Max Verstappen hailed the race pace of his Red Bull after snatching victory in a gripping tussle with Charles Leclerc at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The Dutchman edged out the Ferrari of Leclerc to deny the Monte Carlo racer consecutive wins after his victory in Bahrain, where Verstappen failed to finish.
Verstappen passed Leclerc for the lead with just a handful of laps to go on Sunday after sitting behind him all race, initially in third and then second after Sergio Perez dropped down the field.
It meant the 24-year-old earned his first points of the season as he aims to become a two-time world champion, and speaking afterwards, Verstappen admitted he was glad to have got off the mark.
"It was really tough, but a good race," the Dutchman said. "We were both battling hard at the front. We just tried to play the long game.
"They were really quick through corners, and we were really quick on the straight. The tyres were wearing out quite quick.
"You could see by the end we had a little bit more pace. I tried to get by, it wasn't easy, they were playing smart tricks in the last corner, but eventually I managed to get ahead.
"Even after that, he was constantly in the DRS. [I'm] really happy we finally kick-started the season."
Leclerc, who had looked poised for his second win as many races, took time to congratulate his opponent and point to the thrill of the jostling for first place.
"It wasn't enough today, but my god, I really enjoyed that race," Leclerc said. "Every race should be like this. It was fun.
"We had two very different configurations. We were quite quick in the corner, but slow in the straights. It was extremely difficult for me to cover Max in the straight. He did a great job, it was a fun race."
The Ferrari driver felt the race only reinforced the respect the pair have for each other, adding: "It's always been there, especially when you finish a race like this on a street track.
"We've been pushing like I've rarely pushed before, we take risks. Of course there's respect."
Hugo Lloris hailed the work of Antonio Conte for inspiring Tottenham to make "real progression" and putting them in contention for European football.
The France international's future in north London was doubtful in January with just six months left on his contract and the option to negotiate with foreign clubs for an end-of-season free transfer.
However, Spurs captain Lloris committed his future to Conte's project by signing a new two-and-a-half-year deal to keep him at the Premier League club until the end of the 2023-24 season.
While Spurs' form nosedived initially in the wake of Lloris' extension announcement, losing four of their following five Premier League matches, things had started to look up again prior to the international window.
Spurs went into the break having won four out of their past five games in the league, form that has seen them climb up to fifth place with nine fixtures left.
While they remain three points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, who have played one match fewer, Lloris credited Conte for restoring belief at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
"I extended a month and a half ago. Things were done fairly quickly with the leaders, with a lot of respect and consideration," Lloris said in an interview with Europe 1, as quoted by FootMercato.
"It's been two and a half years that we've known ups and downs, irregularity in terms of results. But since the arrival of Conte, we feel a real progression.
"We have the feeling that we are crossing a plateau. I think we will be ready to go for the European places."
The 35-year-old will be hoping Spurs can continue their push for a place in the top four after the international break when they host Newcastle United on April 3.
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard described the appointment of Xavi as head coach by Barcelona as a "masterstroke".
Xavi has made an impressive start to life in the Camp Nou dugout and enjoyed a resounding 4-0 thrashing of El Clasico rivals Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu before the international break.
The former Spain and Barca midfielder was hired after the October sacking of Ronald Koeman, having previously coached Qatari side Al Sadd.
Speaking after a charity match between Liverpool and Barcelona legends at Anfield on Saturday, Gerrard – now in charge at Aston Villa – applauded the return of Xavi when speaking to Barca's media team.
"I think with the appointment of Xavi, it was a masterstroke by Barcelona," he said. "[He is] someone who has got Barcelona in his DNA and who has been a world-class player for many years.
"He obviously knows the style and what all the Barcelona people want to see. And after some challenging times it looks as if they're getting back to where they need to be.
"It was obviously a huge result against Real Madrid, and as a fan of Barcelona from afar, it's good to see them back and firing well."
The Clasico win meant Xavi became just the third coach in LaLiga history to win his first Clasico match by four or more goals, after Ferdinand Daucik in 1951 and Helenio Herrera in 1959.
The Blaugrana are on a 13-match unbeaten streak in LaLiga and won their past five league games, scoring four in all but one of those.
"As a coach in my position you're always trying to learn off everyone you can," Gerrard continued. "There's a lot of media around Xavi because obviously he was a world-class player. He's someone I have the utmost respect for as a player and I'm obviously watching him as a coach as well.
"He's on a similar journey to myself, very young, very new. I'm sure he's learning a lot every day like myself, but I'd like to give him a personal good luck message. I hope he makes it a big success and I'd love to see him at Barcelona for many years."
Gerrard scored in the 2-1 win for Barca's legends on Merseyside, with Rivaldo and Giovanni netting for the visitors.
Max Verstappen put the frustrations of Bahrain behind him with a superb drive to edge Charles Leclerc for victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah on Sunday.
The Red Bull driver and reigning world champion picked up his first points of the F1 season after coming out on top in a pulsating battle with his Ferrari rival.
It marked a return to the podium for the Dutchman after a late mechanical failure denied him a top-three finish at last week's season opener in Sakhir.
Leclerc seized the lead early on from Verstappen's team-mate Sergio Perez amid a safety car procession, following a crash by Williams' Nicholas Latifi, and looked poised for back-to-back wins after victory in Bahrain.
But amid a thrilling final stretch at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Leclerc was caught on the main straight heading into lap 47 by Verstappen.
Leclerc's team-mate Carlos Sainz came home in third, to leave pole-sitter Sergio Perez fourth, while Lewis Hamilton, who started 15th following a dreadful qualifying session on Saturday, fought through the grid for a points finish in 10th.
After a tumultuous build-up to race day on and off the track, an uncharacteristically sedate start saw the grid mostly hold position in the opening moments.
Verstappen made one of the few jumps, getting the edge on Sainz down to Turn 1, but he was otherwise unable to gain early ground on Perez and Leclerc until Latifi's crash facilitated a reshuffle at the top.
Having maintained a one-second-plus advantage over Verstappen after taking the lead, Leclerc was forced to fight tooth and nail to keep himself ahead of the Red Bull man.
But with just four laps to go, he could not hold on to his slender lead and the Dutchman passed to notch up those first points of his title defence.
Nick Kyrgios has defended Emma Raducanu amid a wave of recent criticism following the US Open champion's early exit from the Miami Open.
Raducanu was beaten by Katerina Siniakova in her first match in Miami this week after being given a bye into the second round.
She has won only four WTA Tour matches since sensationally becoming the first qualifier – male or female – to win a major in the Open Era at Flushing Meadows in September.
The 19-year-old has been in demand off the court, having last week announced she will be a brand ambassador for Porsche, but her business activities have attracted criticism.
Speaking after Raducanu's defeat to Siniakova, former world number five Daniela Hantuchova claimed the Briton has lost the locker room respect she had previously built up.
Kim Clijsters took aim at those who act as though they have "made it", meanwhile, though the four-time major winner did not mention Raducanu by name when making those comments.
Raducanu defended herself from the "unfair" accusations and Kyrgios has now questioned why former players have felt the need to take aim at the youngster.
"What’s with old retired players giving their opinion on our stars now?" he posted on Twitter, referencing a video uploaded by Andy Roddick on how players can curtail their anger.
"I love A-rod and I agree we all need to chill with the rackets and all that, but geezus.
"I read an article about a past female player talking about Radacanu, no offence, but she is a far, far bigger name already."
The Punjab Kings claimed a dramatic five-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore in their Indian Premier League opener, despite Faf du Plessis' impressive debut at the DY Patil Stadium.
Former South Africa skipper Du Plessis made the switch to the Challengers after leading the Chennai Super Kings to glory last year.
Du Plessis mustered an impressive 88 off just 57 balls alongside Virat Kohli (41), who he replaced as captain, as the 37-year-old made his mark on his new side in emphatic fashion.
That partnership generated 118 runs from 61 balls, while fellow veteran Dinesh Karthik added 32 off just 14 deliveries as the three-time runners-up concluded on 205-6 from their 20-over allocation.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa (43) and Mayank Agarwal (32) led the Kings’ response as they chased the target of 206.
Their momentum stalled at the start of the 14th over; Mohammed Siraj dismissing Rajapaksa before Rajangad Bawa was trapped in front for a duck with the following ball.
Akash Deep claimed Liam Livingstone (19) soon after but a late surge from Odean Smith, who managed 25 off only eight balls, and Shahrukh Khan (24) saw the Kings over the line with an over to spare.
Fantastic Faf
Du Plessis hit 633 runs last season – a tally only bettered by Ruturaj Gaikwad (635) – as he inspired the Super Kings to a fourth IPL title.
The veteran began this campaign in the same vein, although his 10 boundaries (seven sixes, three fours) came in a losing cause for the Challengers.
Late surge stuns Challengers
Du Plessis' side must have thought they had contained their opponents after claiming three wickets in the space of two overs.
But Smith and Shahrukh had other ideas as their partnership brought 52 runs from 25 deliveries – including 38 in the final two overs – to complete a remarkable chase down.
Scottie Scheffler survived a spirited fightback from Dustin Johnson to win 3 and 1 and reach the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play final, where he will meet Kevin Kisner on Sunday.
Johnson made it past Brooks Koepka in a heavyweight last-16 clash on Saturday, but struggled in the early stages against world number five Scheffler at the Austin Country Club.
Scheffler produced three birdies in his opening four holes to go 3up and furthered his advantage on the eighth and 11th to take a five-shot lead.
Two-time major winner Johnson responded by claiming the next four holes – with Scheffler finding the water when inexplicably attempting to hit the green on the short par-four 13th – to tee up a thrilling finale.
Johnson then squandered a presentable birdie opportunity at the par-five 16th to fall two behind again before Scheffler secured victory on the following hole to reach his second consecutive Match Play final.
Victory in the final would also see Scheffler move to the top of the world rankings if he can defeat Kisner, who came out on top in a topsy-turvy clash with Corey Conners in the other semi-final.
The pair could not be separated as they repeatedly exchanged the lead through 16 holes before Kisner nudged ahead with a birdie on the penultimate hole as Conners pushed his putt wide in response.
Kisner, who lifted the Match Play trophy in 2019, delivered an expert chip with his second shot on the 18th to close out victory and ensure he remains in the hunt for the title.
Didier Deschamps has confirmed that Kylian Mbappe will return when France take on South Africa in Lille on Tuesday.
Mbappe missed Les Bleus' 2-1 victory against the Ivory Coast on Friday as a precaution with an ENT infection, where a late Aurelien Tchouameni goal sealed the friendly win.
However, without specifying whether it would be from the start or the bench, Deschamps has said the Paris Saint-Germain star will be back in contention for the next encounter.
When asked about Mbappe, Deschamps told Telefoot: "He is much better, he will be there on Tuesday."
The 23-year-old has 24 goals in 53 caps for France, but could face competition in the form of Christopher Nkunku, who made his international debut in Friday's win in Marseille.
The RB Leipzig forward has been in sensational form for the Bundesliga club this season, scoring 26 goals in 39 games across all competitions.
"[My debut] was an exceptional moment for me," he told reporters. "It was a committed match against a technical and physical team. I am a French international and I hope to be so for as long as possible."
Meanwhile Lens full-back Jonathan Clauss, who also made his senior international bow after being called up for the first time at the age of 29, hopes to be in contention for a place in Deschamps' World Cup squad later this year.
"We are all competitors, we all want to play extraordinary competitions, otherwise we wouldn't be here," he added. "We must not put the cart before the horse.
"I have to keep performing if I want to be part of this group for the World Cup. I don't make that decision, but I'll make sure to do my best."
Kai Havertz says Chelsea stars are drawing strength from coach Thomas Tuchel amid uncertainty over the club's future.
The Blues are in the midst of a takeover process after Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale, amid sanctions imposed on him by the UK government during the Ukraine-Russia crisis.
Several interested parties, including bids fronted by Chicago Cubs owners the Ricketts family and a consortium fronted by Todd Boehly, remain in the mix to become the new owners.
This has seen Chelsea face unexpected uncertainty, including a cap on away travel spending and a ban on signing players to new contracts.
Through it all, however, manager Tuchel has remained a central figure for the Chelsea squad, and Germany international Havertz says the players look to him for guidance.
"Many people in our club and its environment draw strength from what Thomas Tuchel says," Havertz told Die Welt.
"It's remarkable how he and the whole staff are dealing with the current situation.
"We're all trying to concentrate on the games, we can't influence everything else.
"The priority for us now is that the war is stopped and that there is finally peace in Ukraine again."
Chelsea will be back in action on April 2, when they welcome Brentford to Stamford Bridge.
Havertz and Blues team-mate Timo Werner scored for Germany in their 2-0 friendly win over Israel on Saturday.
Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has put his failure to land a Ballon d'Or award down to not fitting the "Mr Perfect" mould of perennial winners Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Despite registering over 500 club goals for the likes of Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, Ibrahimovic has never finished in the top three of the voting for the prestigious individual prize.
The Sweden international's highest finish came in 2013 when claiming fourth place behind Franck Ribery, Messi and Ronaldo, the latter two having taken the award 12 times between them (Messi 7, Ronaldo 5).
Indeed, only Luka Modric in 2018 – after winning the Champions League with Real Madrid and playing a starring role in Croatia's run to the World Cup final – has broken that duopoly over the past 14 years.
But Ibrahimovic, who has not been afraid to air his thoughts across a remarkable 23-year career, does not believe the Ballon d'Or is awarded on footballing ability alone and therefore has no regrets about missing out.
"These are political awards. They want 'Mr Perfect'," he told Bild. "If you speak and say what you think, you can't get them.
"It's easy to give them to Mr Nice Guy. It doesn't change anything for me, it doesn't make me better or worse."
Ibrahimovic is continuing to prove his worth at the age of 40 with Milan and is reportedly in talks over signing a contract beyond the end of this season, when his existing deal is due to expire.
The Malmo academy product has won trophies in five different countries, including Italy, France, Spain and England, but he has never plied his trade in the German top flight.
While a move to Bayern Munich may now be out of the equation, Ibrahimovic revealed he has a soft spot for the reigning Bundesliga champions.
"I've always been curious about the Bundesliga," he said. "There are teams like Bayern Munich, an incredible club.
"Every time I played against them I could always see their facilities, the stadium, their organisation. The history of the club is impressive."
Delhi Capitals secured an impressive opening victory in the Indian Premier League against Mumbai Indians at Brabourne Stadium, beating the five-time champions by four wickets.
Despite missing David Warner, Mitchell Marsh and Anrich Nortje, the Capitals ultimately eased to victory, with Lalit Yadav (47 not out) and Axar Patel (38 not out) rescuing what had looked like a precarious situation.
An impressive 81 from 48 balls from Ishan Kishan helped the hosts on their way to 177-5 from their 20 overs, and they then reduced the Capitals to 104-6 from 13.2 overs, only for a partnership of 75 off the next five overs from Lalit and Axar to see the visitors home.
Kishan put on an opening stand of 67 with Indians captain Rohit Sharma (41) before the latter hit Kuldeep Yadav (3-18) to Rovman Powell.
Delhi appeared to be back in contention when the dangerous Kieron Pollard was caught brilliantly by Tim Seifert, the fielder taking a diving two-handed catch to his left to dismiss the Trinidadian for just three, but Tim David (12) played the support role for Kishan to do the damage, hitting 11 fours and two sixes.
Prithvi Shaw (38) and Seifert (21) made a promising start in reply before New Zealander Seifert was bowled by Murugan Ashwin, with Mandeep Singh following two balls later for a duck.
Capitals coach Ricky Ponting looked concerned on the sidelines when skipper Rishabh Pant hit a Tymal Mills delivery straight to David for just one, but Lalit and Axar eventually put on a show to see their team to victory.
Axar makes amends with the bat
Axar had not had the best of times with the ball in hand, going for 40 from his four overs without taking a wicket.
However, he more than made up for it with the bat as he smacked 38 from just 17 balls, including three sixes and the winning four to see his side to victory.
Sams has day to forget
Someone else who did not enjoy bowling was Daniel Sams, who went for 57 without taking a wicket from his four overs, including conceding nine boundaries (six fours, three sixes).
The game looked like it was drifting heavily towards Delhi's favour anyway, but that was confirmed when the Australian's final over went for 24.
Domenico Berardi says Italy gave their all but admitted they needed to find even more after their failure to qualify for the World Cup.
The Azzurri's hopes of reaching Qatar ended following a shock play-off semi-final defeat by North Macedonia on Thursday, with Aleksandar Trajkovski striking a stoppage-time winner in Palermo.
No player registered more shots at the Renzo Barbera stadium than Berardi (eight), but just two of those were on target.
And the Sassuolo forward was made to rue his profligacy as the hosts suffered a first-ever World Cup qualifying loss on home soil.
Roberto Mancini's side claimed glory at the European Championship just eight months ago, after beating England on penalties in the final.
But for the first time in their history, they will be absent from consecutive World Cups, having also missed out in Russia four years ago.
Over 48 hours on, Berardi revealed the pain of missing out on the finals is still raw, but he is determined to put things right.
Addressing his 278,000 followers on Instagram, he posted: "A cool head hurts even more. The dream for all of us Italians ended in the worst way.
"Believe it or not, we've really done a lot. We tried in every way, but it wasn't enough.
"It was the goal of the whole group to go to the World Cup. For many of us, [it would have been] the first time to play the most beautiful cup for our country.
"It was our responsibility to take you to the World Cup and live a wonderful adventure all together like the one last summer.
"We had to and could have given more because what angers us most is that we are not there. There aren't many things to add. We will work to make you dream again. Together. United. Azzurri."
Harry Kane is the world's best striker and can land another World Cup Golden Boot this year, says England team-mate Luke Shaw.
Tottenham ace Kane scored the winner for England from the penalty spot in Saturday's 2-1 friendly success against Switzerland at Wembley.
That goal 12 minutes from time, after Shaw had cancelled out Breel Embolo's header, took Kane level with Bobby Charlton as England's joint-second all-time top scorer.
Only Wayne Rooney has scored more goals in an England shirt, with the former Manchester United frontman having netted 53 compared to Kane and Charlton's 49 strikes.
With seven England games pencilled in between now and the World Cup, Kane may well break that goalscoring record before Qatar 2022 gets up and running in November.
On current form, Shaw is backing his Three Lions colleague to finish top of the scoring charts in the global showpiece, having previously done so in Russia four years ago.
"I don't see why not," Shaw told beIN SPORTS. "For me, at the moment, the way he's playing, he's one of the best strikers in the world, probably the best.
"So hopefully he can keep that form up, keep it going. He's showing it week in, week out at the moment, and it's a joy to watch.
"Long may that continue, and I’m sure he will be hunting another Golden Boot and all the other records."
At club level, Kane has scored 11 goals in 17 appearances so far this calendar year and chipped in with a further four assists in all competitions.
The 15 direct goal involvements is a tally bettered only by Robert Lewandowski, Christopher Nkunku (both 16) and Karim Benzema (17) from Europe's top five leagues.
Kane has also now scored eight goals in his last three international appearances, helping England to three successive wins with an aggregate score of 17-1.
England were not at their best against Switzerland, but Manchester United defender Shaw believes the battling display – a seventh comeback win under Gareth Southgate – stands the national team in good stead.
"The belief, the confidence – I've said it many times before, when we're under pressure in games where it's not going the way we want to, I feel like we're all together," said Shaw.
"We're going to come across all sorts of games when we're under pressure. The main thing for me is we're all together, and we do that in abundance where we're really well drilled, and we know what everyone has to do when they step out on that pitch.
"That's with the ball but definitely without the ball we're getting better with that, too."
Cesc Fabregas has urged Paris Saint-Germain supporters to get behind a struggling Lionel Messi, rather than criticising his former team-mate.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner swapped Barcelona for Paris last August, ending his 21-year association with the Blaugrana.
Messi departed the Camp Nou as Barca's all-time leading appearance maker and goalscorer, having netted 672 times across 778 games in all competitions.
However, the Argentina captain has been unable to replicate that form in Ligue 1, scoring just twice in 18 appearances so far.
Mauricio Pochettino's side are well on course to regain their Ligue 1 crown, as they lead second-placed Marseille by 12 points with nine matches remaining.
But following their Champions League last-16 exit at the hands of Real Madrid, the likes of Messi and Neymar were jeered during PSG's next league game against Bordeaux at Parc des Princes.
Fabregas played alongside Messi at Barcelona between 2011 and 2014, winning the LaLiga title in 2012-13.
The Monaco midfielder understands the frustration of the PSG faithful, but feels the criticism of his ex-colleague is unjustified.
He told Marca: "Leo's case is very simple. For me, he has been the best ever that I have seen and played with. What I have seen from him has been exceptional.
"I know what happened with PSG. The fans want to create a moment of tension with the players.
"During the match, they support you; when they sing your name, perfect. But what I saw the other day – jeering when Neymar lost the ball or whistling when they touched the ball – is very ugly.
"They justify that they get paid a lot. They lost against Real Madrid – that's fine – but didn't they want to win? That's what comes first.
"With PSG, they haven't won anything yet, for the moment, but they will surely win the league.
"You're talking about a player [Messi] who has just arrived. PSG have never had a player like this in their lives.
"It's better to be grateful, to support him and not crush him. This year or next, these guys will bring you great moments."
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