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Man United beaten by Young Boys; Darragh Ó Sé on Mayo’s failure to do the basics

The Morning Sports Briefing: Keep ahead of the game with ‘The Irish Times’ sports team

Manchester United's Champions League campaign got off to a losing start last night, as they were beaten 2-1 by Young Boys in Bern. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side took the lead after just 13 minutes through Cristiano Ronaldo but saw Aaron Wan-Bissaka shown a red card for a clumsy challenge 10 minutes before half-time. Nicolas Moumi Ngamelu equalised for the Swiss after the break before a loose Jesse Lingard backpass played in Jordan Siebatcheu, who secured three points for the hosts with just seconds remaining at the Wankdorf Stadium. Elsewhere defending champions Chelsea are up and running after they finally broke down stubborn Zenit resistance courtesy of a late Romelu Lukaku header at Stamford Bridge. Bayern Munich were also winners last night - Robert Lewandowski scoring a brace as they beat Barcelona 3-0 at the Camp Nou. Tonight Manchester City and Liverpool are in action against RB Leipzig and Milan respectively (kick-offs 8pm). You can find a reminder on how to watch every European Cup fixture for free HERE.

In his column this morning Darragh Ó Sé has reflected on last Saturday's All-Ireland football final, and the latest opportunity to pass Mayo by. And he suggests Tyrone lifted Sam Maguire because they were able to play the occasion and do the basics right - while James Horan's side lost their cool when it mattered most. He writes: "All-Ireland finals are about finding the simplest route to the Sam Maguire. I have seen them lost because fellas were thinking about All Stars. I have seen them coughed up because fellas wanted to prove a point to management or because they wanted to show that they can do miraculous things. But at the end of the day, they come down to who was able to show that they could do the right thing at the right time. Everything else is beside the point."

Gordon Elliott returned to the track at Punchestown yesterday after his six-month suspension from racing came to an end. Elliott was banned for a year with six months suspended after a picture of him sitting on a dead horse circulated on social media in March. Elliott had one runner yesterday in the form of Oh Purple Reign, who failed to deliver a winning return for the trainer. Afterwards, he said: "It's great to be back racing and seeing faces that I haven't seen in a long time. I would have obviously preferred if the horse ran a bit better, but it's nice to be back. I have really missed coming racing over the last few months, so I'm looking forward to getting back into that routine again."

Elsewhere, the Government is unlikely to reach a decision this week on supporting a bid to hold the 2024 America's Cup in Cork. A report from consultants EY has said hosting the world's oldest sporting event could cost Ireland up to €150 million, but could see a return of €400-€500m.

Patrick Madden

Patrick Madden

Patrick Madden is a former sports journalist with The Irish Times