Digest

SOCCER

Haaland 'not 100 percent'as hot streak continues

Erling Braut Haaland insisted he needs to get fitter despite making it seven goals in three games for Borussia Dortmund with another double in Saturday's 5-0 Bundesliga thrashing of Union Berlin, while Bayern Munich usurped RB Leipzig at the top of the table.

The 19-year-old Haaland, who had netted five times in his first two appearances after signing from Salzburg, scored either side of halftime at Signal Iduna Park on his first Dortmund start.

Haaland's tally is the most by any Bundesliga player in their first three league matches.

But the Norwegian said he must still regain fitness after a knee injury last month restricted his training.

"It was pretty tough today, but it was also nice to play from the start," Haaland told Sky. "I have to get even fitter, I am still not 100 percent."

Dortmund stays third in the table, three points behind leader Bayern, which beat Mainz 3-1 to leave the top four clubs all within three points of each other.

Klopp hails Liverpool's focus after latest rout

Jurgen Klopp saluted Liverpool's steely focus after his team surged 22 points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 4-0 rout of Southampton on Saturday.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jordan Henderson put the runaway leader in control at Anfield before Mohamed Salah's double made it an astonishing 100 league points from the last 102 available to the team.

"It's easy for me to use this game as a description for the situation here," Klopp said. "Just incredibly difficult opponents to play against. They're not here to be part of any party. They want to hurt us, beat us.

"We have to throw everything we have on the pitch and, thankfully, the boys do that. That's why we are where we are. But we don't take that for granted, not for a second.

"I promise you, I don't lie. I'm a very optimistic person but the day before every game my main feeling is concern because I know anything can happen.

"I have never seen anything like it. It is not that I feel stronger and stronger, it is just one great celebration, sometimes more, sometimes less, and then relief, settle, go again."

BASKETBALL

Warriors hopeful Curry will return in March

Injured Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, a twotime NBA Most Valuable Player and three-time league champion, will be reevaluated in four weeks and could return in March, the club said Saturday.

Curry, who turns 32 on March 14, suffered a broken left hand on Oct 30 against the Phoenix Suns and underwent surgery two days later.

Curry "has made good progress during his rehabilitation over the last several weeks and continues to expand his individual on-court work each week," the Warriors said in a statement.

"We are hopeful, based on continued progress, that he will return to action at some point in March."

Curry averaged 20.3 points, 6.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds in four games before the injury. He had career averages of 23.5 points, 6.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds entering this season.

Irving sprains knee in Nets' loss to Wizards

Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving sprained his right knee in the fourth quarter of Saturday's loss to the Washington Wizards and was ruled out by the team.

ESPN reported an MRI was scheduled for Sunday for Irving, who got tangled with Bradley Beal in a fight for the ball before Beal fell awkwardly on the outside of Irving's right leg.

Irving rolled over in obvious pain, holding his knee and remaining down for some time. After being tended to by trainers, he walked off under his own power, limping badly, to the locker room. Irving finished with 11 points, his lowest mark in a game this season, as the Wizards rallied for a 113-107 victory.

OLYMPICS

Tokyo cuts ribbon on another Games venue

Tokyo cut the ribbon on another new Olympic venue on Sunday, just under six months ahead of the Games' opening.

This time it was the Ariake Arena alongside Tokyo Bay, the venue for Olympic volleyball and wheelchair basketball at the Paralympics.

Only one new venue remains to be inaugurated. That's the new swimming arena that will be ready in the next month. Eight of the new permanent venues are being built by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The new $1.43 billion national stadium was opened late last year and is being built by an arm of the Japanese national government.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, who is up for reelection this summer, led the ribbon-cutting. Officials say the $336 million venue will be used after the Olympics for concerts and sports events.

BASEBALL

Lindor's future with Indians uncertain

Francisco Lindor's future with the Indians was already unclear and uncertain.

On Saturday, it got even more confusing.

The fourtime All-Star shortstop, who has been the subject of trade rumors because Cleveland will probably never be able to offer him a long-term contract close to what he may one day get as a free agent, made some contradictory comments while discussing his curious situation.

Lindor said he would love to stay in Cleveland, calling it "a home." But the 26-year-old also said the Indians have not made him the "right thing "to this point, and he questioned whether the club would ever be positioned to come up with the kind of money needed to keep him.

And while discussing other massive, multiyear contracts around baseball, he mentioned wanting a $500 million contract－"anybody wants that," he said－before saying finances aren't a factor.