Sport

The Morning Sports Briefing

Manchester United get the job done in Stockholm, Sonia O’Sullivan on the Cork mindset, Shane Lowry ready for Wentworth

Manchester Unitedcelebrate winning the Europa League final against Ajax Amsterdam at the Friends Arena. Photograph: Getty Images

Thu May 25 2017 - 08:25

Soccer

Manchester United beat Ajax 2-0 in an emotion-filled Europa League final in the Friends Arena outside Stockholm last night.

The win sees them qualify for the Champions League after a season to forget at Old Trafford, and after Monday’s terror attacks in Manchester killed 22 people and injured many more, this was exactly what the city of Manchester needed. Job done on all fronts.

Ken Early reports on a game in which José Mourinho's team frustrated their young opponents; "This is the way Mourinho likes to win. It's essentially Italian football of the old school, measured and clinical, not what many United fans would have identified as United football."

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Paul Pogba, whose deflected first half shot broke the deadlock, said after the game; "We played for England, we played for Manchester, and we played for the people who died."

GAA

In her column this morning, Sonia O'Sullivan explains how there is something special about the Cork psyche.

The county’s hurlers’ victory against Tipperary last weekend was just the latest reminder of how the sports-mad county relishes success.

“If you are from Cork then you are owned by Cork, and there is no denying where you are from. And with that comes a little extra pressure to win in front of your home crowd.”

While Ciarán Murphy believes Cork’s surprise win over the champions alters all the Munster and All-Ireland permutations.

"The impact of one big result is seismic – and while Cork people are scrambling to adjust to the new reality of a fresh young team and even a possible Liam McCarthy, everyone else is catching up too."

Rugby

Munster hooker Niall Scannell says he is relishing a shot at Pro12 glory against Scarlets this weekend. "There is no animosity between the teams or anything like that, but we used to always say to ourselves, we need to work on our breakdown in the week leading into the Scarlets."

Golf

Shane Lowry is hoping that the PGA European Tour's flagship championship at Wentworth will inspire a return to form for him.

“I’m just trying to play myself down and play my game and see where it takes me. Obviously, I love it around here.”

An Post Rás

Stage winner on Tuesday, race leader on Wednesday: for Irish rider Matthew Teggart, this An Post Rás has got off to a start he didn't anticipate.

"I actually can't believe it," he told The Irish Times in Buncrana.

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