Odsonne Edouard’s free-kick gave Celtic a two-goal cushion to take to Sweden in their Europa League play-off against AIK.

It was a largely disappointing night for the Irish sides involved in Europa League qualifiers.

Notre-Dame’s fragility reminds us of the EU’s. We must rebuild both, says Bernard-Henri Lévy

Are we mentally deficient, my wife and I, or are we apprentice angels who, when we pop off, will grow heron-wings and soar skyward to a heron heaven where our human transgressions will be overlooked because the feathered divinity thinks we’re birds?

Every generation has a tiny coterie of sportsmen or women whose career is a persistent exercise in dominance.

Joey Tempest of the big-haired metal band tellsn Ed Power about megahit ‘The Final Countdown’ and his time living in this country.

Chris Hatherall previews Wednesday’s World Cup action as the tournamnet heats up.

As the Sweden squad gathered for training, Jimmy Durmaz, who was flanked by his team-mates and manager, read a statement to assembled media from a mobile phone.

Germany 2 Sweden 1

Comparing teams, who’d win a World Cup of hurling if every county was matched off to a country.

As you can imagine Sweden are ecstatic after qualifying for the World Cup at the expense of Italy tonight.

Sweden have done the unthinkable and knocked four-times World champions Italy out of the World Cup.

European champions Portugal got the victory they required over Switzerland to book their place in next year’s World Cup in Russia.

Blaise Matuidi's early goal proved enough for France to secure a crucial 1-0 victory away to Bulgaria which put them back at the top of World Cup European Qualifying Group A.

Down to third place in Group D, but not yet out of contention for a ticket to the World Cup finals in Russia, Ireland’s hopes almost certainly rest on winning both of their remaining qualifiers, against Moldova in Dublin and Wales in Cardiff next month.

Popular attitudes in Europe increasingly seem out of kilter with those of political leaders but should not be mistaken for permanent, racially-based ill will, says John Lloyd

Ireland are set to field their strongest show jumping team of the season so far for the Swedish Nations Cup at Falsterbo on Friday.

Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate change accord overlooks the fact that the US is one of the big per-capita emitters of carbon dioxide, says Joseph E Stiglitz

Through ‘Prime Suspect’ to ‘The Bridge’, ‘Department Q’, and countless others, Mary Kate Schilling has toured the world and learned some valuable lessons

Ireland is the only western democracy to have introduced a blasphemy law in the 21st century.

So what is happening in Sweden? In a terror non-attack, they are set to be a cashless society within a decade. India is going the same way but where does this leave the poor, stall owners, buskers and generous aunts and uncles, asks Clodagh Finn.

President Donald Trump said Barack Obama's health care law covers "very few people" as he minimised the impact of replacing it.

Hygge was big in 2016, but now it’s time to move on to lagom - the are of being content with enough, says Ruth O’Connor

EVERY so often in this gig you come across a car which, from the moment you park your backside in the driver’s seat, seems to be just perfect. Then, when you set it in motion, it lets you down with a colossal bang and turns out to be a beautiful thing to admire, but an awful one to drive.

It’s easy to scoff at claims from European stars Dusan Tadic and Robert Lewandowski Ireland are long-ball specialists but the proposition is indisputable according to Uefa’s technical report from the summer European Championships.

Ecuador said it will set a date for Swedish prosecutors to question Julian Assange inside its London embassy — a potential breakthrough in the years-long impasse over the WikiLeaks founder.

SWEDEN: Worried that Swedes aren’t having enough sex, the government wants to analyse the bedroom activities of its citizens in a major study.

There was a whiff of box office, writes Larry Ryan.

Cork City’s European campaign can now be called an odyssey.

John Caulfield has been no fan of artificial pitches in the past but the Cork City manager seems to have been converted to the idea by the quality of BK Hacken’s 4G surface at the Bravida Stadium in Gothenburg on Thursday evening.

A good night that almost went down as one of the greats.

Concentration is Cork City manager John Caulfield’s priority ahead of his side’s meeting with Sweden’s BK Hacken in Gothenburg tonight (6pm).

There is no limp as Shane Long walks into the Complexe Sportif Montbauron.

Greetings from Belgium — yes, Belgium.

Yellow cards could yet play a part in Ireland progressing from Euro 2016 Group E. Here's how...

After yesterday's 3-0 defeat to Belgium in Bordeaux, Martin O'Neill will have to hope his players get a win against Italy on Wednesday.

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

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.