Colin O’Brien has heaped praise on the efforts of his U17 players after a 1-1 draw with Belgium in Tallaght on Thursday saw Ireland fall short of claiming a quarter-final berth in the European Championships.

Margaret Thatcher accused the Irish Government of doing nothing to help extradite a priest who allegedly worked for the IRA, state papers have revealed.

Double gold for Ireland was the climax of an historic weekend at the world championships in Bulgaria where Sanita Puspure and the O’Donovan brothers finally reached the top of the podium.

Is it time to ask whether the people have any right not to be arsed about democracy, such is the low turnouts in western democracy, asks Michael Clifford

Belgium’s World Cup squad were welcomed as heroes in Brussels yesterday, after achieving their best-ever World Cup result in Russia, and were rewarded with the country’s national dish: A bowl of chips.

And then there was one. Well, two actually, but the World Cup third-place play-off is definitely one of those nominally competitive fixtures which presents a fairly robust challenge to my old friend Declan Lynch’s wise maxim that there’s never a good reason not to watch a football match.

Belgium coach Roberto Martinez has apologised to journalists for making their lives harder by putting an end to the dramas and in-fighting that have characterised Belgian squads in the past.

Panama coach Hernan Dario Gomez isn’t in the business of sugarcoating the truth before his team makes history by playing in its first World Cup.

This is Ireland’s ninth time to be involved in a play-off for the right to participate at a major tournament.

France steamrollered Holland 4-0 with the help of goals from Thomas Lemar and Kylian Mbappe as they edged closer to qualification for next summer's World Cup finals in Russia.

Thick-skinned and fearless, Kajsa Norman goes behind the lines in Afrikanerdom, where she finds a racist, cultish and tribal people but, as Josephine Fenton discovers, she also finds some hope for a dying race

Manchester United’s season-long inability to win games they dominate came back to haunt them yet again in Brussels as a late goal from Anderlecht in the Europa League quarter-final denied them victory and sent Jose Mourinho’s side into Sunday’s clash against his old club Chelsea with a familiar air of frustration hanging in the air.

From The Angelus to our relationship with the cupla focail, we are a unique nation, writes Damian Corless.

Gent 1- Tottenham 0: Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has admitted his team’s confidence may have taken a dip after watching them succumb to their second defeat in a week.

Club Brugge 0 Leicester 3: Rampant Leicester marked their Champions League debut in stunning style as they thrashed Club Brugge 3-0. Boss Claudio Ranieri had warned against expecting another fairytale but it was a dream night in Belgium after Leicester scored twice inside the first half an hour.

Des Breen reads an account of 156 Irish UN troops who battled impossible odds in the Congo, only for their courage to be airbrushed from history.

After 14 minutes at Turner’s Cross last night, Genk’s Thomas Buffel slapped a cap on one money-making venture.

Genk chairman Herbert Houben had a roundabout trip to Cork to make tonight’s match at Turner’s Cross after he turned up at the wrong airport.

Belgian Pro League side, Genk will bring a one-goal advantage back to Turner’s Cross next week for the second instalment of this engaging Europa League, third round qualifier after a narrow victory over a gallant Cork City in Flanders last night.

The great Gloria Steinem was in these pages recently, and she had this to say about action and activism, or maybe their opposites.

Wales’ march to the semi-finals was the continuation of the momentum which had been generated through an impressive qualifying campaign, writes Liam Mackey.

Mark Twain once beautifully defined an expert as “some guy from outta town”. That being so, the guys and gals whose heads are entirely off the planet must be the greatest experts of them all.

Wes Hoolahan has been there before. Scoot back almost a dozen years and the Dubliner was an integral part of a superb Shelbourne side at the fag end of, what was at the time, the greatest European odyssey any Irish club had known.

Belgian authorities have detained six people in connection with last year’s foiled attack on a Thalys express train to France.

If it’s true that all games are won and lost long before they begin then Ireland were a beaten docket by the time Cuneyt Cakir blew the first whistle at the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux on Saturday.

Ireland 0 Belgium 3: When Ireland’s Euro 2016 isn’t being very different to Ireland’s Euro 2012, it’s being, well, much too alarmingly like it.

I have to say I was surprised by Martin O’Neill expressing disappointment the Irish players didn’t do more with the ball in the defeat to Belgium on Saturday.

Jeff Hendrick has told the Republic of Ireland they have nothing to lose in their do-or-die Euro 2016 clash with Italy.

Shane Long left Bordeaux fuming after being denied a penalty which might have changed the course of the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2016 campaign.

Despite seeing our Boys in Green lose 3-0 to Belgium, the Irish fans are still in great voice in Bordeaux.

Italy’s late winner against Sweden in Toulouse drew a throaty cheer from the Irish press contingent looking on from Bordeaux yesterday, the supposition being it might make the Azzurri, how shall we say, just that little bit less desperate about securing victory in the final group game against Ireland in Lille next Wednesday.

EVER since Roger Casement was hanged in 1916, controversy had surrounded his diaries, but there was no controversy about a diary that he began while in Germany during the early months of World War I.

With the weight of the nation resting on Belgium tomorrow, defender Toby Alderweireld really could do without the sight of Shane Long lurking on his shoulder.

Despite the promise of a meet-up with the Red Devils of Belgium, it turned out to be more of a gathering with the Red Dragons, for the first half at least.

Some walls even Robbie Brady can’t find a way past.

As Belgium gear up to take their early Euro 2016 frustrations out on Ireland, it has emerged Everton striker Romelu Lukaku could be culled from the side which lost their opener to Italy on Monday.