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Peamount United lose to Spartak Subotica in UEFA Women’s Champions League Qualifier

The European dream is over for Peamount United as they lost 5-2 to Spartak Subotica in their UEFA Women’s Champions League Qualifier.

Four goals from playmaker Tijana Filipovic and one from Alice Kusi ensured a Serbian win. They will meet either FC Twente or Nike Tbilisi on Saturday for a chance to reach Round 2.

The only consolation came from Eleanor Ryan-Doyle’s late brace. It started with a beautifully struck free-kick on 72 minutes. She then rolled the ball in on 89 minutes after beating the goalkeeper to a long pass, but it was only a consolation for the Irish side.

The game was played at the Sportclub Enschede, Netherlands, as part of a new format in the competition that sees one team host a mini tournament. Peamount will play the losing team from the other game before returning to Dublin.

Three goals from Filipovic in first half

Filipovic, considered one of the rising stars in women’s football, fired a long-range strike past goalkeeper Naoisha McAloon after only nine minutes.

Peamount had started well and constructed some nice passing moves, but the clear difference at this level is creating chances and finishing them.

The 22-year-old Filipovic had added two more goals to her tally by the half-time whistle.

Peamount never got to truly test goalkeeper Milica Kostic and spent much of their energy trying to stay toe to toe with a very good opponent.

Filipovic added her fourth goal on 54 minutes before Kusi put them five up just past the hour mark. It was deflating for the current SSE Airtricity Women’s National League leaders to find themselves in this position.

James O’Callaghan’s squad battled hard in the final 30 minutes as the two Ryan-Doyle goals gave a respectable look to the scoreboard.

Teams

Peamount United: McAloon; O’Callaghan, Duggan, Ruddy, Beirne; O’Gorman, Doyle (Smyth-Lynch 85), Gorman, Kelly (McCartan 62); Ryan-Doyle; Roche (McEvoy 57).

Spartak Subtoica: Kostic; Baltrip-Reyes, Slovic, Jackmon; Kusi (Saric 73), Stupar, Fielder, Milivojevic, Frajtovic (Nad 72); Filipovic (Ilic 83); Owusu Ansah (Ciric 62).

Referee: Ana Maria Alexandra Terteleac (Romania).

Rosapenna hosts the Legends Tour this week

Paul McGinley is excited to welcome his fellow Legends Tour players to Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort for the Irish Legends presented by the McGinley Foundation from August 20-22.

The 2014 Ryder Cup Captain takes on hosting duties when the Legends Tour travels to County Donegal for the second Legends Series event of the year. It will begin with the second Celebrity Series Pro-Am on Thursday August 19.

McGinley, who hosted the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Lahinch Golf Club in 2019, is hoping for a great week in a stunning setting in Co. Donegal.

Rosapenna is a brilliant venue

“When I hosted the Irish Open in 2019, we had an incredible week,” he said. ”My idea was to replicate that good old-fashioned Irish festival of fun and activities in the nearby town next week in Rosapenna.

“Rosapenna is a brilliant venue and I know the players will enjoy the golf course. It is a combination of nine holes from the original Old Tom Morris design, played along the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, and nine holes designed and constructed a number of years ago by one of Ireland’s leading architects, Pat Ruddy.

“It is your typical links golf courses where wind will obviously be a factor and course condition will be excellent.”

Former Ryder Cup captains among the field

The Irishman’s fellow Ryder Cup winning captains Thomas Bjørn and Ian Woosnam will tee it up in this week. The 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie, who has two top five finishes in three starts in 2021, will also play.

Seven-time Ryder Cup player and 1999 Team Europe Captain Mark James, six-time European Tour winner Thomas Levet and 2021 Senior Open winner Stephen Dodd will participate. Two-time Senior Major Champion Roger Chapman and reigning John Jacobs Trophy winner Phillip Price, are also among the field.

Unfortunately, the Irish Legends presented by the McGinley Foundation will be played behind closed doors with no access to the public.

Two Irish Showjumpers in World Top 10

Denis Lynch has climbed up the Longines FEI World Show Jumping rankings and is now the highest-ranked Irishman at No.9 on the latest rankings.

The Tipperary rider has enjoyed an excellent run of results in recent months with his top string of horses which includes Cristello, GC Chopin’s Bushi and Rubens LS La Silla. He has climbed seven places on the rankings this month alone.

Offaly’s Darragh Kenny continues his long run inside the top 10 and is now at No.10.

Ireland has no less than 12 riders inside the top 100.

Wexford’s Bertram Allen (No. 21) and Cork’s Shane Sweetnam (No.25) are in the top thirty.

Kildare’s Mikey Pender has made a big jump of 20 places and is now at No.55.

Bank of Ireland Munster Senior Challenge Cup Draw

The draw for the 2021-22 Bank of Ireland Munster Senior Challenge Cup was made recently. Sixteen teams are set to battle it out for the prestigious trophy.

The first-round fixtures will be played on the weekend of September 11th.

The winners of those eight ties will progress to the quarter-finals, which will take place on the weekend of September 18th.

The dates for the semi-finals and final of this year’s Bank of Ireland Munster Senior Challenge Cup will be confirmed in due course.

Round 1 – Weekend of 11th September 2021
Match 1 – Nenagh Ormond RFC v Midleton RFC
Match 2 – UCC RFC v Garryowen FC
Match 3 – Old Crescent RFC v Kilfeacle & District RFC
Match 4 – Young Munster RFC v Cork Constitution FC
Match 5 – UL Bohemian RFC v Dolphin RFC
Match 6 – Bruff RFC v Clonmel RFC
Match 7 – Cashel RFC v Shannon RFC
Match 8 – Sunday’s Well RFC v Highfield RFC

Quarter-Finals – Weekend of 18th September 2021
Match 9 – Winner of Match 1 v Winner of Match 7
Match 10 – Winner of Match 6 v Winner of Match 2
Match 11 – Winner of Match 3 v Winner of Match 8
Match 12 – Winner of Match 4 v Winner of Match 5

Semi-Finals
Match 13 – Winner of Match 11 v Winner of Match 12
Match 14 – Winner of Match 10 v Winner of Match 9

Final
Match 15 – Winner of Match 13 v Winner of Match 14

 

Harry Kane has not travelled to Portugal for Tottenham play-off

Tottenham striker Harry Kane has not travelled to Portugal with his Spurs teammates in Portugal for their Europa Conference League play-off match on Thursday.

Kane was named in Spurs’ 25-man Conference League squad but according to numerous reports, the England captain will stay in London to work on his fitness and sharpness after returning from holidays.

The decision was made by Kane, manager Nuno Espírito Santo and the club.

This is on the back of his apparent refusal to turn up for pre-season training, with links to Manchester City still arising since last season where the striker contributed to 50 goals in 49 games.

If the forward does play in the Conference League, it would not hamper any chances he has off taking part in the Champions League should a move to Manchester City happen.

The striker trained with his Tottenham teammates for the first time this season on Tuesday morning, after completing his period of isolation.

Kane was not involved in Spurs’ 1-0 opening day victory over Manchester City last Sunday, and with the likelihood, he will move on before the end of the current transfer window he may not play for his boyhood club again.

Manchester City reportedly had a £100 million offer for Kane rejected earlier this summer by Daniel Levy and co, with Pep Guardiola admitting he is interested in signing the England and Spurs captain.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is reluctant to sell his prized asset for anything less than his set fee placed on him. Kane told Spurs at the end of last season he would like to leave to compete for the highest honours after failing to win any trophies with Spurs.

A gentleman’s agreement was reportedly made after Kane signed a six-year contract back in 2018, but Levy has rejected any bids so far for the striker.

5 Players to Look Out For this Premier League Season

The Premier League is back up and running for the 2021/2022 season, and with plenty of money spent on new signings, the question will be posed, who are the 5 players to look out for this Premier League season?

With many to choose from, picking 5 players was a hard task, but here is the 5 players to look out for, this Premier League Season.

1. Kai Havertz

The German international had an interesting first season in English football last season after his £72 million switch from Bayer Leverkusen to Chelsea in the summer transfer window.

Taking his time to adjust, he gained some form around October time before testing positive for Covid-19 and missing a whole host of games from Long Covid. After the arrival of fellow German Thomas Tuchel as head coach, Havertz fortune changed.

Playing more like a false 9 at the latter stages of the season, his big moment came in the Champions League final against Manchester City in Porto. Scoring the winning goal in the first half to secure Chelsea’s second Champions League triumph.

For the new season, I fully expect the German to shine. He has the capabilities to become a truly world-class player in the coming years. He has already started brightly, assisting Hakim Ziyech for the opening goal in Chelsea’s Super Cup win.

2. Mohammed Salah

What can be said about Liverpool’s goal-scoring machine that has not been said already? Liverpool’s main scoring output since his arrival in the 2017/18 season where he netted 32 goals and 11 assists in the Premier League while getting a ridiculous 60 goal contribution’s in 52 games.

Since then, he has been involved in 112 goals in 203 games for the Merseyside outfit.

Last season, while Jurgen Klopp’s team struggled to compete for the highest honours, Salah performed to the best of his ability given the negative circumstances surrounding the club.

This season he is somewhat of a dark horse for the Golden Boot, scoring 1 and assisting 2 on the opening day fixture against Norwich in a 0-3 victory.

Liverpool will need him firing on all cylinders this season if they want to challenge to get back the Premier League title they gave up with a whimper last season.

3. Trent Alexander-Arnold

Easily one of the most maligned footballers last season, Liverpool’s right-back Trent had a difficult season, to say the least. The season prior, Trent was involved in 19 goals, scoring 4 and assisting 15 on the way to lifting the Premier League title.

Performances were not good enough last season, and Trent would be the first one to admit that. But, credit where credit is due, he did perform to help Liverpool reach a top 4 place during the latter stages of the season.

He should be back to his best this season, with a lot to prove and a whole host of doubters. He will have a fire burner of a season.

4. Romelu Lukaku

The big Belgian has returned back to Chelsea after leaving back in 2014. A deal that was 7 years in the making. Lukaku has admitted to having ”unfinished business” with the Champions League holders.

After leaving Manchester United, Lukaku took over Serie A, helping them secure their first league title in 11 years. Now he is back in London after a £97.5 million move and was brought in for one thing and one thing only, goals.

Chelsea severely lacked goals last season, with Timo Werner misfiring, Oliver Giroud used sparingly and Tammy Abraham being frozen out by Thomas Tuchel. ‘Big Rom’ has been touted as the missing key to Chelsea’s puzzle. If he performs to his high expectations he should cause mayhem for defences.

5. Jadon Sancho

The long-awaited arrival of Jadon Sancho to Manchester United from Borussia Dortmund was the talk of the previous transfer window, but it never actually happened.

Thankfully for United fans, this summer, the deal was made in time for the start of the new season and it’s safe to say, he will be a star and a future number 7 for the club.

Like Lukaku for Chelsea, Sancho is seen as the missing piece to United’s puzzle, strengthening the much-needed right-side of the forward line that Solskjaer craved. He will have a big season for The Red Devils in the quest for League title 21.

For more news and stories on everything football and the Premier League, check out these stories at SportsNewsIreland.

The Tennis Conundrum: Why Ireland Doesn’t Produce Aces

Ireland punches well above its weight when it comes to sport. Even if we exclude traditional games such as hurling and Gaelic football, we’re still a nation of overachievers on the global stage. From rugby and football to boxing and MMA, Ireland’s finest are also ranked among the world’s finest.

However, one sport we’ve never represented well for is the likes of tennis. This isn’t to denigrate the achievements or talents of Irish professionals such as James McGee, Kelly Liggan and Yvonne Doyle. Yet, when you go outside of the Emerald Isle, these local stars aren’t ranked highly on many people’s big hitters.

It’s Just Not Our Sport

Take a scroll through the 2021 US Open betting odds online: who do you see? Of course, there are the standard stars from countries that are just as small as Ireland riding high in the bookmakers’ estimates. Take, for instance, Serbian elite Novak Djokovic, who is currently at odds of 8/11 to be titled the outright winner after a stunning year that almost saw him awarded the prestigious Golden Slam accolade.

Djokovic is always going to be listed in the latest US Open betting tips as he’ll be the talk among pundits and punters, so long as he’s fit. In contrast, Ireland’s Matt Doyle isn’t prolific enough to be featured. Again, that’s not a slight on Doyle or Irish tennis in general: we know from our exploits in other sports that we’re a nation capable of performing at elite levels. However, it’s very apparent that at the moment, tennis isn’t our forte.

Source: Unsplash

The question, therefore, is why aren’t Irish tennis players performing at an elite level?

One of the most obvious reasons is culture. We’re a small nation of just under 5 million people and the majority of our rising athletes gravitate towards the likes of sports such as rugby, football, hurling, horse racing and boxing. This leaves little room for other sports to gain a foothold in the local culture.

Of course, there are still plenty of people that play tennis, but the numbers are substantially limited when compared to the aforementioned sports. 

Lack of Support is Stifling Talent

This leads us to the issue of infrastructure. Tennis Ireland was given €450,000 worth of funding in 2020 by Sport Ireland. That’s not a meagre amount of money but it’s almost €1 million less than the Special Olympics team received. It’s also significantly less than athletics (€1 million) and swimming (€950,000) received. This discrepancy is compounded by the number of provisions there are for aspiring players. In 2016, just 3% of Irish adults that took part in a sport played tennis. Those that do play tennis have to fight for coaching.

Source: Unsplash

Data from Tennis Ireland shows that there are 180 licenced tennis clubs and approximately 80,000 members across the country. Add to this around 180 certified tennis coaches and that’s essentially one coach for every 444 players. When someone has to fight for a coach’s time, it can stifle their progression.

Herein lies the problem. There’s no doubt tennis suffers because it’s not as popular as other sports. However, there’s a distinct lack of funding and infrastructure supporting those who do want to play. Sport Ireland only has a limited number of resources, so serving everyone equally isn’t possible. But, if Ireland is ever going to produce an ace, tennis needs a lot more support.

Ireland v Croatia – Preview, Lineups, Where To Watch

Ireland and Croatia go head-to-head in their final group game of the 2021 EuroHockey II Championship in Gniezno, Poland.

The game will begin at 4:45 pm on Wednesday evening and will be streamed live on EuroHockeyTV.

Ireland enter the game with four points from two games and sit second in the table with one game to go.

Jonathan Bell’s side needs a win to confirm a spot in the semi-finals of the competition and earn themselves a FIH 2023 World Cup qualifier spot.

The Irish beat the hosts in their first game of the competition and drew with the Italians on Tuesday, the other team sitting in the semi-final spot with a game left.

A win of any description against world number 40 side Croatia will see them through to the semi-finals and a confirmed place in the World Cup qualifiers – achieving what they set out to reach at the start of this tournament.

The interplay between Shane O’Donoghue, who netted against Italy, and Tom Cross will be vital to the national team’s chances.

Their attacking intent will cause problems for the Croatians who have leaked goals in the competition.

The side conceded four each to Poland and Italy and will have a tough time keeping Ireland at bay.

Star player Mario Mucic leads the way in the scoring charts in the competition after grabbing all three goals for his side.

However, their lack of defensive organisation will make it tough for them to withstand Ireland’s threats in the forward line.

Ireland will need to keep their concentration and avoid conceding goals like the Italian equaliser if they want to progress.

A semi-final and a World Cup qualification spot are behind the door, a door Ireland have every right to open.

Lineups

Ireland: J Milliken, T Cross, J McKee, N Glassey, K Marshall, S O’Donoghue, S Murray, P McKibbin, J Duncan, M Robson, B Nelson

Subs: D Walsh, K O’Dea, M McNellis, B Walker, F Gibson, I Stewart

Croatia: H Fijucek, C Zec, M Mucic, Z Vuk, B Bachmann, F Zlimen, J Krleza, L M Bachmann, T Premilovac, G Fujs, A Fujs

Subs: P Markovic, I Bagur, F Zlatar, J Damjanic, F Zlatar, L Wehr

Grand Slam of Darts qualification criteria announced

The qualification criteria for the 2021 Grand Slam of Darts have been confirmed ahead of November’s tournament at the Aldersley Leisure Village

The 32-player event will be held from November 13th till the 21st and returns to Wolverhampton this year.

Reigning champion Jose de Sousa and World Champion Gerwyn Price will headline the 32-player field.

Finalists from the PDC’s televised events over a 12-month period will qualify for up to 16 places in the Grand Slam, with ten of those spots already occupied with four tournaments remaining.

Premier League and Masters champion Jonny Clayton, World Matchplay winner Peter Wright, UK Open champion James Wade, and Players Championship Finals winner Michael van Gerwen have all won televised events in the qualifying period.

In addition, Gary Anderson, Dimitri Van den Bergh, Mervyn King, and Luke Humphries have reached TV finals in the past 12 months.

The World Cup of Darts, World Grand Prix, European Championship, and World Series of Darts Finals remain televised events for players to qualify for the Grand Slam.

A further eight players will come through the PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifier, which will be held on November 5th, with eight additional qualifiers completing the field.

2020 World Youth Champion Bradley Brooks and runner-up Joe Davis will be joined by the winners from the UK and European Challenge and Development Tour Orders of Merit, as well as two Women’s Series qualifiers.

Tickets for the Grand Slam of Darts are available through Ticketmaster.

2021 Cazoo Grand Slam of Darts

Qualifying Players (invited in the following order)

2020/21 PDC World Champion – GERWYN PRICE

2020 Grand Slam Champion – JOSE DE SOUSA

2021 Premier League Champion – JONNY CLAYTON

2021 World Matchplay Champion – PETER WRIGHT

2021 World Grand Prix Champion

2021 Masters Champion – (Jonny Clayton)

2021 UK Open Champion – JAMES WADE

2021 European Champion

2020 Players Championship Finals Champion – MICHAEL VAN GERWEN

2021 World Series of Darts Finals Champion

2021 World Cup Champions x2

2020/21 PDC World Championship runner-up – GARY ANDERSON

2020 Grand Slam runner-up – (James Wade)

2021 Premier League runner-up – (Jose de Sousa)

2021 World Matchplay runner-up – DIMITRI VAN DEN BERGH

2021 World Grand Prix runner-up

2021 Masters runner-up – MERVYN KING

2021 UK Open runner-up – LUKE HUMPHRIES

2021 European Champion

2020 Players Championship Finals runner-up – (Mervyn King)

2021 World Series of Darts Finals Champion

2021 World Cup Champions x2

This list has 10 players currently qualified and could produce a further 10.

2021 European Tour Event Winners

In order of number of event wins and then PDC Ranking Order

Hungarian Darts Trophy

Gibraltar Darts Trophy

 

2021 Players Championship Event Winners

In order of number of event wins and then PDC Ranking Order

Currently (provisional qualifiers listed in capitals):

Multiple Wins: JOE CULLEN

Ranking Order: MICHAEL SMITH, STEPHEN BUNTING, DIRK VAN DUIJVENBODE, CHRIS DOBEY, BRENDAN DOLAN, Ryan Searle, Ross Smith, Callan Rydz, Raymond van Barneveld

 

Additional Qualifiers

2020 World Youth Champion – BRADLEY BROOKS

2020 World Youth Championship runner-up – JOE DAVIS

2021 UK Challenge Tour Order of Merit winner

2021 European Challenge Tour Order of Merit winner

2021 UK Development Tour Order of Merit winner

2021 European Development Tour Order of Merit winner

2021 Women’s Series Order of Merit 5-8 Winner

2021 Women’s Series Order of Merit 9-12 Winner

Ireland U18s beat Hungary in Budapest

Ireland U18 played their first match since 2019 in a 2-0 win over Hungary away in Budapest on Tuesday evening

The Republic of Ireland Under-18s made it a winning start to Colin O’Brien’s reign with him giving 14 players their first outing at this level.

Goals from Derby County’s Cian Kelly-Caprani and Shamrock Rovers’ Dara McGuinness were enough to give the Boys in Green a win in the first of two international friendly games this week in the Hungarian capital.

Luton Town’s Ed McJannet captained the side and it was his first appearance for an Irish underage team along with Josh Clarke, Alex Murphy, Cian Coleman, Billy Brooks, and Rio McEvoy.

Ireland started the livelier of the two sides with Joe O’Brien-Whitmarsh going close several times in the first half. Firstly, he hit a low drive that tested the handling of goalkeeper Martin Dala. Then on the half-hour mark, the Cork City man saw his attempted lob land on the roof of the net.

O’Brien-Whitmarsh, operating in the Number 10 position, found himself thwarted by the keeper five minutes later when he was put through on goal and saw his effort bounce off the body of the Hungarian goalkeeper.

The breakthrough came just before half-time. Kelly-Caprani capitalized on a mistake in the Hungary backline, latching onto a loose ball and rounding the goalkeeper to slot in from a tight angle to give Ireland a deserved lead.

After the break, it was 2-0. Leeds’ Coleman did superbly well to get down the right flank before delivering a dangerous cross into the six-yard box. The ball fell to McGuinness and the Rovers man poked it home to give Ireland a two-goal cushion.

McJannet almost topped off his fine performance with a goal of his own. He engineered an opportunity with an exchange of passes; however, his left-footed effort was pushed behind for a corner. It was to be the final clear-cut chance of the second half and the game finished up 2-0.

Both teams are back in action on Thursday as Ireland looked to do the double over Hungary.

Teams

Hungary

Dala (GK)(Mergi. 46); Kaján (Sipos 77) , Korógyi (Kovács 77), Dragoner, Yaakobishvili, Szabó (Andros Gulyás 60), Molnar, Kocsis (Kiss, 60), Gruber (Auriél Gyuris 77), Bakti, Kallai.

Republic of Ireland

Clarke (GK); Agbaje, Grehan (Fogarty 73), Heffernan, Murphy; McJannet, Coleman, O’Brien-Whitmarsh (Brooks 61), Kelly-Caprani, McGuinness, McEvoy (Pearce 61).

Referee: Imre Kovács (Hungary).

Upcoming Fixtures

International Friendly (Irish time)
Thursday, August 19 | Hungary v Republic of Ireland, BVSC Stadion, Budapest, Hungary, KO 10:00.

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