Soccer
The crisis continues at Chelsea after they lost 2-1 to Leicester in the Premier League last night. Goals from Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez were enough to put Claudio Ranieri's side back on top of the table, despite Loic Remy giving Chelsea hope late on.
And Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has since launched a scathing attack on his players saying that they betrayed him by conceding from two situations which they had specifically worked on defending over the course of last week.
“I identified four movements where Leicester score a lot of their goals and in two of the four situations I identified they scored their goals,” Mourinho said.
It's been confirmed that the Netherlands will provide the opposition for Ireland's farewell friendly before Euro 2016, that game looking likely to take place on Sunday, May 22nd.
Tickets yesterday went on sale for next year's tournament and have quickly resurfaced on re-selling websites, in some cases at 30 times face value as ticket touts look to cash in.
One site, Ticketbis, listed some category three seats for the game between Ireland and Sweden in Saint Denis (face value €55) at €5,291.20 each.
In yesterday's Champions League draw both Chelsea and Arsenal came out the worst as they drew Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona respectively, while Manchester City will be content with two legs against Dynamo Kiev.
The only downside for City is none of their supporters will be allowed to travel to Ukraine because their opponents have been ordered to play their next two European games behind closed doors as punishment for several incidents when they played Chelsea in October, most notably when four black fans inside the ground were attacked.
Rugby
Gerry Thornley writes this week about the pressure on Irish outhalves to perform after another disappointing Champions Cup weekend.
“Maybe Sexton is feeling the weight of that responsibility. There had been signs of the real Johnny rediscovering himself in the win over Ulster,” he writes.
“Again targeted in defence on Sunday, his tackling was, as ever, bravery personified – albeit again too upright to watch with comfort.
That’s happened before, and it shouldn’t have contributed to the misplaced kicks and, most unusually, misplaced passes; for Sexton’s distribution, with its golf-style swing, is as good as any around.”
Despite Leinster's losses, Jamie Heaslip is looking on the bright side ahead of the visit of Toulon on Sunday.
“We want to get out on Saturday for all the supporters that travelled down yesterday and that are coming this weekend to give everyone something to be proud of,” Heaslip said.
Meanwhile Les Kiss is prepared for a backlash after his side hammered Toulouse on Friday night.
Ulstter travel to France to play Toulouse again on Sunday and Kiss feels it will be tougher than the game just gone.
“We know they will come back at us. We have already spoken about what it takes to win over there. They have a great home record.
“We need to be in a good place to go there and make this [weekend victory] matter by doing something decent next Sunday.”
GAA
Dublin's Cian O'Sullivan says he and the rest of the All-Ireland winning squad are eager to return to action with the O'Byrne Cup next in line in early January.
Having just returned from holiday in Thailain O’Sullivan is fit and raring to go.
“We will meet up over the next couple of weeks and set out the stall for New Year. The O’Byrne Cup is coming now on January 3rd, and we have the Blue Stars game on the January 2nd. That’s when it really kicks off again, start playing games again. I think all the lads are looking forward to getting back into the mix and getting training again.”
Meanwhile, at the Opel GAA/GPA All Stars trip in Texas, GAA president Aogán Ó Fearghail has said the likelihood of the under-21 competition being discontinued in order to battle burnout now appears very slim.
Golf
Rome has been selected as the unlikely host for the 2022 Ryder Cup ahead of favourites Germany.
The news comes alongside the European Tour’s plan to increase the Italian Open prize fund from €1.5 million to €7 million over the next three years.
The Marco Simone golf resort will become just the third continental European course to host the event after Valderrama in 1997 and Le Golf National in Paris set to step up to the mark in 2018.
Racing
Felix Yonger defended his Hilly Way title at Navan yesterday in front of a sparse crowd after a pair of prestigious Graded races transferred from a flooded Cork to the Meath track yesterday.
Meanwhile, Kempton's King George VI Chase remains a "first preference" Christmas target for Don Cossack but Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown Stud team insist they are keeping festive options firmly open for their powerful string of Gold Cup contenders.
What to watch out for
Soccer: Salford City look to advance to the third round of the FA Cup when they travel to play Hartlepool United in their second round replay this evening. (BT Sport 2 from 7.30pm)
