The Morning Sports Briefing

Soccer: Champions League

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is under increasing pressure to retain the Champions League, starting with tonight's semi-final first-leg against Juventus.

The manager who won the Champions League last season and might retain it next month, has a fair chance of being sacked by the president Florentino Perez if he fails to secure what would be an eleventh European title for the club.

He appointed Ancelotti at the beginning of last season but, after what had been a fight to get the Italian from Paris Saint-Germain, the impression quickly formed in Madrid that Perez preferred the chase to the reality of the working relationship.

Andrea Pirlo, meanwhile, has admitted that winning the Champions League would be so special that it could persuade the 35-year-old to call time on his successful spell with Juventus.

Monday night

Last night Arsenal continued their fine form with a 3-1 win over Hull City, they again look in pole position to seal that second place finish.

Alexis Sanchez grabbed a brace as Santi Cazorla turned in another magical display, the result for Hull means they are just a point of Sunderland in the relegation places.

In the League of Ireland last night there was an emphatic win for high-flying Dundalk as they put eight goals past a hapless Bray Wanderers side to go six points clear at the top of the table.

While Adam Evans's late goal denied Cork City three points as Bohemians claimed a point at Dalymount Park.

Snooker: World Championship

Stuart Bingham is finally an overnight success. The popular 38-year-old from Basildon finally had his 20 years of hard graft rewarded as he became the oldest first-time winner in Crucible history, beating Shaun Murphy in one of the event's most entertaining finals.

Rugby: Pro12

Leinster have been hit by another injury as it's been revealed Luke Fitzgerald will miss the remainder of the season having undergone shoulder surgery.

The province have already had to cope without prop Marty Moore and Sean Cronin.

Forwards coach Leo Cullen said of Fitzgerald who has only just retained his international place after a litany of injuries; “he will certainly be out for the next two weeks. I don’t think it’s a World Cup issue.”

GAA: Tyrone criticism

Former Tyrone All Star turned Under 21 All-Ireland winning selector, Peter Canavan denies that his county go out to play cynical football.

The Tipperary management team were so furious following their Under 21 All-Ireland final defeat that they refused the Tyrone management team entry to their dressing room.

“I would be very disappointed if that was labelled at this team because that’s not what they’re coached and if there was cynical play it was towards the end of the game when there’s a team hanging on to a slender lead and it was instinct that may have took over in some cases,” claims Canavan.

“ But I’ll make it clear, I have trained the team and there has been no cynical play involved in our training sessions and those fellas will back that up.”

What to watch out for:

Juventus host Real Madrid in Turin for the first leg of the first of the Champions League semi-finals.

TV3 from 7.30pm.

The Madrid Open also continues today and that's on BT Sport 2 from 10am to 6pm.