France are the Nations League champions with Kylian Mbappé the hero in a come from behind 2-1 win over Spain in the Nations League final in Milan. In a game that kept fairly tight in the opening half an hour thanks largely to Spain's ability to dominate possession, a frantic finish ensued after the young PSG forward's strike, with Hugo Lloris pulling off a dramatic late save that forced his teammates to fall to the floor in disbelief. Elswehere, Ken Early discusses how a rare goal-laden victory from Ireland in Azerbaijan shows signs of progress under manager Stephen Kenny. After making headlines off the pitch for his vaccine stance during the week, Callum Robinson responded with two goals and four shots on target in Baku. To put things into perspective, across the entire qualifying campaign for Euro 2020, only one player managed more than four shots on target across 11 matches, namely David McGoldrick. According to Early, "The strong sales of tickets for what is ostensibly an unappealing Tuesday night friendly against Qatar sends a message. This team has got people interested in what happens next."
Moving onto rugby and an impressive away victory from what was essentially a second-string Munster outfit against the Scarlets was marred by another injury picked up by Springbok lock RG Snyman.The giant forward showcased his ridiculous power with a well-taken try last weekend at home to the Stormers, a display that Munster fans have been anticpating for months after a serious ACL injury only minutes into his debut wrote off Syman's first campaing in a red jersey. After easing back into things with a series of bench appearances this season, it appears that Snyman faces another lengthy spell on the sidelines, with head coach Johann van Graan describing the latest setback as 'significant'. The injury news in Leinster was much more positive during their victory over Zebre; Gerry Thornley reports on the return of talented wing Adam Byrne for his first appearance since December 2019.
In golf, Rafa Cabrera Bello was more than comfortable on his home patch, securing victory at the Acciona Open de Espana in Madrid. It was an all-Spanish affair in the closing stages as Bello required a playoff hole to see off the challenge of compatriot Adri Arnaus. Kinsale golfer John Murphy completed a fine week in the Spanish capital by carding a fourth round in the 60s, a closing three-under 68 that including two eagles seeing him finish in a share of 24th position on 11 under.
Over in the UAE, the Irish men's cricket squad faces a nervous wait on an X-ray result to determine if their captain Andrew Balbirnie can participate in the upcoming T20 World Cup. Balbirnie was struck on the foot during Sunday's warmup loss to the UAE and was forced to retire hurt after being unable to place any weight on the injury. Since departing for his scan, Cricket Ireland have released somewhat of an optimistic update, stating their hope that no fractures have been picked up. Meanwhile in Zimbabwe, the women's squad is looking to secure their first One Day International series victory away from home. The final installment of the four-game series gets underway this morning with Ireland holding a 2-1 lead.
