Celtic will play no part in this year's Champions League after a shock 2-1 defeat to Ferencvaros in their second round qualifier at Parkhead last night. Neil Lennon's side dominated possession before and after the break but in the 74th minute, against the run of play, Tokmac Nguen restored the Hungarian side's advantage with a breakaway goal which meant the Scottish champions dropped down to the Europa League qualifiers. Airtricity League leaders Shamrock Rovers are hoping for a fast start to their European odyssey as they host Finnish side Ilves Tampere tonight in Tallaght (kick-off 8pm). Also in Europa League qualifying action, Bohemians head to Hungary (kick-off 5.30pm) faced with a daunting task against Fehérvár, and Emmet Malone explains the strength of the team reflects their financial backing. Lionel Messi's possible Barcelona exit is dominating the transfer news again today, and Sid Lowe believes it's not a case of if, but when.
The Milwaukee Bucks have boycotted Game 5 of their NBA playoff series against the Orlando Magic in protest at the police shooting of Jacob Blake earlier this week. Last night's other two playoff games – between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets; and the Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Lakers – have also been postponed. Matches at the Western and Southern Open, which is being played in New York as a tune-up to tennis' US Open grand slam, will be suspended today in protest against racial injustice.
The Ulster versus Leinster match at the Aviva Stadium this Saturday is currently going ahead as planned despite a cluster of Covid-19 cases in the Ulster academy squad. One member of the Ulster senior squad has already begun 14 days of self-isolation after he was identified as a potential contact. John O'Sullivan's rugby statistics column returns this morning and he is writing about the lineout in last weekend's Leinster v Munster clash: Munster were faultless at the lineout but Leinster's set-piece reaped far more rewards.
Meanwhile Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods are both in search of form ahead ahead of the BMW Championship, the second of the megabucks FedEx Cup playoffs series which tees off today. Having played the final two rounds together of the Northern Trust last weekend, the pair got back on the golf course – this time at Olympia Fields, outside Chicago – for a practice round on Wednesday. In this morning's GAA pages, Sean Moran explains there is little clarity as to how third-level sport will function in this new Covid-19 reality.
