Mauricio Pochettino was delighted with the spirit his Paris Saint-Germain team showed to defeat Lille in the Coupe de France after a difficult few days.
PSG were 3-0 winners against the Ligue 1 leaders as they were in action for the first time since a weekend defeat to Nantes that was disrupted by burglaries at the family homes of Angel Di Maria and Marquinhos.
Di Maria was substituted in that loss to attend to the matter, but both players were in the XI as goals from Mauro Icardi and Kylian Mbappe secured a quarter-final berth on Wednesday.
It was not an entirely convincing PSG display, as Lille had 18 shots to their 11 and Keylor Navas was required to save a penalty for the third time this season.
Pochettino was only interested in praise for his players and their families, however.
"Of course I'm so happy with the performance and the spirit of the team," the coach told the club's official channel.
"They deserve massive credit and I want to congratulate them but most of all the families because the last few days were very tough for everyone.
"We all feel what happened to Marqui and Angel. It really touched the group and that's why I want to congratulate the team, the players and the families suffering around them.
"I'm so happy. I think we fully deserved to go through to the quarter-finals and, in this difficult circumstance, I'm happy for the 3-0."
Di Maria had two shots and created a single chance, while Marquinhos contributed four tackles, five clearances and a block.
Navas was the star of the show, though, denying Yusuf Yazici from 12 yards with 12 minutes remaining.
Only Rui Silva and Oliver Baumann (both four) have kept out more penalties than Navas in all competitions this season among goalkeepers across Europe's 'top five' leagues.
"He is one of the best goalkeepers in the world," Pochettino said of Navas, who finished with five saves in all. "His level is incredible."
Jones makes mockery of Canada as USA dominate T20 World Cup opener
The United States recorded a statement victory over rivals Canada in their first-ever T20 World Cup outing, as Aaron Jones and Andries Gous stole the show in a seven-wicket triumph.
Canada opener Navneet Dhaliwal powered 61 off just 44 balls, while Nicholas Kirton's 51 and an unbeaten 32 from Shreyas Movva helped their side set a target of 195 in Dallas.
The USA responded by losing Steven Taylor for a two-ball duck and slipped to 42-2 after the powerplay when Dilon Heyliger had captain Monank Patel caught behind for 16.
Yet that set the stage for an eye-catching partnership between Jones and Gous, who combined for a 131-run blitz at a whirlwind run rate of 14.3 for the third wicket.
Number three Gous bludgeoned 65 from only 46 deliveries but was somehow overshadowed by the impressive Jones, who finished 94 not out after facing just 40 balls.
Gous holed out off the bowling of Nikhil Dutta but Jones fittingly finished the chase with 14 balls to spare, securing USA's fifth straight win over Canada in the pair's first-ever World Cup appearance.
Data Debrief: Jones almost matches Gayle record
Jones cleared the ropes 10 times during his destructive performance, with only West Indies' Chris Gayle hitting more sixes in one World Cup innings (11 against England in 2016 at Wankhede).
USA vice-captain Jones had only reached 50 once in this format before this innings, but announced his arrival on the world stage with an emphatic performance.
Inter Miami 3-3 St. Louis City: Alba stars as Messi makes history in MLS draw
Lionel Messi achieved an unprecedented MLS feat on Sunday but his heroics, and a star Jordi Alba performance, could not drag Inter Miami past St. Louis City in a thrilling 3-3 draw.
The Argentina and Barcelona great levelled proceedings after Chris Durkin's early opener, taking Messi to 25 goal contributions this term in just 12 MLS appearances – shattering the previous record by Carlos Vela.
Indiana Vassilev edged the visitors back ahead before Luis Suarez restored parity on the stroke of half-time at Miami's Chase Stadium.
Gerardo Martino's side fell behind again after Suarez turned into his own net but Alba, who assisted Miami's first two goals, saved the day with an 85th-minute equaliser to salvage a point.
The draw left Miami top of the Eastern Conference by two points but second-placed FC Cincinnati have two games in hand over Martino's star-studded line-up.
Meanwhile, St. Louis remain 11th in the Western Conference but just three points adrift of ninth-placed Portland Timbers having played two games fewer.
Data Debrief: Messi history in MLS
Having shattered records across historic spells with Barcelona and Argentina, Messi now has another MLS achievement on his sparkling resume.
Messi became the fastest player to 25 goal contributions in an MLS season, recording 12 goals and 13 assists to surpass the previous record established by Vela in 2019 (16 games, four more than Messi).
Bellingham hails 'world-class' Ancelotti after Champions League heroics
Jude Bellingham lauded Carlo Ancelotti for unlocking previously unknown potential in his game as the pair celebrated Champions League success on Saturday.
The England international ended his first season in the Spanish capital with LaLiga and European glory, after the 2-0 victory over Bellingham's former club Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium.
A battling victory secured Los Blancos' 15th trophy in Europe's top competition, at least eight more than any other side (Milan, seven), as Ancelotti made further history.
The Italian has won the European Cup/UEFA Champions League more times than any other manager (five), with three of those coming in charge of Madrid.
That is also the joint-most for a manager in charge of a specific team, along with Bob Paisley at Liverpool (three) and Zinedine Zidane, also at Madrid (three).
Bellingham was quick to hail the work of veteran boss Ancelotti before the party started for Madrid in London.
"He has unlocked a part of my game that I didn't know I had," Bellingham told TNT Sports. "That is the thing about world-class coaches, they make you realise how good you can be.
"They test the limits of your potential. It is like being at school again, you learn something new every day and get better and better."
This was the sixth winning campaign for Madrid quadruple Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Dani Carvajal and Nacho in the Champions League, taking them level with Paco Gento (six) as the players who have won the European competition the most times in history.
Working alongside those players comes with its challenges, though, Bellingham says.
The 20-year-old continued: "Special feeling. Some of my team-mates have five or six titles and they said enjoy your first as it's a feeling like no other when you reach the top of the mountain.
"It's important to maintain that level but never forget your first and enjoy it. They were the better team for the majority but it comes down to moments and if you don't kill us, then it will come back to haunt you."
Having celebrated their league and continental double, Madrid could soon welcome the arrival of world-class forward Kylian Mbappe, who is set to leave Paris Saint-Germain when his contract expires.
With Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo usually either side of him up top, Bellingham expressed his excitement over an enticing link-up with the France attacker.
"It would be amazing if a player like him arrived," Bellingham added. "One of the best in the world."
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