Michael O’Neill excited by Northern Ireland’s ‘big step up’ against Germany
Michael O’Neill said he was “excited” to find out how far his young Northern Ireland team has progressed when they face Germany in Sunday’s World Cup qualifier in Cologne.
Ireland Sport News
Under-fire Nagelsmann promises ‘changes’ after Slovakia upset
The Germans were thoroughly outclassed against Slovakia on ThursdayNagelsmann, 38, slammed his players’ attitude after the defeat on Thursday, saying they lacked emotion and were “miles away” from a good performanceBERLIN: Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann on Saturday pledged changes to his side for Sunday’s crunch World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland in Cologne after falling to a 2-0 defeat in Slovakia.The Germans were thoroughly outclassed against Slovakia on Thursday, losing to the underdog side for the first time in their history.The four-time World Cup winners had never previously lost a qualification match for the tournament.A further disappointment against Northern Ireland would leave Nagelsmann’s men with little room for error in their bid to qualify directly for the World Cup.Nagelsmann, 38, slammed his players’ attitude after the defeat on Thursday, saying they lacked emotion and were “miles away” from a good performance.“We had five decent minutes. That’s not enough,” the coach said.At full-time, captain Joshua Kimmich said “if we perform like we did today, we’ll definitely not qualify” for the World Cup.On Saturday, Nagelsmann said: “There will certainly be some changes in terms of personnel.
Saturday Sport: Irish Open third round, Ireland face Hungary in World Cup qualifier
Republic of Ireland captain Nathan Collins says confidence among the players has grown sharply in the last 12 months.
Nathan Collins believes Heimir Hallgrimsson’s style is ‘very easy’ to get behind
Nathan Collins has admitted Republic of Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson is an easy man to get behind as he attempts to lead the nation to the 2026 World Cup finals.
Stephen Cluxton and Dean Rock join Dublin senior football management team
Dublin GAA have announced that Dean Rock, Denis Bastick, Professor Niall Moyna and Stephen Cluxton will be joining Ger Brennan’s Dublin senior football management team ahead of the 2026 inter-county season.
Rory McIlroy ready to chase down leaders after second-round charge at Irish Open
Rory McIlroy moved into contention and almost produced a stunning finish as Joakim Lagergren held the second-round lead at the Amgen Irish Open.
Hamilton leads Ferrari one-two in first Monza practice
MONZA, Italy: Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc delighted the Ferrari fans with a surprise one-two in first practice for the Italian Formula One team’s home grand prix at Monza on Friday. Making his first appearance at Monza in Ferrari red, seven-times world champion and five-times Italian GP winner Hamilton lapped the super-fast ‘Pista Magica’ with a best time of one minute 20.117 seconds. Leclerc, last year’s winner, was 0.169 slower with former Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz — the man Hamilton replaced in January after moving from Mercedes — third for Williams but 0.533 off the pace. Hamilton has yet to stand on the podium for Ferrari and Friday’s opening session, held in bright sunshine at the ‘Temple of Motorsport’, was a boost after the team’s double blank in the Netherlands last weekend when both cars crashed. Hamilton will have a five-place grid penalty for Sunday, however, after it was carried over from Zandvoort. Red Bull’s four-times world champion Max Verstappen was fourth fastest ahead of Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli for Mercedes. McLaren’s title contender Lando Norris was sixth after a trip through the gravel, with championship-leading teammate Oscar Piastri sitting out the session while Irish Formula Two driver Alex Dunne took his place and ended up 16th. Alex Albon was seventh fastest for Williams with Mercedes’ George Russell — who lost power and pulled over toward the end — eighth and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso ninth with Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar completing the top 10. French rookie Hadjar, third last weekend for his first career podium in Formula One, triggered a red flag when he went off at the Ascari Chicane with 25 minutes to go and scattered gravel across the track. Alpine had Estonian
The key talking points: Can Ryan Manning step up for Ireland?
The Republic of Ireland open their World Cup qualifying campaign on Saturday evening determined to end their wait for a return to the big stage.