46 ...............Wednesday, September 16, 2020 1RM 1RM Wednesday, September 16, 2020 ............... 47 Sam hot in saddle EUROPA LEAGUE SHAMROCKSHAMROCK ROVERSROVERS vv ACAC MILANMILAN By PAT POWER SAM BENNETT has just five days left to hold his Green Jersey but today’s brutal 17th stage could decide if he does — and which of the Slovenian contenders wear yellow. Primoz Roglic, 30, and Tadej Pogacar, 21, are bracing themselves for a GREEN GIANTS . Denise O’Sullivan and Heather Payne (r) day of reckoning. Roglic leads by 40 sec- It was a bit hell for leather and onds going into the 170-km trek through the Col de la Madeleine and A Payne-free finishing 2,304 metres above sea level at top of the Col de la Loze — an unforgiving 21.5-km ascent at an average gra- game is aim dient of 7.8 per cent. Germany’s Lennard By OWEN COWZER Kamna won yesterday’s Germany stage with Ireland’s Nico- HEATHER PAYNE hopes las Roche finishing eighth. Germany offer no Euro v Ireland Roglic said: “There are not only for the Italians’ shoes restrictions — having recently had her own which is actually starting some big days to come. this week. Tomorrow is this year’s travel ones lifted. “There’s no more queen stage. The Florida State Sem- restrictions in Florida. “The final climb is the inoles defender, 20, is They’ve gotten rid of the highest point of the route, this week preparing for international travel and its last kilometres are Ireland’s Euro 2020 quali- restrictions which has very hard ones, as we fier with Germany on helped me a lot. have to ride a steep bike Saturday as the Girls in “Thankfully I won’t path.” Green aim to move a have to quarantine when MARTIN’S MILAN BLITZ step closer to the finals. I go back to Florida. Pogacar said: “It’s really Ireland need just “We get brutal. You can gain a few boys played well. John Duffy There was a bridge tourna- three seconds but if you have THEY sipped on a tested fizzy drink with Omar By OWEN was the captain and he put ment and Sharif was appar- points three times bad legs you can lose in what we’d call a few ently very good at it. from their per week several minutes.” Sharif, grabbed Gianni COWZER strong challenges. “And O’Brien being O’Brien, remaining GROUP I in America Rivera’s jersey for a “When we went to Milan he just goes, ‘How are you two games P W D L F A Pts so it’s all SPORTS ROUND-UP: SOCCER CORRESPONDENT they had a big picture of him goin’ Omar?’ — and he took it — both Ireland ...............5 4 4 1 10 3 13 safe and RESULTS & FIXTURES chipper in Derry, were in the paper. It was translated all very well, actually finished against the Germany............4 4 6 0 31 0 12 the proto- led on to the pitch by looked at the dressing rooms that he was the ‘Butcher of up buying us a Club Orange. Germans Greece................4 1 4 1 5 7 4 cols are all TENNIS a goat and got some which were typical of League Athlone’. But compared to “He said if he was knocked — to Ukraine..............3 0 7 0 2 19 0 there.” ATP & WTA INTERNAZIONALI BNL of Ireland, very small. And Romeo Benetti, Duffy was a out of the tournament, he’d secure a Montenegro......4 0 4 0 0 19 0 But Ball- D’ITALIA (Rome, Italy): 1st Rd: Men - expensive Gucci shoes they made the decision to choirboy — he could literally go to the match. play-off inasloe A Rublev (Rus) bt F Bagnis (Arg) 6-4 6-4; J Mill- a bit muddy. change in the hotel.” cut you in two.” “He continued in the tour- spot at the minimum. woman Payne knows man (Aus) bt J Sousa (Por) 7-5 7-6; F Coria (Arg) nament but after the match If they can get more bt J-L Struff (Ger) 6-1 7-6; D Koepfer (Ger) bt More importantly, Ath- Famously, the teams were Martin himself still has a Germany present a huge A De Minaur (Aus) 3-6 6-3 7-6; S Caruso (Ita) bt led out on to the pitch by a small mark to show how the we went back to the hotel and than that, automatic obstacle for Ireland and lone Town frightened the he knew that we were beaten. T Sandgren (US) 3-6 6-3 7-6; P Martinez (Spa) life out of AC Milan, goat, though why that hap- Italians could look after qualification could be on their hopes of making the bt S Querrey (US) 6-3 7-6; D Lajovic (Ser) bt themselves. He was very complimentary.” the cards. were a whisker away pened is a mystery to Martin, finals. A Davidovich Fokina (Spa) 6-4 6-4; D Shapovalov who said: “I’ve a vague recol- He added: “Joe Haverty was So were the Milan fans, But in this strange year She added: “Germany (Can) bt G Pella (Arg) 6-2 6-3; Y Nishioka (Jpn) from winning the home who had turned up at the bt M Kecmanovic (Ser) 6-4 6-1; M Cecchinato lection of the goat but I’ve no Amby’s assistant and he was — the Euros were already are a good side. They are (Ita) bt K Edmund 3-6 7-6 6-2; M Raonic (Can) leg and were only beaten idea what it was about or telling us not to get too close San Siro in their droves to postponed from 2021 to the best in the group by bt A Mannarino (Fra) 7-6 6-2. Women - late on in the second. what happened.” to them as they’re masters of hail ex-Italy midfielder and 2022 — Payne is glad that a lot of goals but if we K Siniakova (Cze) bt A Kerber (Ger) 6-3 6-1; Milan’s visit to Tallaght to The game itself was one the elbow. club legend Rivera but spent things seem to be getting do have a game-plan and M Vondrousova (Cze) bt M Doi (Jpn) 6-1 4-6 face Shamrock Rovers in a Athlone could have won, with “I made the mistake of most of the game worried as back to normal with coll- we stick to it, we are a 6-4; A Rus (Hol) bt I Swiatek (Pol) 7-6 6-3; Athlone held them off. I-C Begu (Rom) bt E Cocciaretto (Ita) 6-2 6-2; Europa League qualifier John Minnock presented with closing down the full-back ege and football. good quality side with P Hercog (Slo) bt K Juvan (Slo) 4-6 6-4 6-1; tomorrow brings back memo- a gilt-edged chance to score too closely and he caught me Martin recalled: “He was She said: “With the great players. A Kontaveit (Est) bt C Garcia (Fra) 6-3 7-6; ries of the Rossoneri’s previ- from the penalty spot. and split my eye. I needed coming back from injury. college season, a lot of “We’ve always worked Y Putintseva (Kaz) bt R Peterson (Swe) 6-2 ous visit to Ireland 45 years Yet that was where the dif- three stitches at half-time. “Seemingly, he took one teams have pulled out hard and we have got a 6-4; S Kuznetsova (Rus) bt B Pera (US) 3-6 ago to face Athlone in the look at the pitch in Athlone but thankfully my college 7-6 6-3; C Gauff (US) bt O Jabeur (Tun) 6-4 ference between the clubs “My performance level defi- result against the Nether- Uefa Cup. was obvious. nitely dropped.” and decided to wait until the and my conference is lands before and I don’t 6-3; D Kasatkina (Rus) bt V Zvonareva (Rus) second leg. 6-2 6-2; G Muguruza (Spa) bt S Stephens (US) The Italians won 3-0 on Martin recalled: “We’d When Athlone went to going ahead so I will see why we can’t do that 6-3 6-3. aggregate but the tie was played Shamrock Rovers at Milan, Martin and his team- “We knew we were in have a normal season against Germany as well.” scoreless an hour into the sec- Milltown and John had scored mates were really seeing how trouble before the game when DARTS ond leg at a nervous San Siro a penalty. the other side lived. the referee gave Rivera flow- AUTUMN SERIES (Niedernhausen, Germany): and only a missed penalty “But we didn’t know — fool- They stayed in the Leon- ers. We saw it and it was, Legal Notices Day 4: Qtr-finals - J Cullen bt D Telnekes denied Amby Fogarty’s Ath- ishly I suppose — that they ardo Da Vinci Hotel where ‘We’re in trouble here’. (Hol) 6-3; D Petersen (SA) bt N Aspinall 6-2; lone a famous first-leg win. were there watching. “Someone just gave the ref- Dublin City Council G Price bt M Suljovic (Aut) 6-4; R Searle bt Bianca Jagger and Omar Sha- Planning Permission is sought for But the results themselves “John put his penalty in the rif were also patrons at the eree them and he handed R Smith 6-5. Semi-finals - D Petersen (SA) them over. The ref did noth- Construction of part 2-storey / NOTICE TO bt J Cullen 7-2; G Price bt R Searle 7-2.