Germany beat hosts Northern Ireland 2-0 on Monday to get their Euro 2020 qualification on track as they bounced back from last week's loss to the Netherlands in Group C.

Defender Marcel Halstenberg drilled the ball in three minutes after the restart following a lacklustre first half by the Germans, who lost 4-2 at home to the Dutch on Friday, and Serge Gnabry added another goal in second-half stoppage time.

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The result put Germany top on 12 points from five games, ahead on goal difference of Northern Ireland, who suffered their first loss of the campaign as captain Steven Davis became their most capped outfield player with 113 appearances.

The third-placed Netherlands, 4-0 winners away to Estonia on Monday, are on nine points from four matches.

"We were under pressure to win after Friday's result and we had to overcome some obstacles in the first half," Germany coach Joachim Low told reporters. "The Northern Irish attacked early and disrupted our game. After the break we did it better."

The Germans, missing half a dozen injured players, seemed to lack a clear game plan in the first half with plenty of passing but struggling to find ways to open up the Irish defence.

Low's young team, looking to recover from last year's shock first-round World Cup exit and Nations League relegation, have not had enough match practice and it showed.

"We had never played before with this lineup," Low said. "So we will need some patience because this a learning process."

Conor Washington had a golden chance to put the hosts ahead in the seventh minute when he pounced on a rare Toni Kroos mistake but fired straight at charging goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

Timo Werner had the visitors' best chance before the break but his close-range effort was saved by Bailey Peacock-Farrell.

Germany looked to be feeling the effects of Friday's loss with the Irish working hard to stifle their attacks early.

"We managed to stop them building the game and got joy off pressing and winning the ball higher up the pitch," the hosts' coach Michael O'Neill told Sky.

"It's very difficult to do that against this level of opposition. I'm proud of what they gave."

Halstenberg eventually settled German nerves, timing his half-volley to perfection as he angled Julian Brandt's cross into the far corner just after the break.

They should have scored again in a scintillating start to the second half but instead had to wait until deep into stoppage for Gnabry to make sure of the three points.

SAN ANTONIO -- Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni is tipping Mexico to be a world power in the near future and heaped praise on Gerardo "Tata" Martino ahead of the friendly between the two at the Alamodome.

Mexico comes into the game off the back of a comfortable 3-0 win over the United States last Friday, while Argentina drew 0-0 against Chile the day before.

"We're taking on a team that has quality and that, for me, will be soon be one of the best," said Scaloni in a news conference, adding that Martino brings a "winning mentality" to El Tri."They have shown they have great players and a very clear playing style.

"It's a test for us, a good measure for the players I've brought in to see how they respond to the situation in the conditions, with Mexico practically the home team."

Scaloni played with former Argentina national team head coach Martino at Newell's Old Boys and looked up to him when he was coming up through the ranks at the club, with the game against Mexico the first time he'll go up against him as a coach.

"For me, he was the idol of the club and he still is, logically," said Scaloni. "He was a very important player. He was an important reference point. He has a very clear idea [of how to play] and it's very important for us to play against not just 'Tata,' but this Mexico national team that I believe and I'm totally sure would be a very difficult challenge for any national team in the world.

"It's a team that has players that are among the best and it'll be difficult."

Martino, for his part, called his former side one of the "world's powers."

"Argentina, even though they've not won a title in some time, is one pedestal above [Mexico]," Martino said. "That doesn't mean that tomorrow we have less chance; we have the highest expectations in terms of the performance we want to see and in getting the right result."

Martino added that he doesn't believe his nationality and his previous position gets in the way of his work with Mexico.

"I can't change what I've always thought: the fact it's a game of football between countries doesn't bring [my] nationality into play," said Martino. "I work in Mexico, I try to do the best for Mexico. And if I do represent Argentina it's through my work, seriousness and honesty. When you work abroad that's the best way to represent the country."

Scaloni will be making changes from the side that played Chile and said that "logically the squad would be different" if the team was thinking only about the result as La Albiceleste -- who are missing Lionel Messi due to suspension -- undergoes a generational change.

Scaloni was confirmed as Argentina's head coach last November and made it clear that he doesn't view the team recent's recent past as a failure, despite not winning a major trophy since 1990.

"From 2012-13 until 2016-17 Argentina played three finals," he said. "That could've meant [winning] Copa Americas and a World Cup. It's a very fine line. If Argentina had won the World Cup, we wouldn't be saying this.

"Saying that Argentina failed is complicated. And two [of the finals] were [lost on] penalties."

Former England opening batsmen Andrew Strauss and Geoffrey Boycott have been awarded knighthoods.

The pair were chosen for the award by former Prime Minister Theresa May as she stepped down from office.

Strauss' award will surprise few. As England captain, he led the Test team to the No. 1 world ranking and a long-awaited Ashes victory in Australia in 2010-11. Then, as director of the men's team, he implemented the strategy that resulted in England winning the World Cup earlier this year.

Strauss also harnessed his family's grief at the tragic death of his wife from cancer at the end of 2018 to set up the Ruth Strauss Foundation. It has already raised huge sums to combat rare forms of lung cancer, with the Ruth Strauss Foundation Day - marked for the first time at the Ashes Test this year - set to be a feature of future Lord's Tests. Strauss is 42 years old and has two sons.

The knighthood of Boycott is, perhaps, more controversial. While his pedigree as a cricketer is impeccable - only four men have scored more than his 151 first-class centuries and he was, for a while, the leading Test run scorer - he was, in 1998, convicted in France of assaulting a former girlfriend and received a fine and suspended sentence. He has always maintained his innocence.

In recent years, Boycott has suffered from both cancer and undergone heart surgery. He is 78 years old but continues to be a write a must-read column in the Telegraph and provide insightful, unvarnished views on the BBC's Test Match Special (TMS).

May, a lifelong cricket lover, was fast-tracked to MCC membership last year and, like her predecessor John Major, spent the time immediately after she stepped down as PM watching England play cricket. She has previously appeared as a guest on TMS where she confessed to her deep admiration of Boycott's determination.

Despite these turbulent political times, there may be some support for his award from both sides of the House of Commons. Ed Miliband, the former Labour leader, is always known to be an ardent admirer and once commented that the first thing he would do upon being appointed Prime Minister would be to offer Boycott a knighthood.

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Alabama's administration isn't pleased that the Sept. 21 football game against Southern Mississippi will be played at 11 a.m. local time, when temperatures are routinely in excess of 90 degrees this time of year.

University President Stuart R. Bell and athletic director Greg Byrne issued a joint statement on the heels of last weekend's 3 p.m. kickoff against New Mexico State, when the heat index was upward of 105 degrees. Cooling stations were set up throughout Bryant-Denny Stadium, but in the second half many fans began clearing out, especially those in sections not shaded from the sun.

"We are disappointed that our game against Southern Miss has been selected as a daytime kickoff at home," the statement from Bell and Byrne read. "We realize we've played more non-conference day games at home in September than any other SEC team since 2014. There have been a number of conversations with our conference office, and they also recognize the challenges these kick times present for our student-athletes and fans."

Alabama played three home games last September, two of which were at 2:30 p.m. and the other was at 11 a.m.

Earlier on Monday, coach Nick Saban began his weekly news conference by acknowledging the heat inside Bryant-Denny Stadium against New Mexico State.

"One thing I would like to say is I know it was a difficult day for our fans because of the circumstances surrounding the weather and I'd like to thank the fans for supporting the team and a lot of people hanging in there to try to support the team," he said. "I think the players really appreciate it. We know it was a difficult circumstance for a lot of folks, and hopefully our administration will continue to work to try to play some of these games at a different time."

But Saban's statement struck a noticeably different tone from that of his postgame comments following the 62-10 win over New Mexico State, when he said how a full stadium enhances the "value of our program" and how recruits "want to see a full house."

"So everybody's got to make a sacrifice," Saban said on Saturday. "You want to be the lion? Everybody got to do something. Everybody wants to be No. 1. If I asked that whole student section, do you want to be No. 1? Nobody would hold their hand up and say I want to be No. 4. They would all say No. 1. But are they willing to do everything to be No. 1? That's another question. You can ask them that. I don't know the answer."

Alabama has tried to entice students into staying longer by using a phone application that tracks location and rewards Tide Loyalty Points: 100 per game for attending a home football game and 250 per game for staying all four quarters. The points can be used toward priority access to student football tickets.

Lynn Swann has resigned as USC's athletic director, university president Carol L. Folt announced in a letter Monday.

In the letter addressed to the "Trojan Community," Folt said Swann's resignation is effective immediately and called him "a leader on and off the field at USC for nearly five decades."

Folt, who was hired in March, said the fact that she's putting together a new leadership team at the university led to Swann's decision.

"He felt that this was the professional thing to do, to resign and allow me to build my team," Folt told the Los Angeles Times. "That really is the gist of it."

Folt told the Times the admissions scandal that rocked USC, as well as other schools, "was not a part of the decision for me."

Dave Roberts, a special adviser to Folt, will serve as the interim athletic director until a permanent replacement is found.

Roberts, who is also the vice chair of the NCAA committee on infractions, served as the vice president for athletics compliance at USC from 2010 to 2016, when he became a special adviser to then-president Max Nikias.

"The position will be filled with an experienced and accomplished individual," Folt wrote in the letter.

USC Trustee Suzanne Nora Johnson, a former vice chairman at Goldman Sachs, will chair the search committee, which includes board of trustees chair Rick Caruso; trustees Jeff Smulyan and William McMorrow; alumni representative Bill Allen; vice president for student affairs Winston Crisp; faculty athletics representative Alan Green; academic senate president Rebecca Lonergan; and provost Charles Zukoski. It will also include two student representatives.

"Our Athletics Department puts our student-athletes first by pursuing excellence with integrity," Folt wrote. "We will build on the traditions and strengths of our exceptional athletics program.

"Our outstanding coaches, administrators and student-athletes work tirelessly every day both in the classroom and on the playing field, to embody the very best of the Trojan spirit. Our Athletics Department, working together with faculty and staff across the university, is focused on preparing all of our students for success in life, wherever they may go."

Swann was hired by USC in 2016, with the school naming the Pro Football Hall of Famer and Trojans great to replace Pat Haden.

During his tenure, Swann led the Trojans program to "five national championships in five different women's and men's sports" and "student-athletes' cumulative GPA for the past two years and our graduation rate of 86% last year were all-time highs for USC Athletics," Folt wrote.

But there were problems. The department was linked to multiple high-profile scandals and the football program is coming off its first losing season (5-7) since 2000. (The Trojans are 2-0 this year).

In January, former assistant basketball coach Tony Bland pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery by accepting cash payments to steer players to certain financial advisers and business managers.

And in March, multiple coaches and USC senior associate athletic director Donna Heinel were arrested for roles in the massive college admissions bribery scandal. One coach and one administrator admitted they took bribes to get students into the school. Both have pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy charges.

Swann, 67, graduated from USC in 1974 with a degree in public relations. He played in two Rose Bowls and won a national championship in 1972 before a nine-year Hall of Fame career in the NFL. He had a long career as a broadcaster for ABC and has served on several corporate boards.

The NBA won't allow players to wear "ninja-style headwear" this season.

Several players -- including the Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler, the New Orleans Pelicans' Jrue Holiday, the LA Clippers' Montrezl Harrell, the Minnesota Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns and the Brooklyn Nets' Jarrett Allen -- regularly wore the headgear a season ago.

The NBA never had a formal process to approve the headgear, and allowed players to wear it during the 2018-19 season because, spokesman Mike Bass told ESPN, "We didn't want to cause a disruption by intervening midseason."

The NBA notified teams in May that the headbands wouldn't be a part of this season's approved uniforms.

The NBA's competition committee discussed the headwear as part of its meetings in Chicago on Monday. A source told ESPN that some members expressed concerns on safety, including the looseness of the headwear.

"The ninja-style headwear is not part of the NBA uniform and hasn't been through the league approval process," Bass told ESPN in a statement. "Teams have raised concerns regarding safety and consistency of size, length and how they are tied, which requires a thorough review before consideration of any rule change.

"When some players began wearing them last season, we didn't want to cause a disruption by intervening midseason, but we notified our teams in May that they would not be part of this season's uniforms."