A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Basel shock Bayern while Marseille defeat Inter
BASEL pulled off another huge Champions League upset with a 1-0 home victory over Bayern Munich to move within sight of the quarter-finals.
Substitute Valentin Stocker snatched the winner for the Swiss champions in the 86th minute with a shot which went through Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer’s legs.
Bayern had survived two early let-offs in the first leg of the last 16 tie as Aleksandar Dragovic and Alexander Frei both struck the woodwork for the Swiss side, who accounted for Manchester United in the group phase.
It was the latest blow for Bayern who have suffered a loss of form in the Bundesliga, falling four points behind leaders Borussia Dortmund.
Elsewhere, a stoppage-time goal from Andre Ayew gave Olympique Marseille a 1-0 win at home to Inter Milan.
Ayew broke the deadlock with a header in the third minute of injury time, as the French side stretched their unbeaten run to 16 games.
Upset in Collingwood as holders go out
THERE was a huge upset in the semi-final of the Collingwood Cup at UL yesterday when outsiders Mary Immaculate College of Education beat the favourites and holders UCC after a thrilling contest which went to penalties.
MICE opened the scoring in the first half and it looked as if they would win in normal time. But with only a few minutes remaining UCC got on terms thanks to a spectacular goal by Steve Mahon.
UCC hit the upright in extra time but they lost 4-2 in the penalty shoot-out.
In todays final MICE will meet UCD who romped to a 6-0 win over Royal College of Surgeons. A hat-trick by Michael Arnold highlighted the win with the other goals being scored by Niall Hanley, Ross King and Brian McDonald.
Games end hand shake mooted
PLAYERS should shake hands in the centre circle after games, a Fifa panel chaired by Franz Beckenbauer has said. The idea comes from Task Force Football 2014, an expert group set up to improve sportsmanship and the game’s image. The German legend said: “At full time I think it would be a better image, when leaving the pitch together and not refusing a handshake.”
The panel viewed footage of various incidents, such as Luis Suarez’s refusal to shake Patrice Evra’s hand. Beckenbauer said such flashpoints should not be allowed to happen again. “This is the first time I ever saw it myself. I think we simply have to stop it,” he said.
But Beckenbauer said players should not be disciplined for falling short of Fifa’s fair play code, and the governing body should first remind players and coaches of their responsibilities. Beckenbauer suggested teams leave the field together at half-time and emerge for the second half together, as well as gather in the centre circle after the final whistle.
West Ham wanted Tevez and Torres
WEST Ham failed with loan bids for strikers Fernando Torres and Carlos Tevez in January, co-chairman David Gold has said.
The Hammers asked to take 27-year-old Torres from Chelsea for one to two months but their approach was rejected.
Manchester City were approached three times about bringing Tevez (28) back to Upton Park, said Gold. “We had two irons in the fire. If we’d pulled one off it would have been exciting but it wasn’t to be,” he said.
The Championship side inquired about the Premier League stars before they signed striker Nicky Maynard from Bristol City and fellow forward Ricardo Vaz Te from Barnsley.
“At the time this was happening, we hadn’t made any signings,” said Gold. “We weren’t scoring goals and we felt that Torres was a bit out of favour at the time and we thought maybe Chelsea would let Torres go for a month or two to let him get his sharpness back.”
FAI players of the year shortlist
ROBBIE Keane, Richard Dunne and Keith Andrews have been short-listed for the main prize at the 3-sponsored FAI International awards which will be presented live on RTÉ television this Sunday evening at 8pm, reports Emmet Malone.
Keane and Andrews are also in contention for the goal of the year award along with Darron Gibson while Simon Cox, Seamus Coleman and Darren O’Dea are the nominees for the young player award.
NOMINEES – Senior Player of the Year: Keith Andrews (West Brom), Richard Dunne (Aston Villa), Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy). Young Player: Seamus Coleman (Everton), Simon Cox (West Brom), Darren O’Dea (Leeds Utd). Goal of the Year: Robbie Keane v Scotland, Darren Gibson v Wales, Keith Andrews v Estonia. Airtricity League Player: Pat Sullivan (Unattached), Eamon Zayed (Persepolis), James McClean (Sunderland). Under-21 Player: Robbie Brady (Manchester Utd/Hull City), Rob Kiernan (Wigan Athletic), Aidan White (Leeds Utd). Senior Women’s Player: Emma Byrne (Arsenal), Niamh Fahey (Arsenal), Denise O’Sullivan (Cork Women’s FC).
Bruce frustrated over lack of contact
WOLVES are set to revert to their original plan of seeking a manager with Premier League experience to replace the sacked Mick McCarthy.
But one of their original targets, Alan Curbishley, has again knocked back the Midlands club. Curbishley came back into the running as the bookmakers second favourite on Tuesday evening but does not share the Wolves owner Steve Morgan’s vision for the future. It leaves the former Sunderland, Birmingham and Wigan manager Steve Bruce as the bookmakers favourite, though up to yesterday morning he remained frustrated at the lack of contact from Morgan or the chief executive Jez Moxey since his initial interview last Friday.
Morgan and Moxey thought about bringing in an up-and-coming manager from the Championship. But one potential contender, Readings Brian McDermott, is set to be offered a new deal by his club.
