Barry's Blog

EURO CHAMPIONSHIPS GROUPC NI 2-0 ESTONIA MIGHTY MC GINN McGinn lashed the ball into the net from 16 yards from Kyle Lafferty's lay-off in the 56th minute and Davis fired home from the penalty spot in the 75th. NI 2-1 BELARUS MAGNEUS MAKES IT Leicester City defender Jonny Evans headed NI into the lead on the half hour but Igor Stasevich equalised with a deflected shot three minutes later. A low cross from Paddy McNair was finished from close range by the Bolton striker to secure a deserved win. NETERLANDS 2-3 GERMANY MY OPINION This is going to tell us what Ni will ned to stand that chance at automatic qualification beat the Dutch over 2 legs and I think this will be a very difficult thing for them to do. Germany showed that they can win big matches like this and the fact that they can do it again GROUP E WALES 1-0 SLOVENIA JUMPIN JAMES The hosts flew out of the blocks with attacking intent and led inside five minutes as Daniel James struck his fir...

PRO 14 BLUES 41-17 SCARLETS LASNE AND SOMMERHILL DOUBLE KILL First-half tries from Owen Lane, Aled Summerhill, Josh Turnbull and the flawless boot of Gareth Anscombe gave Blues a 38-0 half-time lead. But two tries from substitute Rob Evans and a late interception by Ioan Nicholas made the score more respectable. Blues' only sour note of the night was losing Josh Navidi in the second minute with a suspected dislocated elbow, but even he left the field with a wry smile - perhaps he knew what was coming. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/47653816 MY OPINION This win has done the damage to put the Blues in with a real chance of reaching the Champions Cup come the end of the season. Scarlets are not out of the picture at the moment but they now know that every win in curtail. CONNACHT 29-14 TREVISO HEALY DOUBLE GIVESW IRISH SHOCK VICTORY Fly-half Jack Carty came off the bench to steer the Irish province to a last-gasp bonus point at the Sportsground. C...

FA CUP QUARTERS WOLVES 2-1 MAN U JEZZ JOTA He gets his shot away now all right. Moutinho dazzles with his footwork on the left, rolling back the years and ghosting into the box before sliding the ball square to the Mexican. He sees his path to goal blocked and takes a touch behind him, before swivelling and slamming home a low drive. A deserved lead for Wolves Wolves play the ball forwards, Shaw hooks a half-hearted ball to the edge of the Wolves area that is cleared again and this time Jota picks it up and twists Shaw inside out before leaving him on the deck. The forward takes a touch into the area and fires the ball past Romero, who perhaps could have done better. Shaw scurries up the left wing and plays a low cross to Rashford who takes a lovely touch to dampen the cross before swivelling and driving home https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2019/mar/16/wolves-v-manchester-united-fa-cup-quarter-final-live MY OPINION I think that United should have made thing...

6 NATIONS RUGBY ITALY 14-25 FRANCE PERFECT PENAUD That’s scrappy from France. The Azzuri don’t allow the visitors any time in the ruck and some poor handling sees Yacouba Camara concede a penalty in front of the posts.Tommaso Allan knocks it through and Italy make good on their promising start. That’s a big shove from Italy and with it they earn a chance to double the lead! Matthew Carley blows his whistle and Allan will kick for the posts.Allan slots it through with just enough on the ball to drop the right side of the upright. The hosts deserving of their lead so far. Antoine Dupont scores from absolutely nowhere and Italy’s solid start is completely undone. A lovely bit of work from Penaud to beat a couple of Italian statues on the right and with the scrum half running in support the wing slips him the ball to beat the last man. All too simple. Ntamack knocks over the extras.  Camara enters a ruck from the side and Allan makes no mistake with the kick. That’s a ch...

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE LAST 16 DYNAMO KIEV 0-5CHELSEA agg 0-8 GALLANT GIROUD Willian sends over an outswinging corner. Alonso heads it on at the near post and Giroud taps into the net rom six yards. That’s the tie sealed, surely! It’s yet another goal in this competition for Giroud - his eighth this season - and it came from a wonderful pass by Alonso from the left after Loftus-Cheek began the move in midfield. Giroud was left with a straightforward finish from 15 yards and he made no mistake. More confirmation of Chelsea’s dominance, as Alonso stabs into the net from two yards after Hudson-Odoi teed him up following a snappy one-two with Giroud. Willian clips in the freekick from the right, and Giroud is free to guide a header into the net from six yards. That’s his hat-trick, easy as you like. This time Giroud is the provider, playing a lovely ball from midfield to Hudson-Odoi, who had made a smart run. The youngster then keeps his composure to slot the ball past the...

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LAST 16 BARCALONA 5-1 LYON agg 5-1 MAGIC OF MESSI Suarez plays a one-two with Messi, feels contact from Denayer and goes down. It was a silly and needless challenge from Denayer, however much Suarez made of it, and a clear penalty.Messi dinks a slow-motion penalty straight down the middle. Lovely. That’s one of the slowest Panenka I’ve ever seen. Suarez beats Marcal superbly on the edge of the area to move through on goal. He could score himself but instead slides the ball to the left for Coutinho, who walks it in from seven yards. A left-wing corner led to a game of head tennis in the Barcelona box until the backpedalling Tousart took the ball down smartly on his chest and hit a precise volley past ter Stegen from 12 yards. That’s an excellent finish. Messi scurried 40 yards down the inside-right channel and clipped a low ball across the area with his right foot. It was missed by Busquets at the near post but ran perfectly for Pique, w...

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LAST 16 MAN CITY 7-0 SHALKA agg 9-2 AWSOME AGUERO Sergio Aguero opened the scoring from the spot and added a second three minutes later when Raheem Sterling's backheel set him up from six yards. Leroy Sane drilled in the third and picked up a hat-trick of assists after the break as City ran riot. Sterling, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden and Gabriel Jesus also scored. After slotting into the far corner in the first half, Sane set up Sterling with a wonderful curling cross that the England forward smashed into the top corner. Silva pounced on Sane's cut-back to make it 5-0 before substitute Foden rounded the goalkeeper after he was played in by the German winger. Jesus made sure he had a slice of the pie with a late curling strike. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47524808 MY OPINION City have to be considered contenders for the trophy with this result and I think the fact that they were able to demolish Shalka how their natural abilit...

FA PREMIERE LEAGUE PALICE 1-2 BRIGHTON KILLER KNOCKART Tomkins fluffs his clearing header. That’s the rubbish out of the way. Because after that, it’s quite sensational, as Murray romps clear down the inside-right channel, and from the edge of the box, pearls an unstoppable shot across Guaita and into the bottom left! That’s a glorious finish by the leading scorer in this fixture, and it’s Murray’s 100th goal in a Brighton shirt! Townsend has the ball just inside the Brighton box. He drops a shoulder to the left, in the hope of making some space for a shot. Propper sticks out a leg and Townsend goes over it. A no-brainer of a decision! What a poor challenge by Propper. The wind blows the ball off the spot. But Milivojevic has ice in the veins, and knows what he’s doing from 12 yards. He calmly whips the penalty into the top right, sending Ryan the wrong way. Selhurst erupts! Knockaert is found out on the right touchline with a long pass. He cuts inside, past van Aanholt,...