Kylian Mbappe has denied he has already decided to join Real Madrid at the end of the season.

The Paris Saint-Germain striker spoke about what the future might hold after his fine strike put the seal on a 5-1 win over Lille in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

German newspaper Bild recently reported Mbappe and Madrid had reached an agreement that would see the France international move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Mbappe's contract at PSG is due to expire at the end of the season, and although the French club are keen for him to sign an extension, it is unclear whether that is under consideration. Madrid's interest is no secret, after they tried to sign Mbappe in August.

The 23-year-old Mbappe would be able to leave on a free transfer, but the fact PSG have drawn Madrid in the Champions League last-16 stage appears to have held up any direct talks.

The European giants will go head to head in Paris on February 15 and in Madrid on March 9, with Mbappe steadfast that he wants to help PSG win that tie.

Asked whether he has already decided his next step, or whether the Madrid game could influence his choice of club, Mbappe told Amazon Prime Sport Video: "No, my decision hasn't been taken.

"The fact we play against Real Madrid, that changes a lot of things. Even if I'm free to do what I want at the moment, I'm not going to go and talk with the opposition or do this sort of thing.

"I'm concentrated on winning against Real Madrid, to try to make the difference. And after that, we'll see what will happen."

Mbappe and Lionel Messi are striking up a strong on-pitch relationship, with Messi looking to find Mbappe 12 times during the win at Lille and Mbappe playing eight passes to the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, only seeking out Marco Verratti more often (10 passes).

Messi scored his second Ligue 1 goal and his first since November, ending a six-game drought in the competition, delivering a performance that might cause concern in Madrid.

He also played a more central role than has often been the case, and Mbappe, who took his league haul to a team-high 11 goals for the campaign, liked what he saw from the former Barcelona star.

"I'm not a coach. But Leo, he's a player who needs to touch the ball, to feel the game and the match, to be involved too," Mbappe said.

"So I think it's a good position for him. He's free, he can move, pick up the ball, he is close to the goal. I think that for him, it's a good position."

Mbappe is starting on the left of a front three, with the only worry from Sunday's match being that Angel Di Maria, who began on the right, was substituted shortly before half-time, having seemed uncomfortable.

Neymar will soon be back from injury, and Mbappe said: "We will also have to configure with Ney, because he is also an important player. He changes our team, so we'll see when he comes back. We hope he comes back as soon as possible."

Marc Overmars has left his position as Ajax's director of football affairs after it was revealed he had sent a series of "inappropriate messages to several female colleagues".

The Eredivisie giants confirmed on Sunday that Overmars had departed after discussions with the club's supervisory board and CEO Edwin van der Sar.

The former Ajax, Arsenal and Barcelona winger had been in the post since 2012 and in December signed a new contract that would have kept him at the club until 2026. 

A statement on the official Ajax website said "a series of inappropriate messages sent to several female colleagues over an extended period of time underlies his decision to leave the club".

Overmars said: "I am ashamed. Last week I was confronted with reports about my behaviour. And how this has come across to others. Unfortunately, I didn't realise that I was crossing the line with this, but that was made clear to me in recent days. I suddenly felt enormous pressure. I apologise.

"Certainly for someone in my position, this behaviour is unacceptable. I now see that too. But it is too late. I see no other option but to leave Ajax. This also has a major impact on my private situation. That is why I ask everyone to leave me and my family alone."

Supervisory board chairman Leen Meijaard said: "This is a dramatic situation for everyone who is involved in any way. It is devastating for the women who have had to deal with the behaviour. When we heard news of this, we immediately acted, carefully deliberating and weighing what was the best thing to do, all in consultation with CEO Edwin van der Sar and assisted by an external expert.

"Marc is probably the best football director that Ajax has had. We upgraded and extended his contract for a reason. But, unfortunately, he has really gone over the line, so continuing as director was not an option, as he recognised himself. It is extremely painful for everyone. I want to express the wish that everyone involved is given the peace and privacy to process this."

Van der Sar said: "I find the situation appalling for everyone and I agree with Leen Meijaard's words. In my role, I also feel responsible to help colleagues. A safe sport and working climate is very important. We will pay even more attention to this in the near future.

"Marc and I have been playing together since the early 1990s, first at Ajax and then with the national team and we have been colleagues in the management of Ajax for almost 10 years now. That has now come to a very abrupt end. We are working on something very wonderful here at Ajax, so this news will also be a blow to everyone who cares about Ajax."

The Cleveland Cavaliers have made a major addition by acquiring Caris LeVert in a trade with the Indiana Pacers, according to ESPN.

The report claims that the 27-year-old guard, who has been with the Pacers since 2016, joins the Cavs with a 2022 second-round pick via Miami for Ricky Rubio's expiring contract, a lottery-protected 2022 first-round pick and two second-round picks.

The Cavs have been a surprise contender in the Eastern Conference this season, with a 32-21 record, just 1.5 behind the first-placed Chicago Bulls.

LeVert adds scoring power to the Cleveland line-up, averaging 18.7 points this season, highlighted by a 42-point haul against the Chicago Bulls on Friday. He also has 3.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game this season.

Cleveland had lost Rubio to a season-ending ACL injury in December and his addition for Indiana looms as part of their roster rebuild with Domantas Sabonis linked in trade talks.

The Cavs and Pacers were due to meet on Sunday with LeVert not in Indiana's starting line-up having been informed by head coach Rick Carlisle about the trade in the late afternoon prior to the game.

Justin Herbert and Maxx Crosby took MVP honours as the AFC landed a fifth consecutive Pro Bowl victory, fending off a fightback to win 41-35 against the NFC in Las Vegas.

At Allegiant Stadium, which staged the game for the first time, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Herbert completed seven of 11 attempts for 98 yards and two touchdowns to take the offensive MVP award.

Herbert said of the game, played in a spirit of bonhomie: "I think it's an awesome opportunity to come out here and play with the greatest football players this game has to offer. I had a lot of fun out there."

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Crosby engaged with the showpiece occasion and made five total tackles, three pass deflections, two sacks, and three tackles for loss, earning the defensive MVP honour.

Last year's match was cancelled due to the pandemic, and this game made up for lost time early on. Kyler Murray threw an early pick-six as Darius Leonard danced his way through to put the AFC ahead. The NFC were soon level as Kirk Cousins found Kyle Juszczyk with a 14-yard pass, only for the AFC to respond in kind when Mark Andrews was found with a 15-yard pass by Herbert.

Antoine Winfield Jr. picked off Patrick Mahomes to take the NFL within one point, only for Myles Garrett to dash in for another TD to widen the gap between the teams. The AFC could not pull away at that point, and Murray's 35-yard touchdown pass for Mike Evans meant it was 22-21 to the AFC early in the second quarter.

Andrews was found by Herbert for a second time as the AFC stretched their lead once more, before Mac Jones found Hunter Renfrow to nudge the AFC 34-21 ahead.

Stefon Diggs helped himself to a touchdown as the AFC opened up a 41-21 lead, before TDs from Kyle Pitts and Dalvin Cook ate into that.

Dusan Vlahovic is not giving up hope on winning the Serie A title after helping to fire Juventus into fourth on his Bianconeri debut on Sunday.

Vlahovic joined in the January transfer window in a big-money move from Fiorentina and marked his bow with the opener in a 2-0 win over Verona.

The victory left Juventus eight points behind leaders Inter, beaten by rivals Milan on Saturday, although the Nerazzurri have a game in hand.

The Serbian was pleased to have helped his side to three vital points and says Juve have to have belief they are still in the race for the Scudetto.

"It was very important to win this match because these games after the [international] breaks are the most difficult mentally," Vlahovic said to DAZN after the game. "We had a good approach right from the start and in the end, we managed to do what was most important, to win.

"I have to thank my team-mates and the coach who welcomed me very well and helped me a lot, I'm trying to understand as soon as possible how it works here, I just have to continue like this and work harder. The most important thing is to have won today.

"Juve always thinks about the highest goals, when they start a competition they always do it to win. I'm here to give my maximum contribution, match by match, and at the end of the season we will do the maths."

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri, however, suggested the top three are the only contenders.

"The Scudetto? It concerns the three in front, Inter, Milan and Napoli," Allegri said to DAZN. "We must take one step at a time. We now have the goal in our sights. The Coppa Italia and a place in the Champions League: 80 points are needed."

The Bianconeri's next Serie A fixture - after their Coppa Italia quarter-final against Sassuolo on Thursday - is a crunch clash with Atalanta on February 13, who are two points behind Juventus but with a game in hand.

Manuel Neuer will miss at least the first leg of Bayern Munich's Champions League last-16 clash with Salzburg after undergoing knee surgery.

Bayern said their long-serving goalkeeper would be sidelined for several weeks, with the Bundesliga leaders disclosing the unexpected news on Sunday evening.

In a statement, Bayern said: "Manuel Neuer underwent successful surgery on his right knee joint on Sunday. FC Bayern will therefore have to do without their captain for the coming weeks."

Hasan Salihamidzic, the Bayern sporting director, said: "All of us in the club and the team wish Manuel a good and speedy recovery, and we're sure he'll be back to full fitness with us soon."

Sven Ulreich has been Neuer's deputy and is expected to step in while the 35-year-old regular number one rehabilitates.

Bayern are next due in action when they face Bochum in the Bundesliga next Saturday, before they travel to Salzburg for the first leg of their European tie on the following Wednesday.

The second leg of that tie is due to take place on March 8, and it remains to be seen whether Neuer will be passed fit for that game. Neuer has already indicated he is hopeful he will be available to head coach Julian Nagelsmann by then.

Neuer wrote on Instagram: "Hey guys, I had a little surgery on my knee this afternoon. Everything went fine, so I'll be able to start rehabilitation training soon. Keep your fingers crossed that I'll be back on the pitch in a couple of weeks."

On Saturday, Neuer helped Bayern earn a 3-2 home win over Leipzig, as he matched Oliver Kahn's all-time record of 310 Bundesliga wins by a player. He achieved the first 77 wins with Schalke, before joining Bayern in 2011.

Sadio Mane made up for an earlier penalty miss with the decisive spot-kick as Senegal claimed their first Africa Cup of Nations title with a 4-2 shoot-out win over Egypt.

The Lions of Teranga were beaten in the 2019 final by Algeria, but they belatedly got their hands on the trophy at Olembe Stadium on Sunday with a dramatic shoot-out victory after a largely dour goalless 120 minutes.

Mane saw an early penalty saved by Mohamed Abou Gabal and he was fortunate to still be on the pitch for the spot-kicks having avoided a second yellow card for a clear dive.

The Liverpool forward had the last laugh, though, powering low past Abou Gabal after Edouard Mendy had kept out Mohanad Lasheen's tepid effort from 12 yards to send the travelling Senegal fans into raptures.

 

Marco Asensio broke Granada's resolve to earn Real Madrid a 1-0 win in Sunday's contest at the Santiago Bernabeu and move his side six points clear at the top of LaLiga.

Madrid were eliminated from the Copa del Rey by Athletic Bilbao in midweek and, without top scorer Karim Benzema, were frustrated for large parts against lowly Granada.

But the introduction of Eden Hazard and Luka Jovic lifted Los Blancos and Asensio finally found a way through 16 minutes from time with a sublime strike from long range.

Carlo Ancelotti's side now having breathing space on second-place Sevilla, who were held 0-0 by Osasuna on Saturday.

Thibaut Courtois kept out Antonio Puertas' low drive and was the busier of the keepers in the first half until a late flurry saw Asensio and Isco test Luis Maximiano.

It was Madrid who went closest to finding a breakthrough before the interval when Carlos Neva turned Dani Carvajal's cross against the underside of his own bar.

Granada have twice drawn with Barcelona this term, as well as beating Atletico Madrid and Sevilla, and they continued to frustrate Madrid past the hour mark.

Ancelotti turned to Hazard and Jovic with 65 minutes gone and Madrid did not have to wait long for their pressure to tell, Asensio flashing a shot past Maximiano from 25 yards.

Asensio was denied a second by a fine Maximiano save, but his earlier strike proved enough to earn all three points.

Dusan Vlahovic and Denis Zakaria both scored on their Juventus debuts as the Bianconeri beat Verona 2-0 on Sunday.

The former joined from Fiorentina in a big-money January deal, while the latter arrived from Borussia Monchengladbach on the cheap with six months left on his contract.

Free-scoring Vlahovic was the first to get on the scoresheet, lobbing into the far corner in the first half, before Zakaria sealed the victory with a low effort

The victory lifts Juventus ahead of Atalanta and into fourth in Serie A, although the latter have a game in hand.

Vlahovic opened his Juventus account – and the scoring – with a delightful chip over Lorenzo Montipo after racing onto a Paulo Dybala throughball in the 13th minute.

The new arrival was a constant menace, taking three shots in the first half – more than any other player – but was unable to add to his tally of 18 Serie A goals before the break.

Zakaria joined the Serbian in netting on his first Bianconeri appearance, getting onto Alvaro Morata's pass in behind and rifling a low shot into the bottom-left corner.

The Bianconeri enjoyed less of the ball than their opponents despite being at home, but Verona rarely threatened the Juventus goal and never looked like mounting a comeback.

What does it mean? Bianconeri unbeaten in 10 league games

Juventus extended their Serie A unbeaten run to 10 games, winning seven and drawing three of those.

The Bianconeri endured a poor start to the season, but have since put together a strong run of form and are now fourth, although Atalanta have a game in hand and are just two points behind.

Vlahovic can't stop scoring

Vlahovic has now scored 18 league goals this term, only fewer than Robert Lewandowski (24) in Europe's top five leagues in 2021-22.

Double delight for debutants

Vlahovic and Zakaria are the second pair of players to have both scored a goal in their debut match for Juventus in Serie A in the three points for a win era (since 1994-95), after Arturo Vidal and Stephan Lichtsteiner against Parma in September 2011.

What's next?

Juventus host Sassuolo on Thursday in the Coppa Italia quarter-final, while Verona face Udinese at home next Sunday in Serie A.

Lionel Messi scored his first Ligue 1 goal since November as Paris Saint-Germain routed last season's champions Lille 5-1 at Stade Pierre Mauroy.

Ending a six-game drought in the competition, Messi produced a cunning finish for PSG's third goal, with Danilo Pereira netting twice and Presnel Kimpembe also on target before Kylian Mbappe's sumptuous 20-yard strike rounded off the scoring.

The Parisians' 1-0 defeat to Lille in April last season was a pivotal result in the title race, with Lille finishing a point clear of Mauricio Pochettino's team to be crowned champions.

Sunday night's result keeps Lille mired in mid-table this time around, while PSG hold a 13-point lead over second-placed Marseille.

The visitors took a 10th-minute lead when goalkeeper Ivo Grbic fumbled a cross from the left whipped in by Nuno Mendes, spilling the ball and allowing Pereira to poke home.

Messi curled wide from 20 yards for PSG, but it was Lille who snatched the game's second goal, Sven Botman beating Gianluigi Donnarumma with a bouncing shot from 10 yards after Hatem Ben Arfa made a nuisance of himself, wriggling into the box from the left flank.

PSG restored their lead in the 32nd minute when Messi's corner from the right was prodded in at the far post by Kimpembe, for the defender's first league goal this season.

Messi had his goal six minutes later when he collected the leftovers from an Mbappe charge, spotting a gap between Lille defenders and darting through before cheekily chipping Gbric.

PSG's fourth after 51 minutes saw Pereira's 25-yard strike deflect off Amadou Onana and deceive Grbic. 

There was then little the goalkeeper could do about Mbappe's classy finish, as the France star, stepping in from the left, curled the ball into the far-right corner for the visitors' crowning glory.

Sunday was quite a day for the Australia curling team, from being told to leave China in the morning to recording their first victories at the Winter Olympics.

Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt became the first Australians to win a curling match at the Olympics when they beat Switzerland, but that is only part of the story.

Having lost their first seven matches in the mixed team event at Beijing 2022, Gill and Hewitt were told they had to leave China on Sunday morning after the former returned a positive COVID-19 test.

However, with bags packed and ready to head to the airport, the duo were invited back after the Chinese Public Health System determined the CT values in Gill's PCR tests fell into an acceptable range, which left them with 15 minutes to get a taxi to the National Aquatics Centre for their match with Switzerland.

Remarkably, with Gill only playing with one glove having lost the other in the rush, Australia went on to beat the Swiss 9-6, before also getting the better of Canada 10-8 in their final clash.

"It has literally been the craziest, craziest 24 hours. My bags are still packed, I only just had time to pull out my uniforms," Gill said. "I was ruffling through my bags and ripping clothes out left, right and centre. I played with only one glove on - and it was the wrong one.

"It was really devastating [to be asked to leave China] given that I wasn't infectious, but after review I'm so incredibly grateful to the medical team to get me out on the ice and I'm able to compete and finish off our campaign on a really positive note.

"We put our hearts and souls into that [Switzerland] game, to be able to come back with the win was really awesome."

Prior to Sunday's remarkable events, Australia had lost to the United States, China, Czech Republic, Sweden, Great Britain, Norway and Italy, losing by a combined aggregate of 53-33.

Against Switzerland they were 6-3 down with three ends remaining, only to score three, two and one stones to nil to take the match 9-6.

An 8-8 tie saw their match against Canada go to an extra end, which they clinched two stones to nil.

They will still finish bottom of the standings despite their two victories, but Hewitt did not seem to mind as he appeared just as amazed by the circumstances, saying: "We had a couple of phone calls that maybe there could be a chance.

"I was like, 'Aw, don't do this to us, please'. Then we got the official call and we were like, 'Are you serious?' We had 15 minutes to get in the taxi.

"It's one of those things where you don't realise what you've got until it's gone. Once we heard that we could actually play again, it made it extra special for us.

"We were like, 'Let’s embrace the Olympics, embrace what we have and be grateful for it'. Because it's something that can be taken away from you in a moment's notice. We were just so stoked and we can't wait for the next game as well."

"It's incredible. You walk out there onto the ice and nearly everyone comes up to you and says, 'We’re so happy that you're out here'. It just shows the camaraderie between curlers here."

Diego Simeone accepted Atletico Madrid have to improve defensively after shipping four goals to Barcelona, but suggested Sunday's loss was equally down to his side's lack of cutting edge.

Atletico let an early lead slip as they lost 4-2 in a thrilling game at Camp Nou and dropped to fifth in LaLiga, two points behind opponents Barca in the final Champions League spot.

The reigning Spanish champions have now conceded 30 goals in 22 top-flight matches this season, which is already five more than in 38 matches last term.

It is just the third time Atleti have conceded four or more goals under Simeone in the league, with the first such occasion coming in December 2012 in a 4-1 loss to Barcelona.

Normally famed for their defensive solidity, Simeone admitted his side have not been good enough at the back this season.

"We've been defending well for 10 years but this year we have to improve. We don't have the necessary focus on defensive actions," he said.

"We haven't changed many players, except for [Kieran] Trippier, who left. They are playing the same ones that last year responded at a high level. 

"[Jose Maria] Gimenez and [Stefan] Savic have missed several games, but this time they played and we conceded four. 

"What counts is to work, try to improve and face the week with humility and push until the end."

 

Yannick Carrasco gave Atleti an early lead, but Jordi Alba's excellent volley, Gavi's header and a Ronald Araujo strike put Barca in control by half-time.

Dani Alves blasted in a fourth before later being sent off, at which point Luis Suarez had pulled one back against his former club, but Atletico's fightback ended there.

Simeone's side ended the match with an expected goals (xG) value of 1.21, compared to just 0.63 for Barcelona.

Indeed, that 3.37 differential between xG and actual goals scored is the biggest in a single LaLiga game this season of any team.

"I look at games in terms of scoring situations," Simeone said. "In the first half, Barca had four chances and scored three times; Atletico had four chances and scored once.

"The forcefulness of a side guarantees everything. Barca's forcefulness prevailed in the end.

"We started well, controlling possession and creating space for the forward players, who had chances. But beyond possession and counter-attacks, the most forceful team wins.

"In the second half we became more aggressive and intense. At 4-2 there was a feeling we could get into the game, but Barca defended low and we had fewer opportunities."

In a further blow for Simeone, it was confirmed after the game that new signing Daniel Wass suffered a torsion in his right knee and will undergo further tests on Monday.

On a day to forget for Atletico all-round, centre-back Savic – whose five interceptions was more than double that of any other player on the field – urged his team-mates to quickly pick themselves up.

"There is a lot of the season left and we are going to fight. We're worried about conceding so many goals, the number of them. Now we can only work and raise our heads," he told Movistar Plus.

"We wait to be behind to start playing. I don't know if it's a mental issue, but we have to change it if we want to be in the Champions League next year.

"Sometimes you work and things don't work out. We must keep going."

Al Hilal thumped hosts Al Jazira 6-1 on Sunday to book their place in the Club World Cup semi-finals against Chelsea.

2020-21 UAE Pro League champions Al Jazira opened the scoring through Abdoulay Diaby after 14 minutes, but goals from former Premier League forwards Odion Ighalo and Matheus Pereira put Al Hilal into the lead before the break.

That narrow lead was extended into an emphatic scoreline in the second half, as Mohamed Kanno, Salem Al-Dawsari, Moussa Marega and Andre Carrillo all found the back of the net.

Asian champions Al Hilal will face European counterparts Chelsea in the last four on February 9, while Al Jazira play Monterrey earlier that same day in the fifth-place play-off.

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