Máire Treasa Ní Cheallaigh: Sorry, Cork fans – but if you are a true supporter, you stay to the bitter end
Legend has it that when Teddy Sheringham scored an injury-time equaliser against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final in Barcelona, the late George Best had already left the Nou Camp, and therefore also missed the winner scored by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, that brought the historic treble to Manchester United.
I wasn't lucky enough to be at that game, but I do remember seeing it on TV, watching the rivers of red jerseys snaking their way out the stadium when it looked like Alex Ferguson's men just weren't up to the task. This was shortly followed by scenes of horrified joy when those fans realised what they had missed by leaving early.
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RTÉ News
21 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Jim McGuinness: We were pushing a boulder up a hill for large parts of the game
In the decade between his first and second stints as Donegal manager, Jim McGuinness claimed there was barely a day when the 2014 All-Ireland final defeat didn't flash across his mind. This time around, he's urging a different response on his players. "I said to the players in the dressing room, it's not a game you should think about for a long time," McGuinness told RTÉ Sport afterwards. "We didn't deserve to win the game. That's the reality of it. "We didn't do enough to win the game. You have to let it slide. Sometimes you just have to let performances slide. And this is one of them." Afterwards, the Donegal manager was unsurprisingly resistant to the idea of conducting an in-depth post-mortem in public. The question of how the Ulster champions under-performed on the big stage will linger for a while though. They certainly seemed to be rocked by the force and intensity of Kerry's quick opening to the game, alongside the hammer-blow of David Clifford's succession of two-pointers. Many of the strengths that characterised the side in previous games - their ability to mind the ball and avoid turnovers and their capacity for gathering breaking ball in midfield - deserted them in the first half in particular. It was only their decent scoring efficiency that kept them in touch in an opening 35 minutes where they struggled to get their hands on ball. "We didn't perform, Kerry did perform, that's the bottom line. They started very early in the game and they got a foothold in the game. "I thought we responded quite well in the first half on our attack. We were good, we were clinical, but I think they might have scored in the first six attacks, so we were struggling to deal with them in that period. They went for a lot of twos and they hit a lot of them as well and that was big. "David Clifford coming on to those balls on a loop. We did a lot of work on him and we did a lot of work in terms of managing him. I thought Brendan (McCole) did actually quite well on him for periods, but obviously it does take more than one person to try and close down David and he kicked some brilliant twos. "Was it six or seven scorers we had? I think we've have 12 in the last two games. Why did we not get the same traction in terms of threats all over the pitch and different people popping up at different times? That's all things that probably come into the mix. "Kerry had a very aggressive press on. We were trying to do the same. They won a lot of breaking ball. We would pride ourselves on that aspect of it. They won a huge amount of breaking ball. Gavin White, in particular, won a huge amount of breaking ball. Every possession was crucial. "Getting the hands on the ball from our own kick-out was crucial. Both kick-outs and turnovers, that's what shapes attacks. We didn't get enough." One moment which McGuinness did cite - and one which clearly annoyed him on the sideline - occurred late in the first half, when Donegal had brought the game back to a five-point margin after points from Conor and Shane O'Donnell. Daire Ó Baoill sought to float a ball into Michael Murphy at full-forward but it was mis-directed and the Glenswilly player wasn't even in a position to contest it. Kerry came away and nursed possession themsevles until the hooter, the Cliffords combining for a two-point score to push the lead out to seven again as the teams raced down the tunnel. "We did things that we don't normally do," says McGuinness. "We made decisions that we don't normally do and we had just too many turnovers, that's the bottom line. "We had too many turnovers and some of them were clutch moments. We were chasing our tails, a couple of moments before half-time. A five-point game and then we lose possession, we give possession away and then it ends up a seven-point game. That was a tough one to take. "Had we been able to work that and got a score, we would have probably ended up going in at four down at half-time. I think it might have been a very different dressing-room at that stage, very different dynamic in terms of going out for the second half." After 2014, McGuinness spoke of the flatness he sensed among the squad on the day of the final. He detected none of that this time around, insisting that the mood was good and relaxed on the weekend of the game. Rather it was just a case that "Kerry came hard and they came hard early. "They set the terms of the game. Then you're trying to manage that and you're trying to claw your way back in. We tried to respond to that, but at the end of the day, they were still keeping the scoreboard ticking over. "We were pushing a boulder up a hill for large parts of it." Among those who fancied Donegal to win, McGuinness's reputation as a managerial savant was a significant factor. However, Donegal's defence struggled to cope with the range of options in Kerry's attack, with Paudie Clifford given relatively free reign. "I suppose no more than the Cork hurlers. It'll be a fairly heavy post-mortem after this one. "We'll go in, we'll think about the game, we'll reflect on the game. You try to get as many things right as you can. "Sometimes you just have to take your hat off and say, the better team won and we made too many mistakes to win the game. Just make peace with that. Over the coming weeks, those types of conversations will probably start."
The Irish Sun
21 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Rio Ferdinand hits out at BBC over coverage of England Lionesses' Euro 2025 triumph with Man Utd icon left stunned
RIO FERDINAND was stunned by the absence of one ex-Lioness on BBC Sport's coverage of the Euro 2025 final. The former England international was watching the 3 Ferdinand thinks the BBC was missing a key former player Credit: BBC Sport 3 Williams is a regular feature on the BBC Credit: Getty 3 But she wasn't present for the Lionesses Euro 2025 final coverage Credit: AP While the country were getting settled to witness the Lionesses claim silverware once again, Ferdinand took to social media to question the BBC 's coverage choices. With three shocked-face emojis , he wrote on The ex-Manchester United defender is of course referring to former Lioness Fara Williams. Williams, who made 172 appearances for her country between 2001 and 2019, has become one of the most prominent pundits in the women's game since she hung up her boots . read more football She had featured regularly on the BBC's coverage of the tournament over the summer . Williams' Instagram posts from Sunday show she was covering the final as part of the tournament's sponsors Just Eat 's promo. She was on a panel for their pre-match show alongside ex-Lionesses and BBC pundits Alex Scott and Jill Scott . She also posted clips of herself in the stands, celebrating wildly when her former team became European champions for the second tournament in a row. Most read in Football BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Instead of Williams, the BBC had other Lionesses on their panel in Switzerland . Gabby Logan was put in to present, while former England captain Steph Houghton and Euro 2022 winner Ellen White also got the call up. Inside Lionesses' boozy Euro 2025 celebrations as stars party with pizzas, beers and loved ones after win over Spain Women's Super League commentator Seb Hutchinson was also selected. Plenty of fans The former Gunner went wild as England saw off Spain from the spot, with England's stars following suit and England are queens of Europe England legend Lucy Bronze reveals she played Player ratings - see how England's finest in Chloe Kelly steals the show after Eagle-eyed fans stunned at where Joyous The Lionesses beat La Roja 3-1 on penalties after the game ended 1-1 after extra time.
The Irish Sun
21 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Why was Beth Mead's first penalty disallowed? New Euro 2025 rule explained
THE Lionesses retained their Euro title with a historic victory over world champions Spain, but it was not without controversy. In a dramatic penalty shoot-out, Beth Mead was 5 Mead was visibly frustrated with the outcome of the new rule Credit: Getty Why was Beth Mead's first penalty disallowed? Penalties are stressful at the best of times, let alone in a Euro final and even more so when the first one is ruled out. Second-half substitute Mead found the back of the net with England's first kick, firing the ball down the middle of Spain goalkeeper Catalina Coll's goal. However, during the kick, Mead had slipped over, and moments later, the 5 Mead slipped on the grass, hitting the ball with her standing leg Credit: Getty A review of her first penalty found that when she slipped on the grass, Mead had accidentally kicked the ball twice, hitting it against her standing foot. READ MORE LIONESSES Normally, in situations like this, Mead's penalty would have been chalked off, with no chance to retake, but the What is the rule in detail? The decision was made to introduce the double-touch rule after a controversial shootout in the men's Champions League this season. were knocked out of Europe's elite competition by in the last-16 after a following a VAR check. 5 Alvarez slipped while taking his penalty, meaning Atletico Madrid got knocked out The striker had slipped when running up to shoot and subsequently double-touched the ball with both feet and VAR deemed it an illegal kick. Most read in Football Atletico went on to lose the match 4-2 on penalties, sparking a from Diego Simeone and fans. The outrage over the incident prompted the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to alter Law 14. IFAB acknowledged it would be unfair not to penalise a double touch at all and allow such kicks to stand as a goal, because goalkeepers can be disadvantaged by the altered trajectory of the ball , and so instead, the offending player would be given a second chance. Inside Lionesses' boozy Euro 2025 celebrations as stars party with pizzas, beers and loved ones after win over Spain How did the rest of the penalties play out? For the Lionesses, Mead's second chance was saved, but thankfully, this did not matter. It was the second time in the tournament's history that the final had come down to penalties, and safe to say it was a nail-biter, especially considering the absence of star player 5 Bronze revealed after the final she had played the whole tournament with a broken leg Credit: Shutterstock Editorial But it was 5 Kelly lifted the trophy for the second time in three years after scoring the winner Credit: EPA Following their success, the King hailed He said: 'The next task is to bring home the World Cup in 2027 if you possibly can!' And anything is possible after the Lionesses became the first senior England football team to
