Iago Aspas says a "stubborn" streak means he has not given up hope of winning over Luis Enrique before the World Cup.

The Celta Vigo striker was left out of Enrique's latest Spain squad, meaning he will play no part in the upcoming Nations League games against Switzerland and Portugal.

Those are La Roja's final games before their World Cup squad is announced, and those that have missed out might naturally fear the worst.

Since the start of last season, Aspas has scored 23 goals and had seven assists in 43 LaLiga games for Celta, with that goals return only beaten by Real Madrid's Karim Benzema (30).

Those goals have come at a rate of one every 157.96 minutes, and from an expected goals tally of 16.42, with his return suggesting he is exceeding normal performance levels with his finishing.

The 35-year-old former Liverpool player had been hoping such form would push him into contention for a place in the squad for Qatar 2022, but he now faces a battle to rival the likes of Borja Iglesias and Ferran Torres.

Aspas told the Cadena Ser programme 'El Larguero' that now was not the time to give up on his ambition.

"Hope is the last thing you lose, but it is true that I haven't gone [with the national team] for a while," he said. "I finished last season quite well and now I have continuity in the league.

"Of course it hurts not to go, I'm stubborn and I'm not going to give up until the end. If I get on the final list, all the better. They pay me to play for Celta, but I have that prize just around the corner and I'll do everything possible."

Aspas, who has six goals from 19 caps for Spain, is convinced it is a footballing issue rather than anything personal with Enrique.

"If not, he would have told me because the coach is up front," Aspas added.

England boss Gareth Southgate has summoned Jordan Henderson to bolster his midfield after losing shoulder injury victim Kalvin Phillips.

Manager Southgate is waiting to learn whether Phillips will be fit for World Cup duty after Manchester City decided their close-season recruit from Leeds United would need surgery.

It means Euro 2020 runners-up England may be without a key man for the Qatar 2022 finals, although they will be holding out hope Phillips can return and prove his fitness before the tournament.

He has become a Southgate favourite in a deep-lying midfield role, joining Declan Rice in shielding the defence.

For now, a familiar figure in Henderson returns to the fray, with the 32-year-old Liverpool captain boasting 69 caps and considerable big-tournament experience, having been prominent in England's run to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals.

England are on Nations League duty at present, battling to avoid relegation from the top tier of that competition. They travel to face Italy in Group A3 on Friday, followed by a clash with Germany at Wembley on Monday.

News of Phillips' prospects for the World Cup could soon become clear, with the outcome of his operation likely to offer pointers to whether he could be on the plane to Qatar in November.

City manager Pep Guardiola offered hope for Phillips and England at the weekend, saying that "in a good way he could arrive at the World Cup".

France continue to be blighted by injury setbacks after Lucas Digne became the latest player to withdraw from their squad for this week's Nations League matches with Austria and Denmark.

Coach Didier Deschamps was already having to cope without Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante, Karim Benzema, Lucas Hernandez and Kingsley Coman before Hugo Lloris and Theo Hernandez joined them on the sidelines on Monday.

Now Digne, who was drafted in as Theo Hernandez's replacement, has been ruled out after the Aston Villa defender suffered an ankle problem.

Rennes' Adrien Truffert has been called up in his place with a view to earning his first cap.

France have posted two draws and two defeats in their opening four Group A1 matches and are battling relegation from the top tier. They face Austria on Thursday, and Denmark on Sunday.

Injured in his right ankle, Lucas Digne drops out and is replaced by Adrien Truffert! pic.twitter.com/MRcOvSDVSC

— French Team  (@FrenchTeam) September 20, 2022

Coach Sean McDermott said he and his team were praying for Dane Jackson after the Buffalo Bills cornerback suffered a worrying neck injury in Monday's win over the Tennessee Titans.

The 25-year-old Jackson was taken away in an ambulance for scans at the Erie County Medical Center.

He suffered the injury in a collision with a team-mate, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, near the end of the first half.

McDermott said in a post-game press conference: "We're still waiting word. We're praying for Dane. Dane Jackson has, I think, full movement in his extremities, which is good.

"You go from being a coach to being a human when you're watching him being loaded into the ambulance. That's a real moment. It's an unfortunate situation.

"The game's important and trying to win a game is important, but there's bigger things, especially at that moment when their team-mate's down there.

"I saw him in the ambulance at half-time. I had a chance to talk to him real quick before they headed out."

The blow to Jackson took some of the attention away from a fine win for the Bills, which saw Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs connect for three touchdowns.

Wide receiver Diggs had 12 receptions for 148 yards, and he savoured seeing the Bills move to 2-0 for the third time in the past four seasons.

He said: "As a receiver, you want to be able to do everything, especially if you consider yourself a wide receiver one.

"You've got to be everything for your quarterback. If your quarterback wants to throw a bomb, you better be able to catch it. [Same for] if he wants to carve things up in the middle.

"I've got a quarterback that can do everything, so I've just got to do everything. If I do my job, I'm all right, giving my quarterback that comfortable feel, that safety play, so he's out there not thinking too much, just trusting I'm going to be open and I'll make a play for you."

Week 3 will see the Bills tackle the Miami Dolphins, AFC East rivals who have also begun with two wins.

"That's definitely going to be another test for us, and it's something we look forward to," Diggs said. "They're in our division, so we've got to get a win.

"I feel like they're a good-ass team, they've got a hell of a defense, they call on the right plays on offense, and they're having a lot of success."

Seventh seed James Duckworth edged compatriot Alexei Popyrin in three sets, while eighth seed J.J. Wolf got past Stefan Kozlov in the San Diego Open first round on Monday.

Duckworth sent down 14 aces, winning 85 per cent on his first serve, and hit 53 winners as he got past Popyrin 7-5 4-6 6-1 in two hours and 20 minutes.

Popyrin could only manage 35 winners with 18 unforced errors. Duckworth will face one of the American qualifiers, Mitchell Krueger and Christopher Eubanks in the next round.

Wolf needed one hour and 52 minutes to topple countryman Kozlov 6-2 7-6 (8-6), converting three of his six break points, getting the edge by winning 50 per cent on Kozlov's second serve.

In the battle of the Argentines, Tomas Martin Etcheverry defeated Facundo Mena 7-6 (8-6) 6-3. Mena hit 28 winners but was undone by 23 unforced errors.

Frenchman Constant Lestienne fought back from a set down to win over American wild card Brandon Holt 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 6-3.

The New York Mets clinched their place in the MLB postseason for the first time since 2016 with Max Scherzer securing his 100th career win in a 7-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday.

The 38-year-old Mets right-hander, reinstated from the injured list, struck out nine across six innings where he threw 68 pitches. Scherzer was pulled after six innings with a perfect game intact, with the Mets opting not to risk injury to the three-time Cy Young Award winner on his return from an oblique issue.

The win means the Mets have booked a postseason berth, guaranteed at least a spot in the National League (NL) Wild Card Game, holding a 94-55 record.

Pete Alonso's three-run homer in the fourth inning headlined five runs against NL Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes.

The Mets will be making only their 10th postseason appearance in the franchise's 61-season history.

"This is what you play the game for," Scherzer said. "You play to get into the postseason. There's a lot of ways for it not to work out. For us to be able to find a way to get into the postseason, that's awesome. That's what we celebrate. That's what you play the game for.

"We have a lot of things in front of us. We understand that. But you got to celebrate the good times, too."

Astros clinch fifth AL West title in six years

The Houston Astros secured the American League West title for the first time in the past six seasons with a 4-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Jose Altuve's leadoff home run set the tone for the Astros, while Luis Garcia gave up two hits and four walks in five innings with four strikeouts as Houston claimed their 16th shutout.

The Astros also won for the eighth time in nine games ahead of their sixth straight postseason. Houston are assured of a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Kershaw dominates Diamondbacks

Clayton Kershaw tossed down 10 strikeouts as the Los Angeles Dodgers toppled the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-2.

The Dodgers, who have already clinched the NL West, saw Joey Gallo blast a second-inning homer, before Chris Taylor's three-run blast opened up a 5-0 lead.

But Kershaw grabbed the headlines, managing to strike out at least 10 batters with no walks in a game for the 27th time in his career.

Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs connected for three touchdowns as the Buffalo Bills moved to 2-0 for the third time in the past four seasons with a 41-7 win over the Tennessee Titans on Monday.

The Bills blew away the Titans after leading 10-7 in the second quarter, with Allen finishing the game with four touchdown passes, completing 26 of 38 passes for 317 yards with no interceptions.

Diggs got on the end of three of those, including a 46-yard third-quarter hand cannon, having 12 receptions for 148 yards. Allen has contributed to four or more TDs in each of his past four games, including playoffs.

Buffalo's win means they have won six straight regular-season games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL. It is also the Bills' NFL-best 13th 14-point-plus win over the past two seasons, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next best with eight.

Titans QB Ryan Tannehill, who was benched late, threw 11 of 20 passes for 117 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions, including a Matt Milano pick six. The Bills face the 2-0 Miami Dolphins in Week 3, with three of their next four games on the road.

The Philadelphia Eagles joined the Bills with a 2-0 record after a 24-7 triumph over the Minnesota Vikings led by Jalen Hurts who had a major hand in all three of their touchdowns.

Hurts threw for one touchdown (finishing with 26-of-31 passing for 333 yards), while he ran in two TDs (57 yards from 11 carries), helping the Eagles open up a 24-7 half-time lead, with neither side scoring in the second half. Hurts landed a 53-yard pass for Quez Watkins' TD.

The Eagles defense managed three interceptions from Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, who completed 27 of 46 passes for 221 yards with one touchdown to Irv Smith Jr.

Police in Las Vegas are investigating allegations that a fan struck Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray in the aftermath of Arizona’s 29-23 overtime victory over the Raiders on Sunday.

Video showed that Murray was giving high-fives to fans in the front row of Allegiant Stadium when a man appeared to reach down and strike Murray in the face with an open hand.

Murray was not injured but appeared shocked by the act on video.

A Las Vegas police spokesperson confirmed that a battery complaint was filed Sunday. Murray’s name was not explicitly mentioned by the spokesperson, who said the allegation was that "a spectator at the stadium struck a professional football player."

Police have not yet identified a suspect.

Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury said he has not seen the video but was made aware of the incident on Monday.

"I was just told about it," Kingsbury said. "But I think that guy's a lowlife, whoever did it, and I hope they arrest him, he gets fired and can never go to another game."

The Cardinals trailed 23-7 at halftime but stormed back to force overtime, thanks in large part to Murray tallying a passing and a rushing touchdown, along with two two-point conversions to force overtime.

Arizona won the game when Byron Murphy Jr. returned a Hunter Renfrow fumble 59 yards for a touchdown in the extra session.

The Detroit Tigers have hired San Francisco Giants general manager Scott Harris as their new president of baseball operations.

Harris has spent the past three seasons with the Giants, having previously been with the Chicago Cubs over seven years where he ascended to assistant general manager.

The Tigers have hired Harris to replace long-time general manager Al Avila who was fired in August.

Detroit had high ambitions for the 2022 season, having invested $230 million on Javier Baez, Eduardo Rodriguez and Andrew Chafin. Instead, the Tigers have the fourth-worst record (55-91) in the majors this season.

Tigers chairman and CEO Christopher Ilitch said: "Scott's vision for how to construct a baseball organization to compete and win in the modern game is impressive.

"His leadership ability is polished from both his experience as an executive at multiple levels and mentorship from some of the game's most talented baseball operations leaders. Scott is a difference maker, innovator and fiercely competitive, always looking for an edge."

New Zealand took a 1-0 lead in their three-match One-Day International series against the West Indies with a five-run win in the rain affected series opener at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Monday.

In a match reduced to 35-overs per side due to rain, the West Indies were able to post 168-7 after New Zealand won the toss and chose to field first.

Openers Rashada Williams (19) and Natasha McLean (20) both got starts before crucial late knocks from Kyshona Knight (36) and Chinelle Henry (44) helped the hosts post a respectable total.

Medium pacer Jess Kerr (2-29 from six overs) and left-arm spinner Fran Jonas (2-22 from seven overs) were the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand.

In their turn at the crease, the New Zealanders were able to reach 159-5 after 33 overs before bad light forced an early end to proceedings with the tourists five runs ahead of where they needed to be at that point for victory.

Opener Suzie Bates top-scored with 51 off 65 balls including six fours while Amelia Kerr added an unbeaten 47 off 67 balls including four fours.

West Indies captain Hayley Matthews took 3-28 from seven overs while Chinelle Henry and Afy Fletcher took a wicket apiece.

The second ODI bowls off on Thursday.

 

 

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving thinks his team "needed" their 4-0 loss to the Boston Celtics in last season's NBA playoffs.

That chastening first-round exit to Irving's former team brought to an end a frustrating campaign for the much-fancied Nets.

With Irving being teamed with Kevin Durant and James Harden, many felt Brooklyn were the favourites to go all the way.

However, Irving only made 29 appearances in all for the Nets, mainly due to his unvaccinated status meaning he could not play any home games until late in the season when the ban in New York on unvaccinated players was lifted.

Durant also missed some games through injury, while Harden struggled for form before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Ben Simmons, who is yet to make his Nets debut.

Speaking on Twitch for streamer KaiCenat, Irving said: "We got 4-0'd my G, we got 4-0'd. It was meant to happen like that. Motivation, bro.

"We needed that humbling experience, especially going against the Celtics. It was already built to be that match-up.

"We're going to see them again, we're going to have to. They're going to be where they're going to be. But those young'uns over there in Boston, bro, I got to see them grow up.

"So to see them do what they did last year on the Finals stage, making it that far, I'm glad they had to go through us."

Irving – who exercised his $37million player option with the Nets for next season in June – still managed to average 27.4 points per game last year, as well as 4.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists.

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka called on the club and his team-mates to "protect" Ethan Nwaneri after the teenager made Premier League history.

Nwaneri became the youngest player to ever appear in the Premier League on Sunday as was introduced late on in Arsenal's 3-0 win over Brentford.

Aged 15 years and 181 days, Nwaneri broke the record set by Harvey Elliott when he came on for Fulham at 16 years and 30 days old.

Nwaneri was included in Mikel Arteta's squad partly due to injuries and was introduced near the end with the Gunners in complete control.

An England youth international, Nwaneri had trained with Arsenal's first team "a couple of times", according to Arteta, whose decision to bring him on was a "gut feeling".

Nwaneri has understandably dominated headlines since his historic cameo, but the need to protect him and keep him on his current path was not lost on Xhaka, who had known of the player's talent having taken charge of Arsenal Under-16s training sessions.

"To have a guy who is 15, who is 15 years younger than me… he looks old when I see him but the club can be proud of a player like him," Xhaka told reporters.

"He has a big future. If I am honest, I am doing my coaching licence and I have trained the Under-16s: you can see a big difference with him and the other guys. He is very, very special.

"Of course, you have to protect him as he is very young but if he keeps going like this with his hard work, he has a big, big future.

"I spoke with one Brentford guy and I told him this guy was 15 and he looked at me and said: 'F*** me, we are looking old!'

"So yes, of course, when you have 15 years difference you think: 'Okay the time is not gone but it is on the way'. But we are enjoying him, he is enjoying us as he has the quality.

"If I am honest, he is not with us a lot in training. I have maybe seen him twice or three times now. He is very shy, of course, but the time will come when he will be more with us, but you have to protect him and help him.

"Football is not everything for him and for us but yes, the club will help him and the experienced players have to help him."

Since entering the NFL in 2020, Tua Tagovailoa has had more doubters than believers.

With a stellar college career at Alabama ended by a hip dislocation, there were plenty of concerns around Tagovailoa ahead of the 2020 draft, and they persisted after the Miami Dolphins put them to one side to select him fifth overall.

A rookie year in which he rotated with Ryan Fitzpatrick and a surge in the second half of last season fuelled largely by the Dolphins' reliance on the run-pass option did little to dissuade the sceptics, with plenty still questioning his ability to be the long-term answer at quarterback for a franchise that has not had one since Dan Marino rode off into the sunset.

Those doubts evidently existed within the Dolphins' organisation, one which was reportedly very interested in striking a trade for Deshaun Watson last year.

But two games into an undefeated start to a make-or-break year for Tagovailoa it is clear he has the belief of the most important person in the building – his head coach.

And on Sunday, as the Dolphins remarkably stormed back from a 35-14 fourth-quarter deficit to stun the Baltimore Ravens 42-38 on the road, Mike McDaniel's faith in one of the most scrutinised quarterbacks in the NFL enabled Tagovailoa to deliver one of the most incredible results in recent league history.

The Dolphins became the first team to overcome a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit since the Philadelphia Eagles achieved that feat in Week 15 of the 2010 season against the New York Giants.

For those who aren't familiar with that game, it required a 65-yard punt return from Desean Jackson as time expired for the Eagles to complete the comeback and became known as the Miracle at the New Meadowlands. That's how unlikely such turnarounds are.

Yet McDaniel instilled calm in the Dolphins as they went into the second half trailing 28-7, and his relaxed approach and his belief in his quarterback yielded astonishing dividends.

McDaniel's understated inspiration

"I just challenged them to say 'who cares what the score is?' It's about how we play football together, so this is an opportunity, it's a tough one but that doesn't even matter, let's get something out of this game to feel good about in the second half and we'll worry about the score some time in the fourth quarter," McDaniel said.

"I didn't care about the outcome of the game at that point, at half-time it was a huge opportunity for us to show who we are and play good football for each other."

In regards to Tagovailoa, McDaniel was delighted he succeeded in getting his quarterback to play with a short memory in a game where he threw two interceptions in the first half.

"Now maybe Tua will finally listen to me," added McDaniel. "It's awesome to be critical of yourself, it's good. He has a high standard for himself. After the first game I just wanted to see the guy enjoy playing football, and understand that yes 'you want to make the perfect read and the perfect throw every time, but who cares?'

"If you just get better at one thing a game you're going to be pretty good at the end of the season. So let's just press forward.

"The absolute worst thing could have happened for him at the beginning of the game [on the first interception], where we get a contested ball, that's not really his fault, and then he starts pressing and throws it up for a second interception. 

"This is huge because he stopped worrying about the last play and he went and played and took his responsibility seriously to his team-mates about 'hey I'm going to lead this team confidently'.

"It is what you get into sports for. I think it was a moment that he'll never forget, that hopefully he can use moving forward because we basically had to play perfect complementary football to come back from a deficit like that against a really good team. His team-mates learned a lot about him and I think he learned something about himself."

That short memory allowed Tagovailoa to complete 36 of his 50 pass attempts for a career-high 469 yards and six touchdowns. The only other two Dolphin quarterbacks to throw six touchdowns in a game are Marino and Bob Griese.

And, with two of those scores coming on deep shots 48 and 60 yards to Tyreek Hill, Tagovailoa may feel he has gone some way to quieting a narrative that has persisted throughout the build-up to this campaign. 

Deep ball questions answered?

The offseason in Miami was defined in part by questions about Tagovailoa's ability to throw the deep ball. Last season, he had one completion of 20 yards or more for a touchdown. Through two games in 2022, he has three.

In addition to producing an immediate improvement on where he was last year in completing passes downfield, Tagovailoa also made strides from his performance in the opening week of the season against the New England Patriots.

Week 1 saw Tagovailoa deliver an accurate, well-thrown ball on 71.9 per cent of his passes, according to Stats Perform data. Against the Ravens, his well-thrown rate was up to 80 per cent.

Tagovailoa's performance saw him enter the NFL record books as the third-youngest player with six touchdown passes in a single game and the fourth-youngest with at least 450 passing yards and five touchdowns in the same game at the age of 24 years and 200 days.

His success came in part through heeding the words of his coach and getting significantly better in one area than he was in the previous week, but his career day was not simply the product of better accuracy and motivation from McDaniel.

Play-calling mastery

Indeed, it was also a result of having two receivers with the speed to terrify any defense and a play-caller who knows how to deploy them and set his team up for success, as well as two massive coverage mix-ups by Baltimore that allowed Hill to tie the game with two deep receptions.

While he only produced a burn – which is when a receiver wins his matchup with a defender on a play where he is targeted – on seven of his 13 targets (a ratio of 53.8 per cent that was below the average of 58.7 for the week as of Monday), only five receivers targeted at least five times in Week 2 averaged more burn yards per target than Hill's 14.62.

With fellow speedster Jaylen Waddle winning 13 of his 19 matchups for an impressive burn rate of 68.4, Tagovailoa was targeting two pass-catchers adept at creating separation who presented the perfect duo with which to attack a Ravens secondary battling injuries, Hill and Waddle becoming the first pair of team-mates in NFL history to record at least 10 receptions, 150 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions in the same game.

And McDaniel made the most telling illustration of his impact on the final drive. Schooled in the Kyle Shanahan offense, the first-year head coach showed the value of his long apprenticeship under the league's pre-eminent play-caller on two game-deciding calls.

The first was his call for a split-zone run with Chase Edmonds on second-and-one from the Ravens' 35-yard line with 46 seconds left.

It is a situation where most would have expected another shot at big passing play. Instead, McDaniel created an explosive move with the run, using the snap motion to take the nickel defender at the second level over to the far side of the field, before safety Chuck Clark, playing down in the box, reacted to tight end Mike Gesicki peeling back across the formation to block linebacker Patrick Queen by following him away from the direction of the play, his vacation of his previous alignment and well-executed blocking by Miami creating a huge hole for Edmonds to rumble 28 yards to the seven-yard line.

Two plays later, McDaniel again used motion to help the Dolphins complete the comeback, this time with Waddle going across the field and being followed in man coverage by former Alabama team-mate Jalyn Armour-Davis. At the snap, Trent Sherfield ran a slant that essentially served as a pick play, the collision between Armour-Davis and Daryl Worley leaving the former out of position for long enough for Waddle to create separation with his pivot route and allowing Tagovailoa, having superbly navigated the pocket, to find him with a high throw on the move.

At Alabama, Tagovailoa was playing for college football's powerhouse, a program that serves as a ceaseless production line of NFL talent and the perfect incubator in which a young quarterback can thrive at that level.

In other words, he was in the ideal situation. Across his first two seasons in Miami, he was in anything but.

As the hugely improbable fightback against the Ravens demonstrated, Tagovailoa – with two game-breakers at receiver and a head coach with the mindset and the play-calling acumen to accentuate the strengths of his quarterback and his surrounding talent – is in a substantially better spot.

McDaniel, Tagovailoa and Co. combined to achieve the near-impossible and, after a fourth-quarter turnaround for ages, the quarterback whom so many were willing to write off should be the subject of burgeoning belief.

The NFL has suspended Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay for four games for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

The suspension was revealed on Monday and stems from an arrest in January, when the 24-year-old was charged with misdemeanour criminal property damage at the home of the mother of his son.

He started in both of Kansas City's playoff games last January following the arrest, and agreed to a pre-trial diversion program over the summer to conclude the case.

Gay has started both games for the 2-0 Chiefs this season and is tied with L'Jarius Sneed for second on the team with 16 tackles. He also has two tackles for loss, two passes defended and one quarterback hit.

It is uncertain if Gay will appeal the suspension in an effort to get it reduced, but as it stands, he will miss games against the Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Las Vegas Raiders and Buffalo Bills, and will be eligible to return against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7.

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