The Netherlands capped their Euro 2024 preparations with a 4-0 win over Iceland at De Kuip on Monday, with Xavi Simons, Virgil van Dijk, Donyell Malen and Wout Weghorst scoring.

Ronald Koeman's side, who thrashed Canada 4-0 in their penultimate warm-up game on Thursday, were comfortable winners again six days out from their opening Group D game against Poland.

They went ahead after 23 minutes as Denzel Dumfries headed Joey Veerman's chipped pass across goal for Simons to convert, then doubled their lead four minutes into the second half.

Nathan Ake's flick-on following a corner found Van Dijk, who beat Iceland goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson to head the loose ball home.

Three days on from their memorable win over England at Wembley, Iceland went close to halving the arrears when Stefan Thordarson's 30-yard drive was tipped onto the post by Bart Verbruggen, but they fell further behind when Memphis Depay played Malen in to finish into the bottom-right corner after 73 minutes.

The Netherlands got a fourth in stoppage time as substitute Wout Weghorst tapped home from close range, a VAR review confirming the goal after Malen was initially flagged offside before crossing for the former Manchester United loanee.

Data Debrief: Dumfries Oranje's secret weapon

Lacking a top-class number nine, the Netherlands will likely have to share the goals around if they wish to go deep at the Euros. Fortunately for Koeman, he can call on one of Europe's very best attacking full-backs in Dumfries.

The Inter man has now been involved in 19 goals for the Netherlands overall (six goals, 13 assists), edging ahead of Daley Blind (18) for the most goal contributions by any Oranje defender. 

Vinicius Junior has described himself as a "tormentor of racists" after three Valencia supporters were given prison sentences for abusing him in May 2023.

Three people were sentenced to eight months in prison and given two-year stadium bans on Monday after being found guilty of hurling racist abuse at Vinicius at the Mestalla last year.

Vinicius was sent off following a scuffle in second-half stoppage time as Los Blancos were beaten 1-0 in a game that was paused for several minutes due to racist chanting.

The convictions – the first issued in Spain for racist abuse inside a football stadium – were welcomed as "great news for the fight against racism" by LaLiga president Javier Tebas.

Vinicius also welcomed the judgement on Monday, thanking Madrid for their support in the aftermath of the incident and expressing hope that other offenders will be convicted. 

"Many asked me to ignore it, many others said that my fight was in vain and that I should just 'play football'," Vinicius wrote on X. 

"But, as I've always said, I'm not a victim of racism. I am a tormentor of racists. This first criminal conviction in the history of Spain is not for me. It's for all black people.

"May other racists be afraid, ashamed and hide in the shadows. Otherwise, I'll be here to collect. 

"Thank you to La Liga and Real Madrid for helping with this historic conviction. More to come…"

FIFA president Gianni Infantino also responded to the convictions on his Instagram story, writing: "Our message to people anywhere in the world who still behave in a racist way when they are dealing with football is clear: we don't want you. 

"These people have to be excluded, they are not part of our community and not part of football."

England coach Steve Borthwick has named six uncapped players in his squad for their summer internationals against Japan and New Zealand. 

England face Japan in Tokyo on June 21 in their first outing since the Six Nations, then take on the All Blacks on July 6 and July 13.

Harlequins prop Fin Baxter and centre Luke Northmore, Sale pair Joe Carpenter and Tom Roebuck, Bristol's Gabriel Oghre and Northampton's Ollie Sleightholme are all included.

Having named a 36-man squad, England will train at Twickenham on Tuesday before flying out to Japan to prepare for their opening Test.

"The Summer Series presents a valuable opportunity for the continued development of this squad and is a demanding challenge to conclude the season," Borthwick said.

"The National Stadium in Tokyo is an incredible venue for Test match rugby, and we will need to be at our very best against a Japanese team who will want to play fast.

"New Zealand's home record is well documented, and we face a team who came within one point of winning a World Cup.

"The players know that they will need to be mentally strong and tactically smart if we are to get the result we want."

Full England squad: Fin Baxter, Dan Cole, Alex Coles, Chandler Cunningham-South, Ben Curry, Tom Curry, Theo Dan, Alex Dombrandt, Ben Earl, Charlie Ewels, Jamie George (c), Joe Heyes, Maro Itoje, Joe Marler, George Martin, Gabriel Oghre, Bevan Rodd, Ethan Roots, Will Stuart, Sam Underhill, Joe Carpenter, Fraser Dingwall, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Tommy Freeman, George Furbank, Ollie Lawrence, Alex Mitchell, Luke Northmore, Harry Randall, Tom Roebuck, Henry Slade, Ollie Sleightholme, Fin Smith, Marcus Smith, Ben Spencer, Freddie Steward.

Dan Hurley has reportedly decided not to take the Los Angeles Lakers' head coaching job.

Hurley, who has won back-to-back collegiate national championships at UConn, turned down a six-year, $70million contract to coach the Lakers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The deal would've made him one of the NBA's highest-paid coaches.

UConn is now reportedly planning to make him the highest-paid collegiate coach.

 

Hurley reportedly was the Lakers' top choice for their head coaching vacancy following the firing of Darvin Ham after the team was eliminated from the play-offs in the first round.

The position of being head coach of the Lakers is one of the most high-profile basketball jobs on the planet - and includes coaching one of the greatest players in the sport's history in LeBron James - but Hurley will stay at UConn, where he has gone 68-11 over the past two seasons with a pair of championships.

By staying at UConn, Hurley will now try to achieve something that's only been done once before and that's win three straight men's national titles. UCLA is the only men's program to accomplish that feat, winning seven in a row from 1967-73.

Hurley has led the Huskies to a 141-58 record in his six seasons at UConn. He signed a $32.1million, six-year deal a year ago after leading the program to the 2023 national title.

With Hurley no longer in the fold, TV analyst and former player JJ Redick, as well as New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego are reportedly the top candidates for the Lakers.

South Africa held off Bangladesh to maintain their perfect record at the T20 World Cup on Monday, defending a target of 113 in a thrilling finish in Long Island.

The Proteas, who had made a flawless start to their Group D campaign with successful chases against Sri Lanka and the Netherlands, looked to be up against it after a dire start to their third outing. 

Bangladesh's Tanzim Hasan Sakib needed just five overs to clinch a hat-trick as Reeza Hendricks went lbw for a first-ball duck, then Quinton de Kock (18) and Tristan Stubbs (0) followed, the latter chipping straight to Shakib Al Hasan at short cover.

Heinrich Klaasen stopped the rot, but his knock of 46 came off 44 deliveries as Bangladesh bowled efficiently, and another low-scoring affair was guaranteed when he was bamboozled by Taskin Ahmed's seam ball 18 overs in.

Bangladesh's chase got off to an inauspicious start as Kagiso Rabada had Tanzid Hasan (9) caught inside two overs, later joining Anrich Nortje on two wickets when an umpire's review showed he clipped leg stump to end Towhid Hridoy's stand of 37.

That knock had left Bangladesh requiring 18 off 12 balls in front of a fervent crowd, but like Pakistan versus India one day earlier, they were unable to get over the line. 

Proteas captain Aiden Markram was in the right place at the right time on two occasions, catching desperate attempts for a maximum from both Jaker Ali (8) and Mahmudullah (20) right on the boundary to seal South Africa's victory. 

Data Debrief: Proteas do enough... just

South Africa have still never lost a T20I versus Bangladesh in nine meetings, but they put themselves in real bother with some slow scoring in their innings.

However, the efforts of Rabada (2-19), Nortje (2-17) and Keshav Maharaj (3-27) were enough, the latter's bowling handing Markram two catches as Bangladesh were forced to hit big in the dying moments. 

The Proteas remain top of Group D with maximum points from three games, with Bangladesh now having one win and one defeat.

Sergio Perez has apologised following a second successive retirement at the Canada Grand Prix which left him 87 points behind Red Bull team-mate, Max Vertsappen.

The 34-year-old remained fifth overall in the world championship and a point behind Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, who was one of five drivers that failed to finish the race. 

In difficult conditions in Montreal, the Mexican started 16th but hopes of climbing up the pecking order soon faded after damaging his car's front wing on the opening lap when he made contact with Alpine's Pierre Gasly.

He then crashed into the barriers late in the day after losing control on a damp kerb at turn six, hobbling back to the pits with a broken rear wing. 

"I'm very sorry for my team, I let them down today. But we will come back no doubt. There’s a very long way to go," Perez said on social media.

His final incident cost him a three-place grid penalty for the next race in Barcelona, with the stewards punishing him for a breach of the safety rules that require a driver to stop if the car is unsafe.

"The incident was on me, I touched the wet part into turn six and I couldn’t stop the car, I couldn’t touch the brakes," Perez said on Sunday.

"It has been a very tough couple of weekends, we will regroup, keep our heads down and learn from the weekend. We identified a couple of issues after qualifying and they meant we would have qualified a lot higher.

"Hopefully we can be back to our form in Spain and get back to the level we were at earlier in the season. I am confident in that, there are good tracks coming for us."

Perez recently signed a new two-year deal with Red Bull, ending speculation that the world champions will sign free agent Sainz ahead of the new season. 

Sergio Perez has apologised following a second successive retirement at the Canada Grand Prix which left him 87 points behind Red Bull team-mate, Max Vertsappen.

The 34-year-old remained fifth overall in the world championship and a point behind Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, who was one of five drivers that failed to finish the race. 

In difficult conditions in Montreal, the Mexican started 16th but hopes of climbing up the pecking order soon faded after damaging his car's front wing on the opening lap when he made contact with Alpine's Pierre Gasly.

He then crashed into the barriers late in the day after losing control on a damp kerb at turn six, hobbling back to the pits with a broken rear wing. 

"I'm very sorry for my team, I let them down today. But we will come back no doubt. There’s a very long way to go," Perez said on social media.

His final incident cost him a three-place grid penalty for the next race in Barcelona, with the stewards punishing him for a breach of the safety rules that require a driver to stop if the car is unsafe.

"The incident was on me, I touched the wet part into turn six and I couldn’t stop the car, I couldn’t touch the brakes," Perez said on Sunday.

"It has been a very tough couple of weekends, we will regroup, keep our heads down and learn from the weekend. We identified a couple of issues after qualifying and they meant we would have qualified a lot higher.

"Hopefully we can be back to our form in Spain and get back to the level we were at earlier in the season. I am confident in that, there are good tracks coming for us."

Perez recently signed a new two-year deal with Red Bull, ending speculation that the world champions will sign free agent Sainz ahead of the new season. 

Emma Raducanu insists she needs to "cherish" her health and fitness, ahead of making her return from injury at the Nottingham Open.

The former US Open champion has not played since her defeat by Maria Lourdes Carla in the opening round of the Madrid Open in April.

Raducanu opted to miss the French Open to focus on preparing for the grass-court season, which she launches against Ena Shibahara in Nottingham on Tuesday.

This time last year, the world number 209 had undergone wrist and ankle surgery that, at one point, confined her to a mobility scooter.

However, fast-forward 12 months, and Raducanu is embracing feeling "really strong", and the 21-year-old is thrilled with the strides she has made.

"Body-wise, physical-wise, I feel really healthy. I feel really strong," she said. "I've done amazing work with my trainer over the last few months, since surgery.

"I'm in a really fit place. I think my wrists are actually in a better position than they ever were.

"So, there's zero doubt or apprehension whether I'm hitting the ball or designing my schedule. It's more about being proactive and not wanting to put yourself in any unnecessary situations.

"I think it's very easy for me to lose sight of where I was exactly a year ago. You get so caught up in your own world that you want more and more and more.

"But, a year ago, I was on a scooter scooting around, and I didn't know - there was an element of doubt. To be healthy and to be here, I need to cherish it."

Declan Rice is confident that England can do something really special at Euro 2024 as the team set off for Germany on Monday. 

The Arsenal midfielder was part of the side that fell short in the tournament three years ago against Italy at Wembley, and has since become a mainstay in the side under Gareth Southgate. 

This will be Rice's third international tournament for the Three Lions, and he believes that the current squad have what it takes to lift the trophy in Berlin on July 14. 

“We want to make history,” the 25-year-old said on England’s departure show on YouTube. “We say it all the time, but genuinely we have a group, a manager, that really believes.

“We have a confidence that we can go there and do something really special and, of course, with that comes hard work.

"That is going to be the main thing – the hard work as a team, unity, togetherness and with everyone behind us at home. We’re going to feel that for sure, so stick with us, be positive and let’s see what happens.”

England's preparations for the tournament concluded last week and head into their Group C opener with Serbia off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Iceland at Wembley. 

But Rice says the disappointment does not detract from what was a beneficial 10-day training camp, hoping to build on his impressive debut season with Arsenal. 

“It’s obviously difficult when you finish the league. Your body completely shuts down when you have a break, because we’re made to just play all the time,” 

“When we have a rest, our body shuts down and it’s hard to get going again. But last week was really beneficial, to be honest with you, I think for everyone.

“We’ve got another full week now until the game, so we’ll be in a really good spot.”

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia vowed he would continue to make Napoli fans happy, amid speculation linking him with a move away from the Serie A side.

The Georgia winger is reportedly on the radar of reigning Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain, after two seasons at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Kvaratskhelia played a key role as Napoli won the Scudetto in 2022-23, with 12 goals and a league-high 10 assists.

He was also one of the Partenopei's standout performers during their disappointing title defence last term, in which they finished 10th, as he still managed to register 11 goals and six assists. 

The 23-year-old, who is gearing up to feature in Georgia's major tournament debut at Euro 2024, feels he has a "big responsibility" to reciprocate the support he has received - for club and country.

 

"I feel so much affection in Naples, and first of all, I would like to say that the people who are at my side and support me are helping me a lot, and it is a great responsibility," he told Georgian media in quotes reported by journalist Kakha Dgebuadze.

"This is a very big responsibility, because when a person appreciates you and loves you - whether you are on or off the field - you have to respect and justify their hopes.

"I also work hard and do everything to make my fans happy. I will do everything not only for the fans there [in Naples], but also for Georgia. I will continue to try to do more and make my fans happier."

Scotland assistant coach John Carver has confirmed that Andy Robertson will return to training on Tuesday after leaving their first training session in Germany as a precaution. 

The Liverpool full-back was escorted off the pitch at the Stadion am Groben in Bavaria as Steve Clarke's men took part in an open training session ahead of the opening game of Euro 2024 against the hosts on Friday. 

Lawrence Shankland was another player that also came off early having scored in the Scots' friendly fixture against Finland having been found by Robertson at the back post.

However, assistant coach Carver is confident both players, who have 80 international caps between them, will be ready to feature in Munich on June 14. 

"Robertson is fine. It's just a precaution really," he said. "I spoke to him. The ball just caught his ankle and he will train tomorrow. "He'll be fine. At this stage we're being extra cautious. He's okay and looking forward to tomorrow.

"It's never nice, especially with the luck we've been having lately. As soon as training finished I popped across and had a chat with him and he's in good form."

"He had a little bit of a niggle from the other night. He's in that process and he had quite a bit of game time in the two games we played (against Gibraltar and Finland) so we're just protecting him as well.

"Everyone's got their own programme coming back. He's fine, everybody's good."

Real Madrid have officially confirmed they will partake in FIFA's expanded Club World Cup after Carlo Ancelotti's comments about the competition were misinterpreted. 

A statement was released by the recently crowned Champions League winners on Monday after Ancelotti told Italian daily Il Giornale he felt that FIFA had undervalued the compensation Los Blancos should receive for playing in next year's revamped 32-team tournament.

"FIFA can forget it, footballers and clubs will not participate in that tournament," Ancelotti was quoted as saying.

However, the Italian distanced himself from those comments in a social media post on Monday.

"Nothing could be further from my interest than to reject the possibility of playing in a tournament that I consider to be a great opportunity to continue fighting for major titles with Real Madrid," Ancelotti wrote on Instagram.

Madrid were quick to release a statement of their own surrounding the issue, reading: "Real Madrid C. F. informs that at no time has its participation in the new Club World Cup to be organised by FIFA in the next 2024-2025 season been questioned.

"Therefore, our club will play, as planned, this official competition that we face with pride and with the utmost enthusiasm to make our millions of fans around the world dream again of a new title."

The revamped competition has been expanded to allow 32 teams to compete in the United States at the end of next season.

It will be made up of teams from six federations, with Chelsea, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Madrid already qualified due to past success on the European and global stage.

Jannik Sinner is relishing "a new chapter" in his first week as the world number one, but knows he will now have a target on his back.

The reigning Australian Open champion and French Open semi-finalist is the first Italian player - and 29th overall - to top the ATP rankings since they were introduced in 1973.

Sinner has enjoyed a brilliant start to the season, claiming his first grand slam in Melbourne while also enjoying ATP Masters success at the Miami Open in March.

And after ending Novak Djokovic's 39-week reign at the summit of the ATP rankings, the 22-year-old has his sights set on winning more silverware as he looks to preserve his status as the world's best player.

"We go hunting now and see what we can catch," he told BBC World Service. "We want to have these good feelings of lifting trophies over and over again, so for us, it's just part of the process.

"I'm obviously very happy about being number one, but everyone wants to beat me now. Now, a new chapter is starting. Let's see how [long] I can stay there."

Italy are certainly in good shape as far as tennis is concerned. Sinner was part of the side that delivered their first Davis Cup triumph since 1976 last year, and is one of five Italians currently ranked inside the men's top 50.

Meanwhile, fellow Italian Jasmine Paolini was runner-up to Iga Swiatek in the women's singles at the French Open - climbing to a career high seventh in the WTA rankings as a result - as well as the women's doubles alongside compatriot Sara Errani.

"It's something that Italy deserves," Sinner added. "The tennis in Italy is going in the right direction and I think our goal is always to let this sport grow as much as we can. We can be the idols or the inspiration for young people."

Carlos Alcaraz revealed he plans to commemorate his French Open triumph with a tattoo of the Eiffel Tower on his left ankle.

The Spaniard claimed his first title at Roland-Garros - and third grand slam - after beating Alexander Zverev in a thrilling five-set final on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The 21-year-old became the youngest player to win his first three majors on different surfaces - and the first to do so in his first three major finals.

It was a special win for the world number two, who grew up playing on clay courts in his native Spain and would rush from home school to watch the tournament on television.

Alcaraz also visited Roland-Garros as a 12-year-old in 2015, from which photos reappeared on social media after he became the eighth Spaniard to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires nine years later.

"It will be on the left ankle, the Eiffel Tower and today's date," he said of his proposed tattoo to permanently remind him of his victory. "I have to find time, but I will do it for sure.

"I have dreamed of being in this position since I started playing tennis, and I was five or six years old.

"Winning a Grand Slam is always special, but here at Roland-Garros, knowing all the Spanish players who have won here, to put my name on that list is unbelievable."

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