Graham Arnold will stay on as Australia head coach heading into the 2026 World Cup.

The Socceroos reached the round of 16 in Qatar last year, matching the achievement of 2006.

After losing to eventual finalists France in their opening group game, Australia beat Tunisia and Denmark to record their best performance at a World Cup finals. They lost 2-1 to a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina in a tight last-16 tie.

Arnold, who was caretaker manager of the national team between 2006 and 2007 and also took charge of Australia's Olympic side at the delayed Tokyo 2020 tournament, has now signed a new contract to keep him in place through to the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Football Australia chair Chris Nikou said: "What Graham and the entire squad achieved under the most challenging of circumstances during the last FIFA World Cup campaign was exceptional, and we are delighted that we have secured his services for a further four years.

"Football Australia is ambitious, where we expect continued progress and results from our senior and youth national teams, and through our discussions with Graham over recent weeks, we know our thinking is aligned on the future direction of Australian football and the Socceroos."

James Johnson, Football Australia's chief executive, noted Arnold had "contributed to some of Australian football's most iconic moments", but that "his exploits as the Socceroos head coach have propelled him into a league of his own."

Arnold said: "I love Australia and I love Australian football, and nothing in football can ever match the elation, pride and sense of achievement I and the entire set-up felt in Qatar. 

"The hunger to continue in the role has never been stronger and I know I have more to give to the Socceroos' programme and Australian football, where I want to deliver more smiles for our fans as we did in Qatar.

"I approach the next four years with a clean sheet, which is underpinned by a burning ambition to provide more opportunities to our leading emerging and established talent, whilst challenging for major titles starting with the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar next year."

Arnold explained he hopes Australia's performance at the World Cup convinces the country's government to allocate more funding to the sport and establish a permanent base for the Socceroos. 

"It's crazy to think the Socceroos don’t get any high-performance funding from the government," he told reporters.

"They don't have a home. How can you have a football culture if you don't have a home?

"Funding will help the programmes but the home of football is crucial. It's something as a sport we’ve missed out on. We've got nothing, nowhere to go."

Arnold has won 30 of his 51 games in charge of Australia, with his 59 per cent win rate the highest of any of the 12 coaches to have overseen the Socceroos on more than 20 occasions.

Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was an unstoppable force on the offensive end as his Milwaukee Bucks collected a 135-110 home victory against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.

Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 50 points on 20-of-26 shooting, hitting three of his four attempts from downtown while adding 13 rebounds and four assists.

It was the sixth time in the Greek superstar's career that he had reached 50 points, and the second time this month after setting a new career-high with 55 points against the Washington Wizards on January 3. Antetokoumpo is averaging a career-high 31.7 points per game, placing him third in the league.

The contest got out of hand early as the Bucks jumped out to a 37-19 lead at the end of the first quarter, with Antetokounmpo scoring 16 of his side's first 21 points.

Fans were treated to a shootout in the third period as the two teams scored 44 points each, but the undermanned Pelicans did not have the firepower to keep up, with not a single player from the away team reaching 20 points.

With the victory, the Bucks improved their record to 33-17 – the fourth-best in the league – while the Pelicans dropped their eighth in a row to slip to 26-25, occupying the eighth seed in the West.

Grizzlies storm home in comeback win

Ja Morant posted his second consecutive triple-double to lift his Memphis Grizzlies to a stirring 112-100 comeback win at home against the Indiana Pacers.

Morant dished 15 assists in his second-highest tally of the season to go along with 27 points (nine-of-21 shooting), 10 rebounds and two steals.

The Grizzlies needed every bit of his heroics as they found themselves trailing by 16 early in the third quarter, before finishing the game on a 60-32 run as they won the third period 30-17 and the last 32-21.

Memphis are now 32-18, and the only Western Conference side within six games of the top-seeded Denver Nuggets (34-16).

Rozier ignites Hornets upset

The Charlotte Hornets have now won four of their past six after an upset 122-117 triumph against the visiting Miami Heat.

Terry Rozier was the star of the show, scoring a game-high 31 points on 11-of-19 shooting with seven assists and six rebounds, while 24-year-old former lottery pick P.J. Washington showed promising signs on his way to 27 points (11-of-19), six rebounds and five assists.

Jimmy Butler was terrific for the Heat, shooting 11-of-14 from the field for his 28 points, seven rebounds and three steals, but it was Miami's defense that was the issue, allowing Charlotte to shoot 54 per cent overall.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce declared Arrowhead Stadium "Mahomes' house" after finally defeating Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals in Sunday's AFC Championship Game.

There had been plenty of talk in the lead-up about the success Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has enjoyed against the Chiefs, sporting a 3-0 record against Mahomes' crew heading into the contest. It had led to Bengals fans calling the Chiefs' home ground 'Burrowhead', which clearly irked Kansas City players.

Despite playing with a high ankle sprain, Mahomes found a way to get one over the number one overall pick from the 2020 NFL Draft, completing 29 of his 43 passes for 326 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

He also made the game-deciding play when he scrambled on his bad ankle with 15 seconds left in regulation, converting a third-and-four and making it to the sideline to stop the clock. After crossing the sideline, he was hit late by Joseph Ossai, resulting in a 15-yard penalty to put Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker into range for the game-winner.

Burrow put together a respectable stat line, completing 26 of his 41 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown, but he threw two crucial interceptions.

In the immediate aftermath during his on-field interview, Mahomes was interrupted by his future Hall of Fame tight end with a very clear message.

"Burrowhead my a**," he said. "It's Mahomes' house!"

Offensive lineman Orlando Brown Jr also chimed in about Mahomes: "World's greatest! Give him his respect! Stamp him!"

Mahomes was far more under control during his interview, but also referenced his displeasure about the Burrowhead nickname.

"First off I want to thank God, man," he said. "He healed my body this week and gave me the strength to be out here.

"As for this team, man, we play together. I said it from the beginning, when we were in the locker room, I said 'we've got to be together' – and this team stepped up against a great football team.

"We showed this place that it's Arrowhead, it's not 'Burrowhead' out here."

When asked about the Chiefs' impending Super Bowl date against the Philadelphia Eagles, Mahomes gave plenty of respect to the NFC Champions.

"They're a great football team, I've watched them all year long," he said. "Great quarterback, and a great entire team. It's going to be a great challenge for us, but I'm going to celebrate this one first.

"I'm going to get back with my team – I don't think we have any cigars – but we'll be ready to go at the Super Bowl."

A limping Patrick Mahomes led the Kansas City Chiefs to Super Bowl LVII with a 23-20 defeat of the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game.

Mahomes had sustained a high ankle sprain in the Divisional round victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars but was determined not to miss the opportunity to gain revenge following last year's loss against the Bengals at the same stage.

In that reverse, Mahomes followed an outstanding first half with an uncharacteristically shambolic second that cost the Chiefs.

However, on Sunday, as the game wore on and the temperature dropped, Mahomes showed signs of his injury affecting him but refused to relent, finishing with 29-of-43 passing for 326 yards and two touchdowns, along with a vital late run.

Mahomes was largely able to stay clean in the first half while Joe Burrow took some punishment, but the Chiefs' sole TD pass found Travis Kelce on fourth-and-one.

Memories of last year's loss might have come to mind as the Bengals came out stronger in the third quarter and Tee Higgins sensationally reeled in a pinpoint Burrow TD pass down the sideline.

A hobbling Mahomes battled on and connected with Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a scrambling score, only for Burrow to find Ja'Marr Chase deep on fourth-and-six to set up Samaje Perine to run it in.

With the scores tied, both QBs struggled to get the job done as overtime neared, but Chris Jones sacked Burrow to force a Bengals punt, with Skyy Moore's 27-yard return keeping the Chiefs alive.

When Mahomes – understandably reluctant to run the ball until that stage – made up five yards and was shoved by Joseph Ossai after running out of bounds, a 15-yard penalty left Harrison Butker with the 45-yard game-winning field goal to set up a Super Bowl meeting with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Kelce keeping fine company

Restricted by his injury, Mahomes needed help from his receivers and got it. He completed passes to 10 team-mates, but Kelce was unsurprisingly his primary target, completing seven of nine attempts for a TD.

That was Kelce's 15th receiving TD in the postseason, drawing him level with fellow tight end Rob Gronkowski and now trailing only wide receiver Jerry Rice (22) for all-time postseason scores.

Burrow takes a beating

This was the first time Burrow had lost to Mahomes, with the Chiefs clearly irked by talk of the Bengals QB's dominance in this matchup. The Chiefs got to Burrow time and again early on, with four sacks before halftime.

Coming into the game, Burrow was 14-1 this season when sacked four times or fewer but 0-3 when sacked five times or more. That fifth and final sack from Jones proved so pivotal.

Kyle Shanahan was confident the San Francisco 49ers could compete with the Philadelphia Eagles in the AFC Championship game despite the loss of quarterback Brock Purdy.

The rookie QB was forced off at the end of the 49ers first drive with an elbow injury after his throwing arm was hit by Eagles edge-rusher Haason Reddick, leading to the introduction of fourth-stringer Josh Johnson.

More bad luck followed for the 49ers though, with Johnson ruled out due to the concussion protocol and Purdy reintroduced, albeit unable to throw deep passes, in an eventual 31-7 loss.

However, Shanahan felt the team had hope of a comeback until the final Eagles touchdown that led to a three-score lead.

"I don't think we're numb, the guys were up for the challenge. The defence was playing really well, we thought Josh was going to go in there, execute our plan and give us a chance," he told reporters.

"We felt confident coming out in the third quarter, but in that opening drive we lost our last quarterback.

"After that, we were inspired watching our defence, down two scores, we thought we could run the ball well enough and generate some stuff, hopefully get a turnover the other side, but we didn't move the chains enough and once they got that third score, it was really tough to catch up.

"The guys are pretty down in there, we were really excited for today and for the opportunity to play that team. They played great, they did good things, but we wish we had a better opportunity than what we did today."

A controversial incident in the first quarter was a fourth-down conversion for the Eagles in a 29-yard pass to Devonta Smith, which he appeared to drop on closer inspection of the replays.

Questions have been asked as to why Shanahan did not challenge the on-field decision, though there was a simple explanation.

"The replays we saw didn't definitively show that [the catch was dropped]," he explained.

"I was going to throw one anyway, to take the chance, but they showed one on the scoreboard that didn't have all the angles that you guys saw and it looked like a catch. We didn't want to waste a timeout.

"We definitely would have [challenged] if we hadn't had seen that. Then I heard they got a couple of angles and you ended up seeing later than it's not a catch."

Brock Purdy has "no idea" on the full extent of the elbow injury that saw his influence in the NFC Championship game severely limited.

The rookie quarterback threw just four passes in the San Francisco 49ers 31-7 defeat against the Philadelphia Eagles, two of which came on the opening drive before he exited the game due to injury.

Unable to throw on the sidelines, Purdy was not set to go back in, but the 49ers had their hand forced when 4th-string QB Josh Johnson was ruled out in concussion protocol after hitting his head on the ground.

That led to Purdy's reintroduction to the game, but the 49ers had their passing game off the cards, with only two short completions through the air for the remainder of the contest.

Speaking after the game, Purdy confirmed he will have an MRI on Monday to find out the severity of the problem.

"I was throwing after the hit on the sidelines just to see where I was at but even in those throws it was painful. I couldn't throw anything over five-to-ten yards, so that's why we just had some screens," he told reporters.

"I told him [Kyle Shanahan] right there if we run a play, I can't throw deep. It's hurting really bad. If we're going to get a complete, it has to be something short, if that's alright.

"It felt stretched out, I felt a lot of shocks from my elbow down to my wrist. I have no idea, I'll have an MRI tomorrow. It's swollen in the forearm area."

Purdy also said he felt sorry for the more experienced teammates on the team following the loss, though Fred Warner made it clear he was the reason the team progressed so far this season.

"He has nothing to be sad about. He's the reason we even got to this game," he said.

"When Jimmy [Garoppolo] went down against the Dolphins, we didn't know what our season would be. He did a heck of a job."

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni declared his side as boasting "the most physical defense in this league" after manhandling the banged-up San Francisco 49ers in Sunday's NFC Championship Game.

The 49ers were held to just one scoring drive in the 31-7 demolition, as starting quarterback Brock Purdy and backup Josh Johnson were both knocked out of the game after absorbing hits from the Eagles' defensive line.

Purdy had his throwing arm hit by edge-rusher Haason Reddick halfway through the first quarter, forcing a fumble and causing an elbow injury that forced the talented rookie to watch from the sidelines.

However, Purdy was then called upon to re-enter the game early in the third period after Johnson was hit by hulking defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and slammed the back of his head against the turf, resulting in a concussion.

Purdy's elbow was clearly restricting his ability to throw the ball, attempting only two passes on the 49ers' final three drives as they trailed by multiple scores.

Overall, the Eagles' defense held the 49ers to 83 passing yards and 81 rushing yards, making a statement against a San Francisco side who boasted what was considered the league's best defense coming into the contest.

During his postgame media appearance, quarterback Jalen Hurts agreed the 49ers had "the best defense in the league" but gave a shout-out to Reddick for his game-wrecking dominance after also collecting two sacks.

"They played a really good game, they have a really good coach," he said. "I've always talked about that, he does a really good job with them, especially the guys up front.

"We ran the ball really well, and I think they didn't give us many opportunities to take shots down the field – we had some one-on-one shots, hit or miss – but we kind of took what they gave us, it ended up being one of those games.

"We put ourselves in this position. There are definitely things out there that we're going to learn from, but this team played a hell of a game today.

"Haason Reddick – he's been a bad dude all year. That's what we need going forward."

He added: "We're going to the Super Bowl. We put a lot of work in to have this opportunity, and to be here, it's a moment we want to enjoy as a team. 

"Reflecting on everything we've been able to overcome to have this opportunity in front of us – we want to take advantage of it.

"The atmosphere tonight was amazing, the fans showed up. The energy, all of it, we need to bring that to [Arizona]."

Speaking during the NFC Championship trophy presentation, Sirianni credited his defense for the one-sided nature of the matchup.

"This defense just keeps coming to work every single day, and killing it," he said. "This is the most physical defense in this league.

"[Defensive coordinator] Jonathan Gannon did a great job, the leaders on our defensive line where it all starts did a great job, our secondary, linebackers – I mean, it was great team defense. 11 as one, and they competed with one heartbeat tonight."

In the immediate aftermath following the final whistle, Sirianni discussed how it is every football player's lifelong dream to play in the Super Bowl.

"Obviously this is something you dream about as a kid," he said. "All these guys on our team have dreamt about this their entire lives, too. 

"So, to be able to do this together with a group of men who love each other, who are connected to each other, who would do anything for each other is pretty sweet. 

"You see this city and the passion they have for this team. We're so appreciative of these fans. Look at this place – there's no place like this in the NFL. 

"It's a hard-working city, a blue-collar city, and we tend to think that's the type of team we have with the guys we have on the O-line, D-line, but it doesn't stop at O-line, D-line. 

"We've got tough guys everywhere, guys who give it up for each other everywhere."

It will be the Eagles' fourth Super Bowl appearance, where they will be seeking their second championship after Nick Foles led the franchise to their first in 2018.

Roger Federer hailed Novak Djokovic's 10th Australian Open title as an "incredible" feat as the Serbian joined Rafael Nadal on 22 singles grand slams.

Although Federer became the first man to reach 20 majors when he took the 2018 Australian Open title, the Swiss great could not add to that tally before retiring last September and has been overtaken by his two greatest rivals.

With Nadal struggling to stay fit and build up form, it appears Djokovic is the most likely man to add to his haul and finish his career as the outright most successful man in grand slam history.

"Incredible effort, again! Many congratulations," Federer wrote in an Instagram story, acclaiming Djokovic's straight-sets win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday's final at Melbourne Park.

Djokovic's Professional Tennis Players Association co-founder Vasek Pospisil described the Serbian as the tennis "man of steel". Fellow ATP Tour stars Denis Shapovalov and Holger Rune also sent messages of praise on social media to Djokovic, as did Jamaican sprinting legend Usain Bolt.

The Dallas Cowboys will have a new look offensively next season after ownership and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore mutually agreed to part ways.

The move was reported on Sunday, one week after the Cowboys struggled offensively in a 19-12 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in a Divisional round game.

Head coach Mike McCarthy will reportedly take over play-calling duties from Moore, who had one year remaining on his contract and had been the Cowboys' offensive coordinator since 2019.

Under Moore, Dallas led the NFL in total yards in 2019 and 2021 and also had the league's top-ranked scoring offense last season at 31.2 points per game.

The Cowboys finished the 2022 regular season ranked fourth in the NFL in scoring (27.5 points per game) and 11th in total offense (354.9 yards per game), but the team managed just 282 total yards and one touchdown in the loss to the 49ers.

Dak Prescott threw two interceptions in that defeat after leading the league with a career-worst 15 picks.

The defeat at San Francisco marked another disappointing ending to a season for a Cowboys team who once again suffered an early playoff exit. Dallas have not advanced past the Divisional round of the playoffs since winning the Super Bowl following the 1995 season.

Roma are targeting a solution to their Nicolo Zaniolo crisis before Tuesday's transfer deadline after the winger was "not very happy" about the prospect of joining Bournemouth.

The Italy international was strongly linked with Tottenham earlier this month; however, Antonio Conte subsequently signed Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal as a solution to his wide attacking midfield needs.

Bournemouth subsequently emerged as frontrunners, with the team third from bottom of the Premier League seeing Zaniolo as a player who could help them to safety in their first campaign back in the top flight.

Reports suggested Roma and Bournemouth had reached an agreement on a deal worth an initial £26.3million (€30m), but it appears Zaniolo is not sold on the idea of joining the English south-coast club.

Roma head coach Jose Mourinho has expressed major frustration over Zaniolo asking to leave and then stalling when the opportunity arose, saying it "unfortunately" seemed the 23-year-old would end up staying with the Giallorossi.

When asked about firm opportunities to sell Zaniolo, Roma general manager Tiago Pinto said on Sunday: "I have no problem answering this question, everyone understood what happened.

"Zaniolo asked to be sold, and together with the agent we found a solution. We succeeded, but now Nicolo is not very happy with the solution that has arrived, and obviously we are all in a bit of difficulty."

Last season saw Zaniolo score the only goal of the inaugural Europa Conference League final, as Roma beat Feyenoord, yet his time at the Stadio Olimpico may be up.

Speaking to DAZN, Pinto said Roma would not be able to buy a player to take Zaniolo's place before sealing the sale of the former Inter youth-team player.

He, too, is frustrated by Zaniolo's stalling on a transfer, with time at a premium.

"We found this solution following a request from the player and, as you know, with all the limits that we have with financial fair play we are not exactly a company that can yield to Zaniolo's no and take on other players," Pinto said.

"We are always bound by those limits. Now we have another 48 hours, let's see what happens. I don't want to dwell on this issue, it is really a difficult situation for us."

Liverpool wanted a fresh start in 2023 but Andrew Robertson says the Reds have been "nowhere near good enough" this season and played "worse" since the World Cup.

The Scotland international captained Jurgen Klopp's side at Brighton and Hove Albion as Kauro Mitoma's last-minute strike dumped the FA Cup holders out in the fourth round.

Liverpool had taken the lead through Harvey Elliot before Lewis Dunk's fortuitous first-half equaliser paved the way for Mitoma's deserved late winner in Sunday's 2-1 triumph.

Klopp's men are out of both domestic cups and sit only ninth in the Premier League, having won just eight of their opening 19 top-flight games.

Having lost nine times already in 31 outings across all competitions this campaign, Robertson bemoaned Liverpool's abject performances that have continued after the World Cup break.

"This season has been nowhere near good enough," Robertson told ITV Sport.

"At the start of the year, we wanted a fresh start, but that hasn't happened – we've been worse. In the league, we haven't been good enough and now we're out of both cups."

The Reds' downfall may have appeared somewhat of a surprise after falling narrowly short of an unprecedented quadruple last term.

Liverpool missed out in the Champions League final to Real Madrid and saw Manchester City secure the Premier League title on the last day of the season, though they lifted the FA Cup and EFL Cup.

Sadio Mane's sale to Bayern Munich and Roberto Firmino's diminishing role should be factored in, while Mohamed Salah has failed to hit his usual lofty heights after scoring just nine goals in 19 league games.

Luis Diaz has been out injured after a promising first campaign at Anfield and signings Darwin Nunez and Cody Gapko are still settling in, yet Robertson struggled to explain why Liverpool continue to falter.

The left-back added: "It's really disappointing. You can't put your finger on one thing that's gone wrong. It's more than that. It's about trying to put a performance together where all these things click and that's proving difficult right now.

"You can tell we're not as confident in front of goal, and defensively we're still a wee bit open in certain areas.

"We were on the back of two clean sheets, which was positive, but today, two disappointing goals and they had a couple of big chances as well.

"We need to try and get the confidence back. It's easier said than done but that's the only way we can pick up results. You have to be able to score goals and you have to be able to keep clean sheets.

"We're not managing that just now and we need to do it. We keep saying that and it doesn't help the fans. I feel sorry for them, the way we're putting on a show for them just now.

"We let them down again and we're obviously disappointed to be falling out of the cup."

Christophe Galtier insisted he was not worried with Paris Saint-Germain's poor form since the return to action after the World Cup.

Folarin Balogun's last-gasp equaliser for Reims at the Parc des Princes on Sunday left the defending champions with just one win from their past four Ligue 1 matches.

PSG's lead at the summit has been reduced to just three points as a result, a gap that could have been even less had Lens and Marseille not also been held to a draw on Saturday.

Galtier's side have a quick turnaround before Wednesday's trip to Montpellier and he is pushing for a response from his squad.

"Worried no, disappointed yes. We are not going to hide behind the post-World Cup calendar," he said after the match.

"It's been a few weeks since our performances were not at the same level as in the first part of the season. We must work, we must find solutions, and reconnect.

"A crisis of confidence? I don't think so. Maybe a crisis of complacency, all the demands we had.

"It went haywire for different reasons. It's hard to restart. I have high-level players who cannot accept to be at this level since the beginning of 2023."

With just a few days remaining until the mid-season transfer window slams shut, Galtier confirmed the club intend to be active in order to bolster the squad.

"There are 48 hours left. The club is working on the arrival of at least one player. There are significant constraints with financial fair play," he added.

"We want reinforcement. Will it happen? I don't know. We cannot hide behind the absence of a player. We have quality players in the squad. Everyone must find their level very quickly."

Jose Mourinho claimed Roma suffered an "unfair" defeat to runaway Serie A leaders Napoli as he saluted both his team and the rival side he is convinced will win the Scudetto.

Head coach Mourinho could not get the better of opposite number Luciano Spalletti, whose Napoli players sit 13 points clear at the top of the table after 20 games.

Sixth-placed Roma would have moved level on points with Inter, who sit second, had they got the win at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Victor Osimhen converted Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's cross in stunning style to give Napoli a 17th-minute lead, but Roma levelled up in the 75th minute through Stephan El Shaarawy.

Yet Mourinho's visitors could not hang on for a point, with Giovanni Simeone firing an 86th-minute winner when he took on a short pass from Piotr Zielinski and was allowed to turn inside the penalty area before firing powerfully into the right corner.

Mourinho said: “From the first minute we played well. The team were always in control, we pressed very hard, we defended well.

"Napoli suffered, we are the team that scared them most. The stadium seemed empty, and beyond the negative result I leave here more confident.

"Sometimes football is unfair, the team that deserves more loses. Sometimes we won without deserving it, tonight they [Roma] deserved to win. I told the boys that we must be sad for the defeat, but calmly see you on Wednesday at the Olimpico."

Roma face Cremonese in midweek in a Coppa Italia quarter-final.

"Today we saw that Napoli are very good and have the champion's star," Mourinho told DAZN. "I have won eight championships, I know what it means to have the star that lights up for you. The championship will definitely be theirs."

Mourinho saw plenty to admire about Napoli striker Osimhen, but warned the Nigerian striker would have to change his game if he ever goes to the Premier League.

"Osimhen is very strong, he's difficult to mark, he's a top player, but if he goes to England he has to change because they'll kill him," Mourinho said. "Certain attitudes are accepted in Italy."

Napoli boss Spalletti said determination was key to his team's success.

"They're delicate matches and those who have played have done so with the right attitude," Spalletti said.

His team's lead is the largest by any team at this stage of a Serie A season since 1994-95, when the three points for a win era began.

Osimhen's opener was a special strike, with the striker controlling the ball on his chest, then taking a touch with his knee, before rifling an unstoppable shot into the top-right corner.

"There is technical quality, there is personality," Spalletti told DAZN. "He is a physically strong player and it becomes difficult to get at him."

Carlo Ancelotti hailed a "complete" Real Madrid performance as "one of the best of the season" despite a goalless LaLiga draw with Real Sociedad on Sunday.

Madrid sit five points behind leaders Barcelona after failing to breach Imanol Alguacil's defence in a largely one-sided encounter at Santiago Bernabeu.

La Real goalkeeper Alex Remiro thwarted a dominant Madrid with seven saves, the most he has managed in a LaLiga game this season, including three fine stops against the energetic Vinicius Junior.

Head coach Ancelotti was "satisfied" with his side's showing, though, as third-placed La Real held on for a precious point that kept them just three behind Madrid, having played a game more.

He said: "It was a shame because we played very well and we deserved to win. We played a complete game, one of the best of the season, but we didn't have any luck.

"The team is improving and growing and physically we are much better. Now the injured return and we have confidence for the coming months. 

"We have done very well with and without the ball and all we had to do was score, we came so close but it is a draw. I am satisfied because the team has played very well."

The majority of Madrid's attacking threat came through Vinicius, who attempted 21 dribbles – the most by one player in a single LaLiga match since Opta began recording in the 2005-06 season.

Dani Ceballos impressed in a rare start in the Madrid midfield, while Eduardo Camavinga showed his versatility in a fine performance at left-back.

"We pushed the 90 minutes to the fullest with great intensity, Real Sociedad has not played as they like because we pressed well up top," Ancelotti added.

"The extra time of the Copa del Rey [a 3-1 quarter-final win over Atletico Madrid on Thursday] was not noticed, we have had a high intensity for the 90 minutes.

"It was difficult to make changes because nobody deserved to leave the field, the team was playing well and I did not want to change the dynamics. 

"Ceballos and [Federico] Valverde played very well. [Camavinga] did well, he is an option because of his quality and his energy. He is not used to playing there and with Vinicius they created many chances.

"The game was good but if you don't score... now we are five points behind and we have to chase."

Madrid will hope to make up ground on Xavi's Barca when they host top-four chasers Valencia on Thursday.

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