Blackwater CS (Lismore)0-11 Dungarvan CBS 0-8

MANCHESTER UNITED’S Achilles’ heel, a defence that has displayed uncharacteristic flaws in Europe and at home so far this season, again cost Alex Ferguson dear following 80 potentially disastrous seconds that leaves them facing the possibility of Champions League elimination.

WORLD CUP final referee Craig Joubert is among the officials taking charge of Ireland’s matches in the upcoming Six Nations while the IRB have kept faith with controversial Irish whistler Alain Rolland for the tournament.

CHELSEA blew the chance to put one foot in the Champions League knockout stage last night but their failure to beat Genk was overshadowed by another racism storm for the beleaguered club.

A YEAR-LONG review of the Constitution is expected to be announced in the coming weeks and could result in several more referendum proposals being put before the public.

YOU could read the story in the faces of the fans.

THE Los Angeles Galaxy claimed the upper hand in their MLS Western Conference semi-final against the New York Red Bulls after a 1-0 win in a fiery first leg last night.

JAMES STEPHENS collected the Kilkenny SHC title at a damp Nowlan Park yesterday, where 8,742 spectators saw an entertaining replay after last week’s draw disputed by two fully committed sides – sometimes too committed, as evidenced by the second-half sendings off of Jackie Tyrrell, captain of the new champions, and Ballyhale’s Colin Fennelly.

IT is so often the case in football we have to look to the opposite to see the true context.

WHEN, as children, my pals and I roamed the bogs, river banks and lake shores of Tipperary, Mayo and Donegal, we regularly came upon curlews’ nests and I’m afraid we may have sometimes filched an egg or two for our collections.

FELIPE CONTEPOMI will be hoping for better luck this weekend as his side Stade Francais face Top 14 leaders Clermont.

EVER got the feeling that you’ve been down this way before? Ever wonder why the future sometimes bears a canny resemblance to the past? Take a look at the Government and you might turn away with that nagging feeling trailing in your wake.

THE first numbers were last night finally called at the 1,000-seater Cork bingo hall raided by gardaí on Tuesday evening just 30 minutes before it was due to open.

SKIPPER Richie Ryan knows complacency is Sligo Rovers’ worst enemy as they bid to retain their FAI Ford Cup against Shelbourne at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday.

HAS Vladimir Putin lost his touch?

ON Saturday morning, according to French magazine L’Equipe at least, the Arsene Wenger era was fast approaching its end.

WHILE Shay Given remains an automatic choice for the Republic of Ireland, a genuine challenger to the goalkeeper is finally emerging in the shape of Sunderland’s Keiren Westwood.

NOW this is the kind of Eurozone contagion we can all handle.

SITTING in the press box in the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday night behind a laptop and under a sky filled with paper planes, it was clear that travel — if not beautiful football — is what we do best.

IT WAS fitting that Robbie Keane spent most of Wednesday with his head in the clouds as he made his way back to his American dream after finally realising a European one.