Luis Enrique issued a strong defence of Alvaro Morata after a 0-0 draw with Portugal that saw debutant Aymeric Laporte impress the Spain boss ahead of Euro 2020.
The 2012 winners were unable to find a way through against the reigning champions as the two neighbouring nations met in a friendly fixture as part of their preparations for this year's tournament.
However, Spain saw Morata fail to convert a glorious late chance at the Wanda Metropolitano, his attempt when clean through hitting the crossbar.
It was one of four shots by the striker during proceedings, of which only one ended up on target. Still, he did make two key passes and, despite the crowd getting on his case following the miss, his head coach was more than happy with what he saw.
"I am not worried about it," Luis Enrique said when asked about the 28-year-old.
"The last play saw Morata kill himself to pressure. He has been a constant nuisance for the Portuguese, doing an incredible job, and in the 90th minute he is able to make a 40-metre action, fool the goalkeeper and then has bad luck when hitting the crossbar.
"I think that's something to be applauded. I have seen him very well in terms of his morale, he is already used to it [the criticism]."
There were also whistles at full-time after the hosts failed to capitalise on their dominance. Spain had 65.7 per cent of possession which led to 10 attempts, albeit Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio only had to make two saves.
"I haven't seen anyone whistle at me. I do not care. Yes, it bothers me that it is done to the players," a defiant Luis Enrique said.
"Everyone can do what they want, but I just found out now. I understand my role, I know what it means to be a public figure.
"But people praise me and even blow me kisses, so I feel loved and in Madrid I am delighted."
Laporte was clearly one of the positives to come out of the fixture for Spain, the Manchester City defender combining with fellow centre-back Pau Torres to keep Cristiano Ronaldo quiet.
After Portugal had just one on-target attempt during the contest, Luis Enrique said: "I have seen it as expected, very good. It is not common and normal to have two left-sided central defenders, but I have played many years with right central defenders and it does not surprise anyone.
"It is difficult to find two left-sided central defenders of this quality. They have been exceptional, dominating in the air, in passing the ball, putting pressure on the Portuguese forwards. They were outstanding."
The weather could not dampen the spirits of Daniil Medvedev as he reached the fourth round of the French Open for the first time on Friday.
The Russian was in good form as he beat Reilly Opelka 6-4 6-2 6-4 amid rainy conditions in the French capital.
The second seed, who will meet clay-court specialist Cristian Garin next, hit 28 winners to 16 unforced errors in a dominant display on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
It was a display to instil some confidence into Medvedev as he chases the world number-one spot, which he will claim if he reaches the final and Novak Djokovic does not.
"Clay at Roland Garros feels great this year," he said. "As I said after the first round [against Alexander Bublik], now I know that to beat me, the guys have to play well. I am definitely happy with my game and my return today, because I actually hit more aces than him. That's a great achievement.
"I think a little bit [the] rainy conditions, wet, heavy court – which I totally hate on clay – helped me today. In these conditions, even guessing one side, I could still get back to another side if I saw the serve coming the other way."
ZVEREV DIGS DEEP TO PROGRESS
Alexander Zverev joined Medvedev in the last 16, the sixth seed saving three set points in the second set against Laslo Djere before taking nine of the next 11 games to ease to a 6-2 7-5 6-2 win.
"I was down 3-5, 40-0 on his serve and you don't always come back from that score," said Zverev, who will now meet three-time quarter-finalist Kei Nishikori. "He played a fantastic match, he is playing great on this surface so I knew I had to play much, much better than the first two rounds and I did that today."
Twelfth seed Pablo Carreno Busta was also a straight-sets winner, seeing off Steve Johnson to set up a meeting with Stefanos Tsitsipas, who survived a stern examination by John Isner.
Having lost the first set to the big-serving American, Tsitsipas recovered to win 5-7 6-3 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 at close to midnight local time to extend his winning streak on clay to seven matches.
FOGNINI STUNNED, FOKI EDGES FIVE-SET EPIC
Federico Delbonis stunned 27th seed Fabio Fognini 6-4 6-1 6-3. He will take on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who came through a brutal five-set contest with Casper Ruud that lasted more than four and a half hours.
"I think this match represents Roland Garros," said the man known as 'Foki' to his fans. "This match was very tough. He played unbelievable.
"In the fifth set, we were in [a] battle every game. Every game we wanted to win [and] to break the serve of the other guy. It was, with all [the] emotions inside [and] with all the crowd singing your name, unbelievable!"
Ronald Koeman admits it was a relief to see speculation over his future as Barcelona head coach ended this week.
On Thursday, Barca president Joan Laporta confirmed Koeman would remain in charge of the first team for the 2021-22 season.
A hero as a player at Camp Nou, Koeman could only secure third place in LaLiga last season as Atletico Madrid won the title, his Copa del Rey success doing little to quieten the doubters.
Laporta had seemed keen to appoint a replacement before next season, with former club captain Xavi reportedly among the favourites for the role, but he announced his support for Koeman following a "reflection period".
Koeman said the discussions and doubts over his position had been "intense", but that he was now focused on steering Barca back towards major trophies.
"I am relieved to say my players and staff can fully focus on the new season now," he said via his Twitter account.
"The last few weeks have been intense, but I am glad that president Joan Laporta gave his support to me and calm has been restored.
"The focus of everyone in the club is the same: building a winning Barca and achieving success!"
Barca allowed the title to slip from their reach after dragging themselves back into contention following a poor start to the season.
They failed to finish in the top two and went two seasons running without winning the title for the first time since 2008.
Their tally of 79 points was their lowest total since the same year, when they managed 67. Indeed, the last coach to earn 76 or fewer points in his first 38 games with the club was Frank Rijkaard in 2003-04 (72 – W21 D9 L8).
Italy extended their impressive unbeaten run to 27 matches as they completed their Euro 2020 preparations with a 4-0 victory over the Czech Republic on Friday.
Ciro Immobile and Nicolo Barella grabbed first-half goals in the friendly fixture at the Renato Dall'Ara Stadium in Bologna, though both benefited from seeing their attempts take crucial deflections to beat Jiri Pavlenka.
Lorenzo Insigne required no help to add a third in the 66th minute and then set up Domenico Berardi for the final goal as the Czechs were easily bounced, producing a worrying performance ahead of their involvement in the European Championship.
In contrast, the Azzurri head into the delayed tournament having not been beaten since a 1-0 reverse against Portugal in a Nations League fixture back in September 2018.
Not long after an injury scare for Leonardo Bonucci that saw the Juventus centre-back require treatment on his right knee, Immobile opened the scoring when his close-range shot clipped Ondrej Celustka to wrong-foot goalkeeper Pavlenka.
If that goal was somewhat unfortunate for the Czech Republic, the second they conceded was just plain bizarre.
Barella was allowed to carry the ball when in possession before taking aim from just outside the penalty area, his effort hitting not one but two defenders before ending up in the net.
Jan Boril's bid to make a block on the Inter midfielder only sent the ball onto compatriot Jakub Brabec, who – with his back turned – ended up sending the ball looping up and over the luckless Pavlenka.
Immobile's clever throughball allowed Insigne to curl a right-footed attempt into the net, while the scorer of Italy's third turned provider to set up Berardi for a cheeky finish, with an initial dummy fooling Pavlenka to allow the Sassuolo player to flick in with his left foot.
Roberto Mancini handed Berardi's club colleague Giacomo Raspadori a debut off the bench, but the forward – a surprise selection in the final 26-man squad announced on Monday – could not mark the memorable occasion by adding his name to the list of scorers.
Serena Williams played down her prospects of winning a record-equalling 24th grand slam title at the French Open, insisting the standard on the WTA Tour is now so high that every match is a battle.
The three-time champion at Roland Garros made it through to the last 16 thanks to a 6-4 6-4 win over Danielle Collins.
However, the American - who has been stuck one slam behind Margaret Court's career tally ever since winning the 2017 Australian Open - had to work hard on Friday, including battling back from 4-1 down in the second set as she reeled off five games in a row to move on.
Williams is the only top-10 player left in her half of the draw following Aryna Sabalenka's exit earlier in the day, yet knows there is a long way to go in her quest to reign once more in the Paris.
"There's still a lot of matches, a lot of great players, as we can see," Williams told the media.
"There's so much depth in this game now, it doesn't matter if you're playing in the first round or not, you really have to fight for every match and nothing comes easy."
After struggling for form coming into the tournament, Williams feels tough contests like the one she had against Collins can only be beneficial.
"Today in particular, this whole week thus far, I just needed a win," the seventh seed said. "I needed to win tough matches. I needed to win sets. I needed to win being down.
"I needed to find me, know who I am. Nobody else is Serena out here. It's me. It's pretty cool."
Elena Rybakina – an impressive 6-1 6-4 winner against Elena Vesnina in little over an hour - is the next hurdle for Williams to clear.
SABALENKA SUNK, AZARENKA EASES THROUGH
With Ashleigh Barty forced to retire through injury and Naomi Osaka withdrawing from the event due to mental health concerns, Sabalenka was the highest seed left – well, she was until coming up against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Sabalenka rallied after losing the first set to draw level but then fell apart in the decider, serving four double faults and producing 17 unforced errors.
Pavlyuchenkova capitalised to complete a 6-4 2-6 6-0 triumph that avenges a loss to her opponent at the semi-final stage in Madrid during this year's clay-court swing.
Next up for the 31st seed will be Victoria Azarenka, the former world number one who eased past Madison Keys 6-2 6-2.
"I felt I played very disciplined today. I played smart. I tried to be aggressive," Azarenka said after winning in 70 minutes.
"My opponent, Madison, she really likes to dictate the points, so I tried to take that away from her, really step in, and make a lot of different balls so I’m pretty proud I was able to sustain my level."
MIXED FORTUNES FOR ROMANIAN DUO
Sorana Cirstea explained how a change in approach has helped her roll back the years after overcoming Daria Kasatkina in straight sets.
The Romanian's solitary quarter-final appearance at a slam came in the French capital 12 years ago but she has been in excellent form on clay this year, including claiming a title in Istanbul and a final appearance in Strasbourg.
"I'm taking it day by day, like I'm not going too far ahead with my mind," Cirstea told the media. "I'm actually enjoying all this process. Definitely I'm enjoying [it] much more than I did 12 years ago, and I think this comes with maturity."
While Cirstea has not made it this far in a grand slam for a long while, next opponent Tamara Zidansek is into the last 16 at a major for the first time.
Despite losing the first set in a hurry against Katerina Siniakova, the Slovenian rallied impressively to seal a 0-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 victory and continue an impressive run that was started by an upset over Bianca Andreescu.
Paula Badosa also needed three sets to overcome Romania's Ana Bogdan, including saving a match point, and extend her winning streak to eight matches as she came out on top 2-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4. Indeed, for the season she now boasts a 16-2 record on clay.
Spain and Portugal drew 0-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano on Friday in an engaging warm-up friendly ahead of Euro 2020.
The previous two champions of Europe could not be separated in Madrid as Alvaro Morata and Diogo Jota missed the pick of the chances.
Luis Enrique and Fernando Santos named strong starting line-ups for an energetic first half, with Manchester City's Aymeric Laporte winning his first cap at the heart of the Spanish defence.
Laporte was a little fortunate not to be punished with 21 minutes left as Cristiano Ronaldo got free in the box before heading wide from one of the quieter second half's few good openings.
After a slick start in possession, Spain looked to have conceded from Portugal's first attack, but Jose Fonte's powerful header was disallowed for a push.
Ferran Torres missed Spain's first clear-cut chance, nodding wide at the far post after Morata crossed expertly from the left.
Ronaldo and Renato Sanches combined well to trigger a counter-attack, and the Portugal captain was almost presented with a chance when Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon's attempted clearance cannoned off the Juventus star.
Morata threatened twice just after the restart, denied by Simon and then by a Fonte block, with his follow-up effort bobbling wide, before Pablo Sarabia steered a good chance over the bar.
Portugal then should have taken the lead on the hour mark, Jota's header from six yards out deflected over after Ronaldo clipped a cross to the left-hand post.
Ronaldo then glanced wide from Bruno Fernandes' wicked delivery, Laporte given a let-off after allowing the forward a free header in the box.
Koke almost forced the winner in the closing minutes, his free-kick from the left of the box parried away by Rui Patricio before it could creep into the bottom-right corner. Morata should have won the contest in injury time, but could only rattle the crossbar after being gifted a free run at goal.
What does it mean? Euros heavyweights in need of sharpening before finals
Each of these sides have reason to be pleased with their performance on Friday, although a few more training sessions for the forwards would not go amiss.
There were just three efforts on target in the contest and two of those came in the dying minutes through Koke's free-kick, which was glanced on by Torres, and a last-gasp header from Danilo Pereira that Simon saved comfortably.
Busquets doing the old guard proud
Sergio Busquets is one of the few surviving bastions of Spain's 2008-2012 dominance of the international stage, keeping his place in the squad despite not always looking his sharpest for Barcelona in 2020-21.
He managed 63 commanding minutes here at the heart of midfield, winning back possession 12 times and making 34 passes in the Portugal half – each game-high totals during his time on the pitch.
Few home comforts for Joao Felix
Atletico Madrid's Joao Felix gave the home fans few reasons to worry in his 45-minute outing.
Ill-suited to Portugal's early counter-attacking play, he completed only six passes before being withdrawn at the break for debutant Pote.
What's next?
Each side has one more warm-up game before their Euros campaigns start. Spain face Lithuania in Leganes on Tuesday, while Portugal host Israel in Lisbon on Wednesday.
The Singapore Grand Prix is cancelled and "several options" for alternative races are being considered, Formula One organisers have confirmed.
The race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit was originally scheduled for October 1-3 this year.
However, the event has been called off amid concerns from authorities that Singapore's strict coronavirus control measures would not be compatible with thousands entering the country for the weekend.
A statement from F1 on Friday said: "Formula One and race organisers have confirmed that this year's Singapore Grand Prix will not take place, with organisers citing ongoing safety and logistic concerns brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
"As previously stated, Formula One say they will continue to work with all promoters during this fluid time and have several options for additional races."
Colin Syn, deputy chairman of the race, was quoted by the BBC as saying that cancelling the Singapore event for the second year running was "an incredibly difficult decision" but necessary due to "the prevailing restrictions for live events in Singapore".
The city state has tough measures in place to limit travel from abroad, while a robust test-and-trace system has helped to keep COVID-19 cases to just over 62,000.
According to reports, Turkey is being considered as an alternative venue. Istanbul Park was due to be used as a substitute for the Canadian Grand Prix but was cancelled after a rise in coronavirus cases.
A revival of the postponed Chinese Grand Prix and a possible second race in Austin, Texas have also been mooted.
Last month’s Kingston Stakes dead-heat winners Miniature Man and Further and Beyond clash in a highly anticipated rematch when Jamaica’s Triple Crown Classic Series kicks off with the Guineas races at Caymanas Park this weekend.
Serena Williams produced an emphatic fightback in the second set to eliminate Danielle Collins 6-4 6-4 and secure a spot in the last 16 of the French Open.
While the first set provided few difficulties for the 23-time grand slam winner, she found herself trailing 4-1 in the second as Collins threatened to force a decider.
But Williams channelled her frustrations impressively, and far better than her opponent, with the 39-year-old setting up a fourth-round clash with Elena Rybakina.
Williams might have had an early advantage as some brutal returns gave her three break points in just the second game of the match, but Collins came back to hold.
The first break eventually came in the seventh game of the contest, Williams squeezing a shot over after a drop shot, then guiding a return to the back of the court with Collins in no position to respond.
Although a second break in the first set eluded Williams, she sealed the set on her serve soon after.
The second set saw Collins' serve broken in the first game, but her response was emphatic, producing back-to-back breaks of her own.
That had Collins in control of the set at 3-1 up, with Williams' frustration evident at the end of almost every point and not helped by her five double faults, one of which gifted away a second break.
Williams began to use that anger for good as she played even more aggressively.
Initially Collins rode the punches well, playing Williams impressively as she forced the seventh seed out wide and then read her cross-court return to seal the fifth game to love and a 4-1 lead.
But Collins quickly fell apart, Williams winning five games on the trot as she came back from a precarious position to seal her progression, showing commendable mental fortitude along the way.
DATA SLAM: GO BIG OR GO HOME
It is fair to say Williams' serving was a little wild at times – she was looking to be aggressive to put Collins on the back foot as early as possible. However, it left her with as many double faults as aces, five apiece. Nevertheless, the three-time French Open champion got the job done, with a huge serve ultimately sealing the victory.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Williams – 22/20
Collins – 18/21
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Williams – 5/5
Collins – 1/3
BREAK POINTS WON
Williams – 4/8
Collins – 2/4
No play was possible on day three of the first Test between England and New Zealand at a soggy Lord's.
England had been due to resume on 111-2 in their first innings after bowling out the Black Caps for 378, only for persistent rainfall throughout Friday to make sure the players never made it out onto the field.
Saturday's action will be extended to try to make up some of the time lost with 98 overs now scheduled – weather permitting, of course.
Opener Rory Burns and captain Joe Root are the two not out batsmen for England, having reached stumps on the second day unbeaten on 59 and 42 respectively.
Their partnership of 93 had helped the hosts out of an early hole, Dom Sibley having departed for a duck at the start of the fourth over before Zak Crawley then fell soon after for two, leaving the score at 18-2.
Devon Conway had starred for New Zealand with the bat, the debutant becoming just the seventh player to register a double hundred on debut in Test cricket as he made exactly 200.
After Lord's, the teams will move on to Edgbaston to conclude the two-match series, though the Black Caps will remain in England as they take on India in the ICC Test Championship final later in June.
Trent Alexander-Arnold says he is "absolutely gutted" to miss England's Euro 2020 campaign after suffering a thigh injury against Austria on Wednesday.
The Liverpool full-back was the centre of heated speculation ahead of Gareth Southgate's decision to cut his preliminary squad to a selection of 26 this week.
Alexander-Arnold was picked, though, along with three other recognised right-backs in Kyle Walker, Reece James and Kieran Trippier.
However, the 22-year-old will play no part in the competition having gone off injured late on in the 1-0 friendly win over Austria after clearing the ball.
Alexander-Arnold, who faces around six weeks on the sidelines, posted an image on his Twitter account on Friday with the caption: "Absolutely gutted."
Southgate will not confirm a replacement until after Sunday's friendly against Romania.
Chelsea have exercised the option to extend Thiago Silva's contract, meaning the defender will remain with the Premier League club for a further year.
The Brazil international was signed on a free transfer ahead of the 2020-21 campaign after leaving Paris Saint-Germain, making 34 appearances in all competitions for the Blues.
Silva started in the Champions League final against Manchester City but was forced off late in the first half through injury, leaving him to watch from the sidelines as his team-mates clinched a 1-0 triumph in Porto to secure the trophy for a second time.
The 36-year-old will now be staying at Stamford Bridge for the 2021-22 season to continue working under Thomas Tuchel, who has himself committed his future to Chelsea by signing a new deal that runs through to 2024.
"When we brought Thiago Silva in last summer, we knew we were adding a world-class player to the squad," Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia said.
"Thiago has duly shown everyone at Chelsea his immense quality throughout this season, and he has had a huge influence on and off the pitch for us.
"We said when he signed that we hoped Thiago would add new trophies to his impressive list of honours, and he has done just that with our success in the Champions League this weekend. We now hope that he carries on in exactly the same fashion in the coming year."
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has signed a new two-year contract with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
Choupo-Moting, 32, joined Bayern in October 2020 after spending two seasons with Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain, initially signing a one-year deal.
The striker made 32 appearances in all competitions in his maiden season with the club – only 13 of which were starts – and scored nine goals.
Choupo-Moting, who will play under new head coach Julien Nagelsmann next term after Hansi Flick left to take the Germany job, said: "I am proud to be here. FC Bayern is a very special club; the number one club in Germany and also one of the best clubs in the world.
"My first year here was great. On the pitch, but also off the pitch, we had a lot of fun together. I want to continue to have success with the team. I'd like to reach the DFB-Pokal final in Berlin and ideally win the Champions League."
Board member for sport Hasan Salihamidzic added: "We are happy that Maxim will stay with us for another two years.
"He is a very important player for us, performing strongly last season and scoring many goals. Maxim can be used in several positions, has very good technique, a lot of experience and is a goal threat.
"Aside from his sporting quality, Maxim is also important for our team as a person. He will help us achieve our goals in the next two years."
LeBron James has ruled himself out of competing for the United States at the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The 36-year-old Los Angeles Lakers star has represented his country at three Olympics, but he did not feature at Rio 2016.
Earlier this year James had suggested he was considering playing for the USA in Tokyo.
However, following the Lakers' first-round playoff series defeat to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, he said he would instead spend the next few months promoting his new movie 'Space Jam: A New Legacy', which is scheduled to open in July.
Asked if the Olympics were a possibility for him, James said: "Nah, I think I'm gonna play for the Tune Squad [the name of the team in the film] this summer instead of the Olympics.
"I think that's what my focus is on, on trying to beat the Monstars – or the Goon Squad we call them now.
"I didn't have much success versus the Suns, so now I am gearing my attention to the Goon Squad here in July, in mid-July.
"So I'm going to let the ankle rest for about a month and then I'm going to gear up with Lola, Taz, Granny, Bugs and the rest of the crew. So, hopefully I'll see you all at the match."
Asked how the Lakers' early exit – the first time James has been on a losing side in a first-round playoff series in his NBA career – would benefit his body, he said: "It's going to work wonders for me. Obviously during the season I don't talk about rest, I don't even like to put my mind in that frame, it makes me weak.
"But in the off-season I've got an opportunity to rest. I've got like three months to recalibrate, get my ankle back to 100 per cent, where it was before that Atlanta game.
"That's the most important thing for me. Everything else feels extremely well. My ankle was the only thing that was bothering me in the latter stages of the season.
"It never fully got back to before the injury. But I'm happy I was able to go out there and at least try to help our team win."
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