Liverpool's Champions League hopes hang by a thread while Spurs grab a lifeline. On an eventful night of action Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool slumped to their third consecutive away defeat in the competition thanks to Paris Saint-Germain goals from Juan Bernat and Neymar. James Milner did pull one back from the penalty spot right on half-time but the French side did enough in the second half to see themselves into the last 16 and leave Liverpool needing either a 1-0 win or a win by two clear goals against Napoli in Anfield to advance. Afterwards, Klopp was unhappy with the referee for allowing PSG – and Neymar in particular – to get away with their play-acting antics. Meanwhile, at Wembley, Spurs needed nothing less than a win against Inter Milan to stay alive and they got just that on a tense night when Christian Eriksen netted in the second half to seal a 1-0 victory and leave Mauricio Pochettino's side needing to beat Barcelona at the Nou Camp in two weeks if they are to progress. Back to domestic matters and FAI high performance director Ruud Dokter says that the succession plan Ireland have in place for Stephen Kenny to replace Mick McCarthy as manager in two years is the result of a major overhaul in the organisation which has been going on for years. Speaking to Emmet Malone the Dutchman says: "this is a unique project. You can't say we'll do this every time but it fits at this time".
Moving on and former Ireland outhalf Ronan O'Gara has said he would be interested in making a return to these shores in the near future to work with Andy Farrell in the new Ireland set-up. Farrell will take over from Joe Schmidt after next year's World Cup and O'Gara – who is currently working as the attack coach for the Crusaders in New Zealand – says he is regularly in contact with the IRFU and would be open to a role at some stage down the line. This week it's Pro14 action that takes centre stage with Munster facing off against Edinburgh on Friday night. Speaking yesterday, Springbok Arno Botha has said that, even though he and CJ Stander were not the best of friends during their time coming through the ranks together at the Bulls, they have now laid their differences aside for the good of Munster and are enjoying being alongside each other again. "I don't know if you can say he was unlucky [to leave the Bulls], because obviously it's not really that unlucky to play for Ireland now, but it worked out well for him," Botha said.
In our women in sport pages this morning there is a distinct running theme with Sonia O'Sullivan looking forward to the upcoming European Cross Country Championships and then also beyond that to the 2020 instalment which will be hosted at Abbotstown's new purpose-built course. "With two years advance, notice now is the time to plan ahead and ensure that we have the best possible athletes ready to compete and chase medals for Ireland in 2020," she writes. Meanwhile, Ian O'Riordan is looking back at maverick Irish long-distance runner Mary Purcell who certainly did things her own way. Purcell was Ireland's first world-class distance runner on a par with the Irish men and she did it all while working as a full-time pharmacist and raising a family. Her profession, she also says, helped her to spot athletes who were taking performance-enhancing drugs a lot easier. And finally, Joanne O'Riordan is looking back this morning on what has been a stellar year for Irish women's sport, capped recently by Kellie Harrington's gold medal in India.
In GAA, Daire Ó Baoill tells Ian O'Riordan that Gweedore are no longer the laughing stock of Donegal football as they bid for a historic Ulster title this weekend. "You were always on the other end of giving abuse, when you were growing up. You were kind of listening to the old folks and how they spoke about the team," Ó Baoill says.
