Aliou Cisse paid tribute to the absent Sadio Mane after Senegal booked their World Cup last-16 spot with a 2-1 win over Ecuador on Tuesday.
The Lions of Teranga leapfrogged their opponents into second in Group A as goals from Ismaila Sarr and Kalidou Koulibaly sealed their progression to the knockout stage for the first time since 2002.
The result also saw Senegal become the first African nation to beat a South American side at the World Cup since Cameroon overcame Colombia in 1990, ending a 21-game winless run.
Senegal's talisman Mane was ruled out of Qatar 2022 after suffering a leg injury for Bayern Munich in the build-up to the tournament, but Cisse's thoughts quickly turned to the forward in the aftermath of his side's huge win.
"I would like to dedicate this victory to a man who is doing extraordinary things for the country, who is unfortunately not here today. This man is called Sadio Mane," he said.
Senegal face the winner of Group B on Sunday, and Cisse says his side will be well-prepared for any opponent.
"We don't know who we're going to come up against in the round of 16 – it could be England, it could be Wales, Iran, USA, anyone," Cisse added.
"Then that will be a new stage for us. We know that we are moving to the knockout stage, which is completely different from what we are used to playing in these types of [group] matches.
"Everyone is a good team, the best teams in the world that are competing. Therefore, we need to be prepared to come up against any side.
"It is now a win or lose situation, there are no second chances – if you win, you go through, if you lose, you go home.
"So for the moment, we are just going to concentrate on resting and getting fit for the next game, it is simple as that."
Ecuador head coach Gustavo Alfaro lamented the fine margins that saw his side miss out on the last 16 and confirmed he needs some time to decide whether he will remain in the job.
"The margin of error was meagre and small details made the difference," he said after seeing Moises Caicedo's second-half equaliser followed by Koulibaly's winner just moments later.
"We made key mistakes in the game. The pain of this defeat does not need to overshadow the achievements of this side, and we hope the experience serves them well in the future."
Asked about his own position, the Argentine added: "I need time to know what I am going to do with my professional career."
Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns will only miss an estimated four-to-six weeks of action after suffering a right calf strain.
Towns' injury appeared to be serious when he went down in a non-contact situation in the third quarter of Monday's 142-127 loss to the Washington Wizards, needing to be helped back to the locker room.
However, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the 27-year-old underwent imaging on Tuesday and is expected to return "sometime in January".
Towns was named 2016 Rookie of the Year and has made three All-Star games (2018, 2019 and 2022).
He is also the only center ever to win the Three-Point Contest during All-Star Weekend.
Towns is not having his best year, averaging 21.4 points per game this season – his lowest figure since 2017-18 – as well as a career-low 8.5 rebounds and a career-low 0.7 blocks.
But his absence is still likely to be felt keenly by a Minnesota team at 10-11, having lost their last three games.
Mexico always reach the last 16 of the World Cup. It is just what they do. Progress beyond that point has been the issue.
But El Tri head into their final Group C fixture at Lusail Stadium on Wednesday at risk of elimination, needing to beat Saudi Arabia to have any chance of advancing.
Tata Martino's side have shown little sign of delivering such a result so far, drawing with Poland only after Robert Lewandowski had a penalty saved and then losing 2-0 to Argentina.
Mexico are winless in four World Cup matches, only enduring a worse sequence across their first 13 finals games.
They have not scored in any of those four outings either, with 49 attempts in that time producing just nine on target.
Perhaps their luck will change against Saudi Arabia, who have kept only one clean sheet in 18 World Cup matches – that rate of 5.6 per cent the worst in tournament history among teams to play 10 or more games.
"While we still have a chance, we have to try to do it," Martino said after losing to Argentina. "Saudi Arabia need to try to win and score goals, and we do, too.
"I think that in life and in this case, with these players, we are used to picking ourselves up, above all when we have to. It's hard, though; it's definitely hard."
Saudi Arabia could go through with a draw, although they will have to win to ensure they cannot be impacted by the result between Poland and Argentina.
They have only made it through the group stage once previously, in their first participation in 1994.
"I hope [the Saudi fans] won't give up," coach Herve Renard said following a 2-0 defeat to Poland.
"When you are fans, you need to support your team when it's a fantastic day. But you also need to support your team to make history in the third game. I would like to see one more time a green stadium."
Mexico are unbeaten against Saudi Arabia, winning four of their five previous meetings, which all occurred between 1995 and 1999.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Saudi Arabia – Mohammed Kanno
Kanno really stood out as Saudi Arabia might a bright start against Poland, providing a goal threat from midfield as he attempted a joint-high four shots. His support will be key as the Green Falcons go on the attack again.
Mexico – Raul Jimenez
Martino played without a natural forward against Argentina, but he surely cannot afford to do so again as Mexico need goals. They have only had five shots on target, with no player contributing more than one. After coming off the bench twice, Jimenez may now be called upon to produce at a big moment.
PREDICTION
Despite their recent World Cup woes, Mexico are strong favourites to get the win they need to stay in contention. The supercomputer rates their chances at 56.4 per cent.
A second Saudi Arabia upset of the group stage is given only a 21.2 per cent shot, while the draw – which would see Mexico eliminated and may not be enough for Saudi Arabia either – has a 22.4 per cent likelihood.
After just a pair of games each, it has already been an up and down World Cup for two of the best players on the planet.
Poland's Robert Lewandowski was the villain on matchday one as he saw a tame penalty saved in the 0-0 draw with Mexico, before redemption as he claimed his first ever World Cup goal in the 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia.
Lionel Messi scored his penalty in Argentina's first game, though was unable to stop his team from suffering a humiliating 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia, but then his exquisite strike set La Albiceleste on their way to a 2-0 win against Mexico.
These two superstars will surely be front and centre when they clash in their final game of Group C on Wednesday.
Victory for either will confirm their passage to the knockout stage, with a draw also good enough for the Poles.
A defeat would eliminate Argentina, with a draw leaving them sweating on the outcome of Saudi Arabia v Mexico.
History could be on their side, though, with their last meeting at a World Cup coming in 1978, where Argentina won 2-0 before going on to lift the trophy for the first time (Poland won their only other World Cup clash 3-2 in 1974).
Lionel Scaloni's men will have their work cut out though, with Poland having kept a clean sheet in each of their last three World Cup games, including both in Qatar so far despite facing 27 shots (nine on target).
Poland are looking to qualify from their World Cup group for the first time since the 1986 tournament under Antoni Piechniczek, and they last went unbeaten in all three matches in their first round group in 1982.
Following his match-winning performance against Mexico, Messi said: "Another World Cup started for us today... We can't give up now; we have finals from this point on and can't make a mistake."
Poland coach Czeslaw Michniewicz said after Lewandowski's maiden World Cup strike "one player will not win the match alone".
He could be right, but if ever there were a contest to prove whether he is, it might just be this one.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Poland – Robert Lewandowski
Lewandowski (50) was the player with most goals scored among players in the top five European leagues in all competitions last season, ahead of Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema (44).
The Barcelona striker cut a frustrated figure against Mexico, but was key in their win against Saudi Arabia, grabbing a goal and an assist.
Lewandowski is the only Polish player to have attempted more than two shots so far (seven), while no team-mate has created more chances than his three, level with Piotr Zielinski.
Argentina – Lionel Messi
Despite people daring to suggest Messi's powers are waning, he remains his country's talisman.
The 35-year-old has scored in six successive appearances for Argentina in all competitions, his joint-longest scoring run for his national side (also six between November 2011 and September 2012), while he now has as many World Cup goals as Diego Maradona (eight), with only Gabriel Batistuta (10) netting more for Argentina at the tournament overall.
PREDICTION
Despite Poland leading the way in Group C, Opta make Argentina favourites for this one, with Scaloni's side having a 64.8 per cent chance of winning at Stadium 974.
Poland have just a 13.8 per cent chance of victory, but they will also be satisfied with a draw, which has a 21.4 per cent chance of occurring.
Louis van Gaal was heartened by Memphis Depay's display on his first start at the World Cup as he had a hand in both goals in a 2-0 Netherlands win over Qatar.
Depay is the Oranje's star man but had been restricted to the role of substitute in their first two matches following a hamstring injury.
But the Barcelona forward was called in from the start as the Netherlands needed three points to be sure of top spot in Group A.
Although Depay did not score, he was involved in the build-up to Cody Gakpo's opener and then had the shot that led to Frenkie de Jong converting a rebound for the second.
Coach Van Gaal was "so pleased" to have taken a risk by including Depay, Marten de Roon and Matthijs de Ligt, who had all been dealing with fitness concerns.
"The difference is Memphis is playing," he said. "He was involved in those two goals. That is the big difference.
"We have to bring Memphis into the game gradually, because he hasn't played in about two months."
Meanwhile, Van Gaal described Gakpo, who has three goals in three games, as having "everything it takes to become a star".
Van Gaal was certainly more impressed by his two forwards than he was by a question suggesting the Netherlands had underwhelmed.
"I think you have a different perspective on football than I," responded Van Gaal.
"Why don't you write down that it's terribly boring and you're going home tomorrow because you couldn't care less?"
When it was put to the coach that many fans concurred, he replied: "That's disappointing, but I don't agree. I think everyone would be rather proud that we're progressing to the next round."
Davy Klaassen, for his part, had accepted it was a fair assessment.
"If you play against Qatar, everyone will expect you'll win 5-0 or more," Klaassen said. "This tournament has shown it's very difficult.
"It's not like 10 years ago when you have the results you used to have. No country so far has shown these results in the group stage."
Qatar coach Felix Sanchez gave no assurances around his future but bristled at mention of his side's performance being the worst statistically of any host nation in World Cup history.
No other home side have lost as many as three matches or conceded as many as seven group-stage goals.
"We're talking about statistics. We're a country with 6,000 football licences, so this was a likely situation," Sanchez said.
"We never thought at any time to set a goal of reaching the last 16 or the quarter-finals. The goal was to get here, compete and see what we could do. Now we've seen.
"We managed to play two good games against the Netherlands and Senegal, knowing what tough opponents they are. We know in our first game we weren't at our usual level and didn't compete that well.
"We're very realistic about what we can do, where we're heading, what is expected of us.
"You can use statistics as you please, but we have to make our own assessment. That's what really matters to us."
Tiger Woods has become the latest major figure on the PGA Tour to say LIV Golf's Greg Norman must leave to allow peace to break out as the sport's civil war persists.
The 15-time major winner has backed up world number one Rory McIlroy's comments for the Australian to stand down in order to help heal the divide.
Norman, the CEO and face of the Saudi-funded breakaway tour, has been a prominent figure amid a bitter split in golf, with several of the world's leading players defecting to the rival series and with lawsuits between both parties.
McIlroy already said the chance of a compromise between both tours was unlikely as long as Norman remained in place, and now Woods has echoed his words.
"I see that there's an opportunity out there if both organisations put a stay on their litigation, but that's the problem, they've got to put a stay on it," Woods stated ahead of the Hero World Challenge.
"Whether or not they do that or not, there's no willingness to negotiate if you have a litigation against you.
"So if they both have a stay and then have a break, and then they can meet and figure something out, then maybe there is something to be had.
"But I think Greg has to go, first of all, and then obviously litigation against us and then our counter-suit against them, those would then have to be at a stay as well. Then we can talk, we can all talk freely."
Woods was set to play in the Hero World Challenge this week, but he withdrew after developing a foot problem.
He is still set to partner McIlroy at The Match later this month and then play with son Charlie at the PNC Championship.
Harry Kane was named in England's starting XI for Tuesday's World Cup clash with Wales, with Phil Foden, Marcus Rashford and Kyle Walker also coming into the team.
Gareth Southgate gave little away on Monday when asked if Kane, who has been struggling with a foot injury, would feature from the off at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.
England's progress from Group B would be assured with a point against Wales, who would need to win by at least three goals if they are to qualify, depending on the outcome of Iran v United States in the other match.
Kane has only scored three times in 10 games for England in 2022, with all those goals coming from the penalty spot.
Southgate has made four changes from England's last game.
Foden did not come on in the goalless draw with the USA, with Southgate's decision not to call on the Manchester City star drawing criticism from some quarters, but the youngster has replaced Bukayo Saka, while Sterling has made way for Rashford.
Kyle Walker, meanwhile, makes his first start of the tournament, with the full-back having recovered from a groin injury he suffered in October, and Jordan Henderson got the nod over Mason Mount.
Wales boss Rob Page, meanwhile, has made three changes from the side he started in the 2-0 defeat to Iran.
Goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey was sent off in that match and has been replaced by Leicester City's Danny Ward.
Midfielder Joe Allen and Fulham winger Dan James also came in for the Dragons, with Connor Roberts and Harry Wilson dropping to the bench.
Senegal progressed to the World Cup knockout stage at the expense of Ecuador after Kalidou Koulibaly's strike sealed a 2-1 win at the Khalifa International Stadium on Tuesday.
Aliou Cisse's side went into the game a point adrift of their opponents, but a deserved victory saw them secure second spot in Group A behind the Netherlands, who beat hosts Qatar in the group's other game.
Senegal were brightest from the outset and went ahead in the 44th minute when Watford winger Ismaila Sarr coolly slid home from the penalty spot after he had been fouled.
Moises Caicedo pulled Ecuador level midway through the second half, but Chelsea defender Koulibaly popped up in the 70 th minute to restore Senegal's lead and send them into the last 16.
Senegal squandered two glorious chances inside the opening 10 minutes, Idrissa Gueye and Boulaye Dia flashing efforts just wide from inside the penalty area.
Sarr went close with a whipped effort from distance midway through the first half, before Pathe Ciss looped a header onto the roof of the net.
Senegal's dominance was rewarded a minute before the interval when Sarr slotted home from the spot after he had been brought down in the area by Piero Hincapie.
Ecuador were much improved after the break and they drew level in the 67th minute when Caicedo tapped home at the back post after Felix Torres had flicked a corner on.
Their joy was short-lived, however, as Koulibaly booked Senegal's last-16 spot just three minutes later with a side-footed volley from six yards after a free-kick had been diverted into his path by an Ecuador defender.
Cody Gakpo scored in a third consecutive World Cup match as the Netherlands eased into the knockout stage by beating Qatar 2-0 to top Group A.
PSV attacker Gakpo has been one of the breakout stars of the tournament and impressed again at Al Bayt Stadium, setting the Oranje on their way to victory with a clinical 26th-minute strike.
As Senegal defeated Ecuador elsewhere, a further goal from Frenkie de Jong made sure of a straightforward victory to clinch first place in the pool.
Gakpo likely would not have had such a prominent role thus far if not for Memphis Depay's hamstring injury, but the pair started together on Tuesday and will now aim to link up again in the last 16 against the Group B runners-up.
The Netherlands immediately looked more threatening for having Depay in the line-up, although he failed to get a shot away in an early scramble in the box, leading Daley Blind to aim tamely at Meshaal Barsham, and soon lashed over.
It was Gakpo who instead delivered the goods once more following a lovely move, laying the ball off to Davy Klaassen and taking the return to fire a firm finish into the bottom-right corner.
Dreadful defending from Qatar then allowed Louis van Gaal's men to double their lead four minutes into the second half as Barsham blocked from Depay but De Jong was able to beat two men to the rebound in front of the goal line.
A third for Steven Berghuis was ruled out for a handball by Gakpo in the build-up, with the substitute also hitting the bar in stoppage time, but events in the other match meant the Netherlands' position was never under threat.
What does it mean? Oranje go on the offensive
The Netherlands had attempted only 12 shots worth a combined 0.8 expected goals across their first two matches, outperforming only Costa Rica in each metric.
Qatar made for accommodating opponents on Tuesday, but Depay's return alongside Gakpo led to a far more dangerous display. The Oranje produced 12 attempts worth 1.6 xG in this game alone.
Another crucial Gakpo goal
Any Netherlands nerves were eased by another opening goal from Gakpo, who had broken the deadlock against both Senegal and Ecuador.
He is the fourth Oranje player to net in three straight World Cup appearances and only the second player from any nation to open the scoring three times in the same group stage at a finals, along with Italy's Alessandro Altobelli in the first round in 1986.
Unwanted records for hosts
In conceding seven goals and losing three matches, Qatar set new records for hosts at a World Cup finals. This was not the sort of history they set out to make 10 days ago.
What's next?
The Netherlands will learn the identity of their last-16 opponents later on Tuesday, as Qatar reflect on a gruelling first World Cup experience.
Emma Raducanu felt "extremely grateful" after being made an MBE for her services to tennis.
The 20-year-old was presented with the honour by King Charles III in a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.
It comes 14 months after Raducanu's fairytale triumph at the US Open, where she became the first British female grand slam champion since Virginia Wade's Wimbledon victory in 1977.
The then 18-year-old was also the first qualifier to land a major after her straight-sets her win over Leylah Fernandez in the championship match at Flushing Meadows.
In a statement released via her agent, Raducanu said: "It's been great to receive my honour today from his Majesty the King - I feel extremely grateful."
Raducanu did not enjoy a fruitful season in 2022, as she failed to win a trophy or progress beyond the second round in any of the grand slams.
Her deepest run in a tournament came in September, when she reached the semi-finals of the Korea Open, but she had to retire hurt from a semi-final tie with Jelena Ostapenko.
No journey to the Super Bowl is ever linear. Ever since the Miami Dolphins achieved football perfection in 1972, every team that has climbed the mountain has had to experience some kind of bump in the road, and any team that harbours ambitions of adding their name to the list must show an ability to win in different ways and prevail when one side of the ball misfires.
The 2022 San Francisco 49ers have hit several bumps in the road. From a Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears in a monsoon, to losing the anointed quarterback of the future, Trey Lance, to a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 and suffering back-to-back losses to the Atlanta Falcons and the Kansas City Chiefs, the latter of which saw them ship 44 points, there have been plenty of points this season where belief in the 49ers as the Super Bowl contenders has been tested.
But San Francisco's response to the blowout Week 7 loss to the Chiefs has been emphatic and has reaffirmed the 49ers' status as a heavyweight in the NFC.
The 49ers have reeled off four successive victories to surge to 7-4 and, if the season ended today, would win the NFC West and enter the playoffs as an extremely dangerous third seed.
Two of those four wins have been blowouts, San Francisco marrying devastating offense from a group overflowing with playmakers following the October trade for Christian McCaffrey with tremendous defensive fortitude to destroy a pair of NFC West rivals in the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals on the road.
Even with the level of star talent they have at their disposal, the 49ers' offense has not been consistent. A continuing theme of their recent dominance has been DeMeco Ryans' defense, which reached its 2022 zenith to this point on Sunday with a shutout 13-0 win over the New Orleans Saints.
It was a performance that served as an encapsulation of why Ryans is likely to be the premier head coaching candidate this offseason and one that should serve to raise the question of whether his defense is one that could be among the select few that carries its team to Super Bowl glory.
The numbers point heavily to the 49er defense being of that standard.
San Francisco's shutout was the Niners' first since they beat Washington 9-0 in the 2019 season, and it was the first suffered by the Saints since Week 17 of the 2001 season. The 49ers were the team to dole out the shutout on that occasion in a 38-0 win.
While it was a 20-year low point for the Saints on offense, for the 49ers it was a continuation of an eye-opening run of defensive obduracy. The Niners have now pitched four consecutive shutouts in the second half, also keeping the Rams, Los Angeles Chargers and Cardinals off the board in the final two quarters. Achieving the feat for four quarters against the Saints, they have now not conceded a point in over 94 minutes of game action.
The 49ers' refusal to let the Saints avoid drawing a blank was made more amazing by the fact New Orleans had six plays from inside San Francisco's five-yard line, and the season-long defensive numbers for the Niners paint the picture of the defiance shown by Ryans' group that could well come to define their season.
San Francisco's defense ranks first in points per game allowed, yards per game allowed, rush yards per game allowed, yards per rush allowed, first downs per game allowed and passing touchdowns allowed.
Simply put, this is a defense that can shut down anything an opposing offense does well, and it has multiple means by which it can do so.
The 49ers have the sixth-highest sack rate in the NFL at 7.9 per cent but have a blitz rate of 28.7 per cent that is below the league average of 30.8 per cent, those numbers speaking to San Francisco's long-established ability to get home by only sending four pass rushers from their exceptionally deep defensive line.
Nick Bosa, the star of that front, recorded the fourth-down sack that essentially ensured the Saints would not score in Week 12, taking his tally for the year to 11.5.
Bosa is the fifth player since 2000 to record at least one sack in nine of his first 10 games of a season, joining Hugh Douglas (2000), Everson Griffen (2017), Robert Mathis (2005) and Demarcus Ware (2008).
Yet the Niners have also made a habit of sending successful blitzes at the right time, with linebacker Fred Warner and safety Talanoa Hufanga – who each forced fumbles on Sunday – proving adept at generating pressure when rushing from the second level of the defense.
Hufanga's physicality jarred a fumble from Alvin Kamara at the one-yard line in the first of two fourth-quarter red zone stops against New Orleans, the former fifth-round pick emerging as a star in a secondary that has duplicity to frustrate teams with precise and disciplined zone coverage and facilitate blitzes by succeeding when it pivots to man coverage, with cornerback Charvarius Ward, the 49ers' headline free agency acquisition, excelling in both areas.
As with many defenses around the NFL, the 49ers rely heavily on two-high safety zone coverages; however, they have used Cover 1 man on 13.35 per cent of defensive snaps, well above the league average of 10.64 per cent. When using that coverage, they have given up 5.22 yards per play, over a yard fewer than the league average of 6.58.
In essence, the personnel Ryans has at his disposal allows him to easily switch between the staple of a four-man rush with zone coverage behind it and a more aggressive approach at any point and still have complete confidence his defense will deliver.
Though blitzes are not an overly common feature of the game plan, San Francisco's underpinning defensive philosophy is all about aggression, which is evident throughout when Ryans' players are on the field, their relentless pursuit of the football critical to the 49ers' incredible success against the run – opponents have gained only 3.1 yards per play on the ground versus San Francisco – and game-sealing turnovers such as Kamara's goal-line fumble.
That defensive violence ensured San Francisco did not follow the 49ers' offensive fireshow against the Cardinals in Mexico City with a letdown even as that attack sputtered in comparison to its efforts at Estadio Azteca.
Fast, physical, disciplined and diverse with the players at every level to consistently dominate, the 2022 49ers defense has all the ingredients of a championship unit and proved it can carry the load in ensuring San Francisco won in a very different way in Week 12 following the blowout of Week 11.
With Jimmy Garoppolo playing some of the best football of his career, after sticking around to back up Lance in a prescient move by both player and franchise, and blessed with a skill-position group that features McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle, the hope will be the defense will not have to shoulder the burden on a regular basis. But this four-game stretch has proven unequivocally that it can do so, and that is an excellent insurance policy for the 49ers as they plot a path to a second Super Bowl appearance in four seasons.
Thibaut Courtois insists "too many lies are spread" as the Belgium goalkeeper dismissed reports of a rift in the Red Devils' camp.
The 2022 World Cup is regarded as the last shot at glory for Belgium's 'Golden Generation', who must avoid defeat against Croatia to stand any chance of reaching the last 16.
Following their shock 2-0 defeat to Morocco, Jan Vertonghen appeared to take a swipe at Kevin De Bruyne, who suggested the ageing Red Devils were "too old" to launch a genuine challenge in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Eden Hazard stated his belief Roberto Martinez's side had "greater chances" of glory in Russia four years ago, when they were narrowly beaten 1-0 by France in the semi-finals.
"I guess we attack badly because we are also too old up front," Vertonghen told reporters in the mixed zone after the loss against the Atlas Lions.
Courtois, who will earn his 100th cap should he play against Croatia, revealed there had been a discussion among the group on Monday, and that the rumours have spurred his team-mates on.
"The problem is that too many lies are spread," he said. "A situation is described that doesn't exist. As a group, we need to avoid that negativity.
"Everything was clarified yesterday. Everyone has openly expressed their opinion. Now, we have to take action on the field. It's good that we had a group conversation. We said what we thought to each other.
"We have to be honest with each other and fight for each other on the pitch."
Hazard also denied there was a confrontation in the dressing-room after the Morocco defeat, but the Red Devils captain admitted he had held a conversation with De Bruyne about his comments.
"Nothing happened in the dressing-room," he said. "Only the coach spoke. I spoke to Kevin De Bruyne, he does believe in the group.
"We had a good talk among the players. A lot has been said. We talked for an hour about good things and less good things. Now, we want to win against Croatia. We have to be ready."
C.J. Gardner-Johnson will be sidelined for the next few weeks after suffering a lacerated kidney at the weekend.
The Philadelphia Eagles safety was carted off the field in the first quarter of Sunday's 40-33 win against the Green Bay Packers, appearing to be in considerable pain.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Tuesday that Gardner-Johnson sustained a lacerated kidney in the game, which will not require surgery and is "not expected to be season-ending", but will keep him out "indefinitely".
The 24-year-old has played a big role in the Eagles' 10-1 campaign so far, leading the NFL in interceptions with six, while he has also made 55 tackles.
Gardner-Johnson was traded to Philadelphia from the New Orleans Saints in August along with a seventh-round draft pick for 2025 in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick in 2024 and the latter of the Eagles' two sixth-round draft picks in the same year.
Undrafted rookie Reed Blankenship replaced him on Sunday, and could be the man to come in again when the Eagles host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
The Netherlands have been officially confirmed as hosts for the 2023 Nations League Finals.
The Oranje were widely expected to welcome their rivals to face them on home soil, as only them and Group A4 opponents Belgium, Poland and Wales expressed an interest in staging the knockout finale.
Having seen off the trio to qualify as group winners, the Netherlands will now welcome Croatia, Italy and Spain next year for the climax to the 2022-23 edition.
In the absence of the Johan Cruyff Arena and Philips Stadion due to concerts, the matches will be played instead at Feyenoord's De Kuip and De Grolsch Veste - the home of FC Twente.
The tournament commences with the semi-finals on June 14 and June 15, while the final and third-place play-off will take place on June 18.
The draw to determine the last-four pairings will be made at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon next January.
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