 season, the 12th best total in the league. 

The Chargers were expected to give Williams the franchise tag if an agreement could not be reached on a new contract.